One breakout candidate for each NFL team in 2018
By Brad Weiss
With every team entering training camp this past week, let us take a look at one breakout player for each franchise during the 2018 season.
Every season, we see players around the NFL put together breakout campaigns that nobody saw coming. Each team has a couple of guys who have gone unnoticed throughout their NFL careers, and when they do get their chance to shine, they make the most of their opportunities.
When it comes to being a breakout player, it does not always have to be a veteran who has waited their turn. In fact, we have seen a ton of rookies come into the league as of late and really set the NFL on fire.
In this piece, we take a look at one breakout player candidate for each NFL team
The Arizona Cardinals got some big news this offseason when veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald announced he would be returning for another season in the desert. The fact is, the Cardinals will have a bunch of question marks on offense in 2018, including at the quarterback position, where Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen will battle it out for the starting job this summer.
At running back, the Cardinals will have David Johnson back, giving them one of the more versatile backs in all of professional football. Johnson missed nearly the entire 2017 season, as a wrist injury in the season opener ended up shelving him for the final 15 games of his third season in the NFL.
Johnson should anchor the run game, but Fitzgerald is going to need some help at wideout. During the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cardinals selected Christian Kirk out of Texas A&M, and he is going to be a heck of a player to pair with Fitzgerald for the upcoming season.
During his time with the Aggies, Kirk displayed incredible big-play ability, and has the size and speed you look for in an elite wide receiver. He is also getting the valuable experience of playing alongside Fitzgerald, and sure-fire Hall of Famer, and if Bradford or Rosen can get him the ball, he could be the breakout player this offense needs, much like Johnson was a few years back.