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Breakout Candidates for Every NFL Team Entering 2024 Training Camps
We asked our Sports Illustrated NFL team reporters to pick a player they expect to have a breakout season entering 2024 training camps. All of the reporters explained why the player they chose could be in position to have their best season. The breakout candidates covered a variety of positions on offense and defense.
Here are the players you should keep an eye on in all 32 training camps.
Arizona Cardinals: Greg Dortch. The Cardinals certainly have weapons aplenty for Kyler Murray to target in 2024, though his new starting slot receiver should see advantageous matchups thanks to the attention Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride will command. Dortch was ultra-productive when previously called upon, and he’s sure to put up numbers as long as Murray looks his way. —Donnie Druin, Cardinals On SI
Atlanta Falcons: Drake London. Despite subpar quarterback play the first two years of his career, London has been a consistent threat for the Falcons. A 900-yard season is nothing to sneeze at with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke throwing him the ball, but he has the chance to join the league’s elite as Kirk Cousins’s primary target. —Scott Kennedy, Falcons On SI
Baltimore Ravens: Isaiah Likely. One could easily say that Likely’s breakout performance came late last season, when he had five touchdowns in seven games without star tight end Mark Andrews. This season, though, the Ravens have two premier tight ends to torment opposing defenses. With the two having pretty different skill sets, Likely will definitely have his own role to play rather than just being Andrews’s backup. —Jon Alfano, Ravens On SI
Buffalo Bills: Khalil Shakir. Shakir emerged after (now permanent) offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over play-calling duties on an interim basis midway through the 2023 season, ultimately ending the campaign with 39 receptions for 611 yards. A significant portion of that production came after Brady began to work Shakir into 11-personnel sets, as the former fifth-round pick caught 20 passes for 383 yards after Brady took over (catching another 10 passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the postseason). Buffalo moved on from Gabe Davis and perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs in the offseason, leaving Shakir as the only wide receiver on its roster who has caught a pass from Josh Allen. —Kyle Silagyi, Bills On SI
Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu. The former top-10 pick has had his fair share of struggles throughout his first two years in the league, but there’s enough blame to go around. Once Matt Rhule was fired, the Panthers turned to a ground-and-pound, downhill running game which played to Ekwonu’s strengths. Last year, they went away from that going to a spread attack with Frank Reich and Ekwonu was shaky. To make matters worse, the Panthers had a revolving door at left guard in 2023. With Damien Lewis slated to play to his right and a run-first offensive approach under new head coach Dave Canales, Ekwonu should finally turn into that franchise left tackle. —Schuyler Callihan, Panthers On SI
Chicago Bears: Rome Odunze. Their second first-round pick has a situation ready-made for a big rookie season, as defenses will need to focus their energy on stopping receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Odunze will get plenty of one-on-one coverage and should flourish after a college career at Washington built upon his contested-catch ability. —Gene Chamberlain, Bears On SI
Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown. The Bengals traded Joe Mixon to the Texans, which means Brown and Zack Moss will split carries. Brown is an explosive, tough runner that worked on his pass catching this offseason. Look for Brown to make a major impact in his second season. —James Rapien, Bengals On SI
Cleveland Browns: Jerome Ford. Ford did well last season filling in for Nick Chubb, but even with several massive runs, he only averaged 4.0 yards per carry. After a year of learning quickly on the job, the 24-year-old running back will likely start this year as the Browns’ primary running back. When Chubb returns, Ford can be an asset on third downs and as a kick returner. Not only do I expect him to more consistently pick up positive yardage, but he will likely impact games in a variety of ways. —Cole McDaniel, Browns On SI
Dallas Cowboys: Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert will have every opportunity to burst onto the scene this season as the Cowboys’ WR3. The team needs someone to step up behind CeeDee Lamb, and in the past, the team’s third wideouts have consistently produced—whether it be Brandin Cooks, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb or Cedric Wilson Jr. For Tolbert, the opportunities will come as defenses focus on Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson. During his final year at South Alabama in 2021, Tolbert recorded 82 catches for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns. It was his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. And now, he is ready to showcase the talent that made him a third-round pick in the ’22 NFL Draft. —Josh Sanchez, Cowboys On SI
