With training camp set to kick off in the next few weeks, NFL teams are set to get the first look at their new rosters and begin the quest to win Super Bowl LXI. A few cliches emerge around the start of camp, involving players talking about how they are in the best shape of their lives, teams liking how their players work together, and highlighting players they believe are on the verge of breakouts.
While cornerstone pieces can build the foundation for a Super Bowl contender, breakouts often help teams on the fringes of contention emerge into legitimate playoff squads. New England rode a second year breakout from Drake Maye all the way to the Super Bowl last season. Which players have the best shot at following in Maye's footsteps for each NFL team?
Arizona Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
The talent that made Harrison the top receiver prospect in years is still there, but a bad fit at quarterback with Kyler Murray prevented him from harnessing it. With Murray off to Minnesota, Harrison is poised to take a leap forward with Jacoby Brissett under the guidance of new head coach Mike LaFleur.
Atlanta Falcons: LB Jalon Walker
The Falcons invested heavily in their pass rush last year by taking both Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round. Walker had a solid rookie season, racking up 5.5 sacks in a limited role, and is set for more responsibility in the same system after new head coach Kevin Stefanski retained Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator. That stability should help Walker push for 10 sacks in year two.
Baltimore Ravens: CB Nate Wiggins
There have been flashes of potential for Wiggins, Baltimore's first-round pick in 2024, but he has yet to live up to the potential the Ravens saw in him as a ball-hawking corner. Wiggins revealed that he has been playing hurt for his first two years and finally feels 100 percent after offseason surgery, which should be a dangerous proposition for the rest of the league as the Ravens' top corner.
Buffalo Bills: DL Deone Walker
Fourth-round pick Deone Walker played a key contributing role as a rookie on Buffalo's defensive line, earning more snaps as the season progressed and racking up 39 tackles. Walker showed up to mini camp in great shape and is projected to be a starter this season, which could line him up to become a cornerstone on the Bills' defensive front for years to come.
Carolina Panthers: QB Bryce Young
This breakout started in the middle of last season, when Young shed his middling form to stack up key wins on the way to Carolina's NFC South title. Young has a chance to break out further by building on his 2025 campaign to solidify himself as the Panthers' franchise quarterback and putting himself in the Pro Bowl mix against tougher competition.
Chicago Bears: WR Luther Burden III
The Bears moved on from D.J. Moore after the season, which should open the door for an expanded role for intriguing pass catcher Luther Burden III. Caleb Williams formed a solid connection with Burden as a rookie, who caught 47 passes for 652 yards and two touchdowns, and more target volume could help Burden push for 1,000 yards in year two.
Cincinnati Bengals: EDGE Myles Murphy
Losing Trey Hendrickson in free agency created a big hole on the defensive line for Cincinnati but the Bengals have faith that Murphy is ready to fill it. Murphy, the Bengals' 2023 first round pick, set career highs in tackles (52) and sacks (5.5) last season and should be highly motivated to push for double digit sacks in a contract year after Cincinnati declined to pick up his fifth year option.
Cleveland Browns: QB Shedeur Sanders
Despite Cleveland's attempts to sell that Deshaun Watson has a legitimate chance to start, it's clear the 2026 Browns will go as far as Shedeur Sanders will take them. Sanders showed flashes of potential when he finished the year as Cleveland's starting quarterback and could take another step forward with offensive guru Todd Monken as his new head coach.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Ryan Flournoy
While the Cowboys have become a two-headed monster at receiver with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Dak Prescott has been at his best when he can support a strong slot receiver. That could be a big help for Flournoy, who showed potential out of the slot last season and can cash in as a safety valve if other teams roll their coverage towards the Cowboys' other playmakers.
Denver Broncos: RB RJ Harvey
Sean Payton envisioned Harvey playing the kind of "joker" role that Alvin Kamara played for him in New Orleans, but he was eased into the NFL working behind J.K. Dobbins last season. Dobbins is back in Denver, but Harvey has had more usage at mini camps which could hint at a bigger role for the speedy young back out of UCF.
