NFL 2015: The X-factor for all 32 teams

Quinton Coples – New York Jets

Coples needs to step up and become the player he was expected to be when former general manager Mike Tannenbaum selected him with the 16th-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Coples was supposed to be a dominant pass-rusher off the edge, but in three seasons has a grand total of 16.5 sacks. With defensive ends Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson drawing consistent double-teams, Coples should be thriving.

Last year, Coples had the best year of his career with 6.5 sacks. After general manager Mike Maccagnan signed Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, and drafted lineman Leonard Williams, the spotlight will be on Coples more than ever. The only thing New York’s defense needs to be elite is someone who can pressure the quarterback. Coples must become that if the Jets want to make the playoffs.

Percy Harvin – Buffalo Bills

For years, folks have been talking about Percy Harvin as one of the great weapons in the game. When the Minnesota Vikings traded him to the Seattle Seahawks, they received three picks including a first-round choice in 2013. Harvin did help Seattle win a Super Bowl that year, but he was mostly a bust in the Emerald City, playing in only six regular-season games in parts of two years before being dealt to the Jets for a conditional draft pick.

After signing with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, Harvin has a chance to revive his struggling career. Buffalo is in desperate need of a compliment to second-year receiver Sammy Watkins. Harvin was good for 677 receiving yards or more each of his first four seasons (all in Minnesota) before falling off. If the Bills can find the electric playmaker inside Harvin once again, it is a game-changer for their offense.

Bradley Fletcher – New England Patriots

Few teams sustained such important losses in the offseason like the New England Patriots. After winning their fourth championship in franchise history, the Patriots watched as both starting corners, Brandon Browner and Darrelle Revis, left via free agency. The departures left a gaping hole, which head coach/front office everything Bill Belichick is hoping to fill with Super Bowl-hero Malcolm Butler and offseason signing Bradley Fletcher.

Fletcher spent the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles after toiling with the St. Louis Rams over his first four. Fletcher, 28, is not expected to be on the level of Browner or Revis, but needs to be competent. Last year, Fletcher was famously torched on Sunday Night Football by Dez Bryant, a game symbolic of his campaign. Pro Football Focus rated Fletcher 92nd of 108 qualifying corners in 2014, a mark which must change for New England.

Ja’Wuan James – Miami Dolphins

For years, the Miami Dolphins have been trying to fix their offensive line woes. Last year, general manager Dennis Hickey went for broke (literally) and signed left tackle Branden Albert to a five-year, $47 million deal before using his first-round pick on University of Tennessee tackle Ju’Wuan James. It was supposed to solve Miami’s problem of keeping Ryan Tannehill’s jersey clean. It did not.

James was a bust in his rookie season, ranking 80th of 84 left and right tackles on PFF. James had poor grades in both run and pass-blocking, but there is good news. James graded positively in half the games, showing he can play. It’s simply a matter of consistency for the second-year man, who can settle in at right tackle after having to shuffle to the left side following Albert’s knee injury.

Next: AFC North X-factors