Denver Broncos: Baron Browning. The Broncos initially drafted Browning to play inside linebacker, but a regime change saw his role shift to the outside. Since then, he’s had surprising success as a pass rusher when he’s been on the field, but the injury bug has been his greatest opponent. Healthy, finally, for a full offseason, and now with two years of OLB experience under his belt, all Browning needs is a little injury good fortune, and he’s destined for a double-digit sack performance. Just in time, too, as it’s a contract year. —Chad Jensen, Broncos on SI
Detroit Lions: Alim McNeill. McNeill had a solid showing in 2023, but Detroit feels there’s more potential for him to unlock. By adding D.J. Reader, they have a strong pairing on the defensive interior. Reader’s presence could allow McNeill more freedom, which could lead to an exceptional year. —John Maakaron, Lions On SI
Green Bay Packers: Jayden Reed. The youngest roster in the NFL last year almost reached the NFC championship game. So, among the many options, let’s go with Reed, who as a second-round rookie led the team in receptions, receiving yards and total touchdowns. The depth and diversity of weapons on offense might get in the way, but if there’s one player capable of reaching 80 catches or 1,000 yards, it’s Reed, who is equal parts skill, explosiveness and toughness. —Bill Huber, Packers On SI
Houston Texans: John Metchie. Recovering from an ACL injury and overcoming leukemia made the first two years of Metchie’s career throwaway seasons. However, the performances he gave during OTAs and mandatory minicamp showcased that Metchie has reverted to the player who is known to be an explosive playmaker. —Coty M. Davis, Texans On SI
Indianapolis Colts: JuJu Brents. Brents should break out as long as he’s healthy. The cornerback missed all of last offseason recovering from wrist surgery, most of training camp with a hamstring injury, and then several weeks in the middle of the season with a quad problem. The second-year corner is big, long and attacks the ball when it’s thrown his way. He was a standout when on the field. —Jake Arthur, Colts On SI
Jacksonville Jaguars: Devin Lloyd. A former first-round pick, Lloyd could have a resurgent year in new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s scheme. Lloyd thrived at Utah as a versatile chess piece who could play off-ball linebacker but also rush the passer. With Lloyd looking noticeably bigger this offseason, he could be in line for a higher-impact role. —John Shipley, Jaguars On SI
Kansas City Chiefs: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. Entering his first year with the Chiefs, Brown is in the best position a wide receiver on a one-year deal could ask for. With a likely suspension looming for Rashee Rice and a rookie learning curve ahead of Xavier Worthy, Brown projects as Kansas City’s surefire No. 1 wideout, even in his first year with Andy Reid. In 2022, JuJu Smith-Schuster had 933 yards receiving in his first and only year with the Chiefs. Brown projects as an even better fit in K.C.’s offense as the team tries to bring back the deep ball. —Joshua Brisco, Chiefs on SI
Los Angeles Chargers: Joshua Palmer. A healthy Palmer could be a dangerous deep-threat weapon for Justin Herbert. Even in 11 games in 2023, Palmer still recorded 581 yards. With Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey tasked with the YAC routes, Palmer could shake defenders for chunk yardage in sneaky go routes. —James Brizuela, Chargers On SI
Los Angeles Rams: Byron Young. Young impressed in his first season with eight sacks on a stacked defensive line. With Chris Shula now running the defense, and the addition of rookies Braden Fiske and Jared Verse, offenses might not be able to handle the quickness of Young. His agility should lead to plenty more opportunities to chase down quarterbacks, and it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see him nearly double his sack count in 2024. —James Brizuela, Rams On SI
Las Vegas Raiders: Zamir White. Entering his third year, the talented youngster was a star for the Georgia Bulldogs and has impressed in glimpses. Those glimpses gave the Silver & Black confidence to move on from Josh Jacobs, and “Zeus” is ready to show the world that his performance in the manhandling win over the Chiefs on Christmas Day was not a fluke. —Hondo S. Carpenter Sr., Raiders On SI
Miami Dolphins: De’Von Achane. It probably looks strange to see Achane getting the mention here considering he set an NFL record for highest rushing per-carry average (7.8) as a rookie in 2023, but the expectation is that he’s going to get more touches in his second season and his big-play ability could help him put up huge numbers as a rusher and receiver. —Alain Poupart, Dolphins On SI
