Every NFL team’s breakout star for this season
By Nick Villano
The NFL is full of surprises every season. There are teams like the Seattle Seahawks who were supposed to be terrible but actually became a playoff contender in 2022.
Then, teams like the Denver Broncos were surprisingly bad. The same goes for players. There are players who can’t live up to the hype of a big contract or a high draft pick.
However, it’s much more fun to talk about the positives. Geno Smith, Josh Jacobs, Maxx Crosby, and Tony Pollard are some of the players who made themselves stars in 2022. It was a huge jump in production, and we expect more of that in 2023 for a whole new list of players.
To look for the 2023 breakout players, we wanted to go bold here at FanSided. Everyone is picking Jerry Jeudy on the Denver Broncos, Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears, or Kadarius Toney of the Kansas City Chiefs. So, to stay within our bold threshold, we made some rules.
There are very few, if any, rookies on this list. If there is a rookie, they cannot be a first, second, or third-round pick. Also, no starting quarterbacks (although there will be quarterbacks). We’re not looking for stars or players who are about to be stars. We’re finding the gems that haven’t shined yet. Now, let’s find some bold breakout predictions for 2023.
Breakout NFL candidates for 2023: Arizona Cardinals – Trey McBride
The Arizona Cardinals are a franchise in a sad place. Kyler Murray is likely not starting the season, which would put veteran backup Colt McCoy in the starter’s role for the first time in a long time. The offensive line is expected to be in bad shape, which will take away McCoy’s time. That will lead to a lot of passes to the running backs and tight ends.
The Cardinals have Zach Ertz, but we expect him to be the cut candidate once it is all said and done. Why would Ertz stick around for this mess? If he’s allowed to leave, the Cardinals will be left with Trey McBride as a starter.
That’s not a terrible place to be. McBride has a ton of talent, and he proved he can make something out of nothing. He had 29 catches last year, averaging just nine yards per reception. We expect a lot more targets in 2023, which will lead to some fantasy hype for McBride later in the year.