Which player had the biggest breakout for each team last season?
Carolina Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr.
The Carolina Panthers probably have the best wide receivers coach in the NFL in Ricky Proehl, and he has the tough task of molding raw receivers like Kelvin Benjamin, Tavarres King, and Marvin McNutt into legitimate weapons for star quarterback Cam Newton. Proehl has the ability to pull it off, and Ted Ginn Jr. is a shining example of his ability to mold a raw receiver into something more. Ginn, of course, has Proehl to thank for the deal he signed with the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, as he caught 36 passes for 556 yards and five touchdowns last season for the Panthers. The TDs were a clear career-high for Ginn, as the speedy Ohio State product also averaged a career-high 15.4 yards per completion. The Panthers should be commended for figuring out ways to mask Ginn’s deficiencies and accentuate his strengths, which was mostly achieved by getting him in space or downfield.
New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan
Although Cameron Jordan wasn’t without competition for this spot, it would have been criminal to choose somebody else. Always a strong run defender, Jordan broke out in a huge way as a pass rusher, and ace defensive coordinator Rob Ryan helped turn the Cal product into one of the most dominant defensive players in the game. Jordan continued his winning ways in run defense, and he bumped up his sacks for eight to a whopping 12.5 last year. That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, and Jordan was responsible for much more than just 12.5 sacks after his total of eight was an inflated number in 2012. Jordan was ridiculously good at consistently getting into the backfield to disrupt the quarterback, and there’s no doubt that he’s a bona fide star on the defensive side of the ball for the Saints.
Atlanta Falcons DT Corey Peters
Quite a few of the players in this piece broke out in their second seasons, and I think that’s where we’ll see Paul Worrilow at in 2014 after recording 127 tackles last season. Defensive tackle Corey Peters is as close to a breakout player (rookies like Desmond Trufant and Worrilow don’t count) as I could find on the Falcons roster, and he played his way into a new contract from the Falcons, as they re-signed him along with Jonathan Babineaux before also adding Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai. Peters was never a bad player, but he upped his production last season to 46 tackles and a very nifty five sacks for the best season of his career in his fourth year out of Kentucky. The 25-year-old proved adept at pushing the pocket as a pass rusher or stuffing the run, and it’s too bad he suffered a significant Achilles’ injury at the end of the year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
Underrated offensive lineman Demar Dotson technically had the biggest breakout, but this list isn’t just about the players who aren’t as well-known; it’s also about the guys like Lavonte David. Last season, the Buccaneers struggled despite having a blue-chip trio of Gerald McCoy, Darrelle Revis, and David on defense, and the talent of those three players is a bit of a damning statement against Greg Schiano.
Anyway, David didn’t exactly come out of nowhere last season, as the second-round pick out of Nebraska was a pretty beastly rookie. He quickly showed that he belonged by recording 139 tackles and showing a great feel for the game mentally. In his second season, David already established himself as a superstar and building block icon for the Buccaneers, and it was his ability to impact the game significantly in every phase that allowed him to break out from a very good starter into a true star. David recorded 145 tackles, six sacks, and nine passes defended. Those are all incredible numbers for a 4-3 WILL, and he’s one of the best coverage LBs in the game in addition to bringing great run defense and plenty of blitzing ability to the table.