Minnesota Vikings: Sam Darnold. Darnold is likely going to be the Week 1 starter and he’ll be protected by two high-end tackles while being surrounded with legit weapons for the first time in his career as a starter. He should succeed with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and a play-caller (Kevin O’Connell) who kept the offense humming with Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs under center last season. —Joe Nelson, Vikings on SI
New England Patriots: Rhamondre Stevenson. The Patriots back could be primed for a massive fourth year in New England. Besides the signing of Antonio Gibson this offseason, there’s not much competition sitting next to him in this backfield. Combine that with the addition of former Browns OC Alex Van Pelt to help aid this rushing offense, and Stevenson should expect to see a ton of touches in 2024. —Jared Koch, Patriots On SI
New Orleans Saints: A.T. Perry. The wide receiver is entering his second season with an opportunity to start. Last year, he led Saints receivers averaging 20.5 yards per reception. He will be challenged by veteran wideouts Cedrick Wilson and Equanimeous St. Brown during training camp. However, based on his OTAs and minicamp performances, he’ll be the one to watch this season. —Kyle T. Mosley, Saints On SI
New York Giants: Wan’Dale Robinson. Much attention is going to be on first-round draft pick Malik Nabers, but it might behoove Giants foes to pay an equal amount of attention to Robinson, who in his third year is coming off a strong spring showing. Robinson, fully recovered from a torn ACL injury sustained in 2022, finished second among Giants receivers last season in yards after the catch (291) and is an underrated yet essential part of what the Giants are hoping for their passing offense to be this season. —Patricia Traina, Giants On SI
New York Jets: Jermaine Johnson. The 2022 first-round selection had a very quiet and unproductive rookie season. No one panicked, though, as he was always going to be more of a project player. He was taken because of his 6'5", 250-pound frame that ran a 4.58 40-yard-dash. He had a more productive second season in ’23, but still wasn’t an every-down guy. He should have a major uptick in snaps and this will be his chance to prove his worth. —Dylan Sanders, Jets On SI
Philadelphia Eagles: Bryce Huff. The Eagles bet big on Huff, signing the part-time Jets edge rusher to a three-year, $51.1 million deal in free agency. Huff’s pressure numbers were near the top of the league with limited snaps (481) on a talented defense last season. If the former undrafted rookie free agent can handle the added workload he’s projected to get, 10 sacks last season could quickly push 15, especially playing off the interior push of the talented Jalen Carter. —John McMullen, Eagles On SI
Pittsburgh Steelers: Keeanu Benton. The biggest name on campus this summer should be Benton. The second-year, second-round nose tackle looked the part of a star in the making last season. Now, with a bigger role in 2024, he’s going to have an opportunity to shine. If he continues to play with the same strength and quickness he did a year ago, he’ll be the next big-time defender in Pittsburgh. —Noah Strackbein, Steelers On SI
San Francisco 49ers: Deommodore Lenoir. He’s entering the final season of his rookie contract, so he needs to perform well to get a big payday. And he has improved all three seasons he has been in the NFL. Last season, he started all 17 games, broke up 10 passes, intercepted three and gave up a passer rating of just 75.2 while playing both outside and inside the slot. And he’s only 24. —Grant Cohn, 49ers On SI
Seattle Seahawks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. In the shadows of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Smith-Njigba got off to a slow start as a rookie. But he wound up eclipsing 60 receptions and 600 receiving yards with four touchdowns, closing the year on a strong note as his chemistry with Geno Smith improved. As evidenced in OTAs, he should flourish in coordinator Ryan Grubb’s explosive scheme and could supplant Lockett as the team’s No. 2 receiver. —Corbin Smith, Seahawks On SI
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Zyon McCollum. Heading into his third year, McCollum has improved his technique and better understands the game to maximize his size, speed and ball-hawking ability. Stepping into a premiere role as a starter, his experience starting nine games due to injury last year will only help him in 2024. —JC Allen, Buccaneers On SI
Tennessee Titans: Jack Gibbens. With Azeez Al-Shaair gone, someone on the defense needs to step up in the tackle department. Enter Gibbens, who started 13 games last season as an undrafted rookie free agent. He should be a nice complement to new signee Kenneth Murray and fourth-round rookie Cedric Gray. —Jeremy Brener, Titans On SI
Washington Commanders: Brian Robinson Jr. Robinson was one of the most impactful running backs in the league last year and has been well above average when given the chance to be. The problem is the Commanders haven’t fully utilized him. That should change in 2024 with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. —David Harrison, CommandersGameday