Detroit Lions: WR Isaac TeSlaa
The Lions have operated as a traditionally run-first team under Dan Campbell but David Montgomery's departure could shift some offensive work back to Jared Goff and the passing game. One of the big beneficiaries could be TeSlaa, who caught six touchdowns on just 16 receptions as a rookie and could be in for an expanded role behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
Green Bay Packers: WR Matthew Golden
The Packers saw a crowded receiver room thin out this offseason as Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks moved on in free agency. While Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are projected as the starters, the Packers did invest a first-round pick in Golden last year and appear ready to entrust him with more responsibility in the offense going forward, with Golden's speed making him a true home-run threat.
Houston Texans: WR Jayden Higgins
While Nico Collins is locked in as Houston's top target for C.J. Stroud, 2025 saw the Texans try to incorporate a pair of rookies as his top secondary targets. Higgins outperformed Jaylin Noel, catching 41 passes for 525 yards and six touchdowns, and appears to have the inside track on the WR2 spot for a talented young team.
Indianapolis Colts: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
Indianapolis traded away Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason while re-signing Alec Pierce to a mega-deal. That will put a lot on the plate of newcomer to the Colts, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, as he steps in as the proverbial No. 2 or 3 receiver in this offense. While his career-highs to this point are 38 receptions (2021), 497 yards and nine touchdowns (both in 2024), he's set up to reset those marks in his new home.
Jacksonville Jaguars: RB Bhayshul Tuten
The Jaguars' offseason activities demonstrated a lot of faith in Tuten, who is slated to take over as the starting running back after Travis Etienne went to the Saints in free agency. Tuten, who turned 83 carries into 307 yards and five touchdowns as Etienne's backup last season, is in line to be the lead dog in Jacksonville's running back room after the Jaguars didn't add a top back in either free agency or the draft.
Kansas City Chiefs: S Alohi Gilman
The Chiefs have received strong safety play over the years from the likes of Eric Berry and Tyrann Mathieu, making the addition of Gilman in free agency noteworthy. Gilman appeared to level up his game after a midseason trade to Baltimore last season and could build on those gains under the tutelage of Steve Spagnuolo in a strong Kansas City defense.
Las Vegas Raiders: WR Tre Tucker
Receivers have been exiting Las Vegas rapidly over the past few years, with both Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers getting dealt after asking out. The big beneficiary should be Tre Tucker, who should be the Raiders' top pass catcher outside Brock Bowers, and is coming off a solid year (56 catches for 595 yards and six touchdowns) with solid quarterback play to begin the year in the form of veteran Kirk Cousins.
Los Angeles Chargers: RB Omarion Hampton
A fractured ankle in Week 5 cost Hampton a lot of his rookie season but he flashed when he was on the field, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and catching 32 passes out of the backfield. The Chargers kept Keaton Mitchell and Kimani Vidal around as backups but didn't add a starter ahead of Hampton, signaling their intentions to make him their top running back in 2026.
Los Angeles Rams: DL Kobie Turner
Turner has been one of the Rams' mid-round success stories, emerging as a key starter along the defensive line who registered seven sacks in 2025. Los Angeles' trade for Myles Garrett brings a premier edge rusher who should draw plenty of double teams, which could free up Turner for more one-on-one matchups and help him secure his first double-digit sack season.
Miami Dolphins: QB Malik Willis
A tremendous fill-in performance for Jordan Love in a primetime game late in the season was destined to get Malik Willis a huge payday and Miami stepped up to provide it. Years of knowledge running Matt LaFleur's offense in practice could pay big dividends for Willis, who was a top target of a new Miami administration with Green Bay ties in both the front office (GM Jon-Eric Sullivan) and head coach (Jeff Hafley).
Minnesota Vikings: EDGE Dallas Turner
Minnesota can already look at Turner as a cornerstone piece after a strong sophomore campaign where he saw his sack total jump from 3 to 8. Opposing offensive coordinators will need to be more aware of Turner in their game plans but Brian Flores has plenty of creative ways to unleash Turner, who should rack up double-digit sacks in his third year in the league.
