Which player had the biggest breakout for each team last season?
Cincinnati Bengals WR Marvin Jones
The Cincinnati Bengals have such a deep roster that it was incredibly difficult to single out one player as the biggest breakout star, but I decided to go with someone who is actually on the team instead of tabbing Anthony Collins here. Marvin Jones had an incredibly impressive Week 8 performance against a putrid, burn-prone, embarrassing (I’ll stop before I start actually having fun with this) New York Jets secondary with eight receptions for 122 yards and four touchdowns. That was his only game with at least seven receptions, 100 receiving yards, or multiple touchdown receptions, so it wasn’t like he was blowing it up all year long.
However, Jones did finish with a solid 51 receptions for 712 yards and ten touchdowns in just his second season out of Cal, as he had just 18 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. That’s a pretty hefty difference, and Jones will be an even bigger part of the Bengals passing attack next year, especially with Andrew Hawkins on the Cleveland Browns.
Baltimore Ravens SS James Ihedigbo
Two of the Ravens top candidates for this spot (James Ihedigbo and Arthur Jones) are no longer on the team, and the coach mostly responsible for the recipient’s breakout (defensive backs coach Teryl Austin) is now the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator. Ihedigbo moved to Detroit with Austin and will start at strong safety across from Glover Quin Jr., and Ihedigbo is getting this opportunity on the strength of a surprisingly good year in 2013 with the Ravens as their starting SS. He unsurprisingly struggled in coverage, but the former journeyman third safety and special-teamer didn’t completely embarrass himself in coverage. That’s a big plus for Ihedigbo, who made a ridiculous amount of plays with 100 tackles, three interceptions, and 11 passes defended.
How much better are those numbers than usual? Well, in Ihedigbo’s five seasons prior to 2013 he never had an interception, recorded just two passes defended total, and had a career-high of 70 tackles in 2011 as a beyond-horrible starter for the New England Patriots. So Austin and the Ravens (second year with the team but easily his most work) managed to help make a well below-average third-safety an above-average starter for one season; we’ll see if it lasts for Austin in Detroit.
Pittsburgh Steelers RG David DeCastro
Former Stanford first-round pick David DeCastro broke out in a huge way last season, as he was one of the best guards in the NFL. DeCastro was astute in pass protection, but where he really made his presence felt was in the running game, grading the road for rookie feature back Le’Veon Bell. DeCastro had some textbook performances as a run blocker, and the Steelers were able to generate significant push inside as a result of his work. It’s too bad he didn’t receive any help, though, as the rest of the Steelers line wasn’t nearly as effective in the running game.
Cleveland Browns DE John Hughes
Josh Gordon? Nah, that’s too easy, and he had 805 receiving yards as a rookie anyway. No, I’m going to go with a guy almost nobody outside of Ohio has heard of, as 3-4 defensive end John Hughes definitely deserves some recognition for the strong year he put together last season. One of the most underrated players in the game, Hughes is a monster against the run, and the 26-year-old Cincinnati product turned in a positive offseason of momentum into a solid set of regular season performances. Although he had one more tackle and two more sacks as a rookie, Hughes elevated his game by clogging up running lanes consistently. At 6’2″, 320 pounds, Hughes is incredibly difficult to move. A non-sexy pick in the draft that raised eyebrows, Hughes’s lack of a sexy style of play as the Browns run-stuffing extraordinaire as a 3-4 DE will cause him to be overlooked, which is a bit of a shame.