New England Patriots: OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
The offensive line was a big issue for the Patriots in the Super Bowl and they made a shrewd move to upgrade it when they signed Alijah Vera-Tucker away from the Jets. Injuries have been a big issue for AVT, who has had season-ending injuries in three of the past four years, but he has shown he can play at a Pro Bowl level when healthy and is capable of playing every spot besides center.
New Orleans Saints: QB Tyler Shough
The Saints' late surge was keyed by the emergence of Shough as their starter, who took over at mid-season and completed 67.6 percent of his passes and helped New Orleans go 5-6 in his 11 starts. With a full offseason as the starter, Shough could take a big step towards proving he is the long-term answer as the Saints' starting quarterback.
New York Giants: TE Isaiah Likely
One of the key players John Harbaugh brought with him from Baltimore is Likely, who has been productive as Mark Andrews' backup in Baltimore. Likely is now the unquestioned starting tight end for the Giants and could have a huge year as a key safety valve for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
New York Jets: WR Adonai Mitchell
Jets' GM Darren Mougey insisted on having Mitchell thrown into the Sauce Gardner trade due to his game-breaking speed. Mitchell showed flashes of potential in his first half season in New York and could take a leap forward this year with Geno Smith, a noted deep ball passer, serving as his quarterback.
Philadelphia Eagles: WR Dontayvion Wicks
Most fans focused on the drafting of Makai Lemon as the direct replacement for A.J. Brown but veteran import Wicks is more likely to have an immediate impact. The Eagles sent a fifth-round pick to the Packers to acquire Wicks, who fits more of the bigger receiver archetype that Brown provided and can assume some of that responsibility as Philadelphia's number two receiver.
Pittsburgh Steelers: DL Derrick Harmon
The Steelers saw Harmon, their 2025 first-round pick, play in just 12 games due to injury and he still registered 3 sacks in limited time. With a healthy offseason behind him, Harmon should be ready to step into a starting role on Pittsburgh's defensive line and be a pocket disruptor thanks to his unique athleticism for a man of his size.
San Francisco 49ers: WR Ricky Pearsall
It feels like pundits have been predicting the Pearsall breakout for years, but 2026 has the ingredients for it to finally happen. Mike Evans is in as the 49ers' top receiver but with Brandon Aiyuk on his way out the door and Jauan Jennings in Minnesota, Pearsall has a clear lane to being the No. 2 receiver with a path to 1,000 yards if he stays healthy.
Seattle Seahawks: WR Rashid Shaheed
After being primarily a deep threat in New Orleans, Shaheed got more responsibility in Seattle and was a key cog on their Super Bowl run. The Seahawks made keeping Shaheed a priority in the offseason, giving him a three-year deal worth $51 million, a significant investment that shows they think he can be one of Sam Darnold's biggest weapons in 2026.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: CB Zyon McCollum
The Buccaneers have lost starting cornerbacks in each of the past two offseasons, with Carlton Davis off to Detroit and Jamel Dean landing in Pittsburgh. McCollum, a former fifth round pick, is set to be Tampa's top corner and could make quite an impact with expanded playing time after recording 32 passes defensed in the past three seasons combined.
Tennessee Titans: QB Cam Ward
Ward was handed a nearly disastrous hand as a rookie with a terrible supporting cast and his first coach getting fired mid-season, but he managed to still show flashes of franchise quarterback potential. With a new offensive coordinator in Brian Daboll and a top target from the draft in Carnell Tate there is a better foundation for Ward to begin building his career in Tennessee.
Washington Commanders: WR Luke McCaffrey
The depth chart behind Terry McLaurin at receiver is wide open in Washington and Luke McCaffrey is poised to take advantage of his opportunity. The younger brother of 49ers' star running back Christian McCaffrey, Luke functioned as one of the Commanders' top pass catchers at the end of 2025, showing why he is capable of an expanded role this season.
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