Forget season ending awards and accolades. Which player will rule the headlines during the 2018 NFL season? We have 15 candidates worthy of the title.
The 2018 NFL league MVP is not notable. It is given to the quarterback having the best year for a playoff team. The Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year are not much different. They are awarded to the stat-stuffers (sacks or interceptions for the latter; touchdowns for the former) who do not play quarterback.
What about the players who transcend their own stats? There are guys who generate buzz and control the narrative of the league for a season. Those are the interesting guys.
Past narrative controllers, in no particular order, include Odell Beckham, JJ Watt, Adrian Peterson, Von Miller, Cam Newton, Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Colin Kaepernick, and Ray Rice, among others, with honorable mention for Justin Tucker. Sometimes, these players overlap with the prototypical award honorees, but not always. Who will rule the headlines during the NFL 2018 season?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the NFL 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Todd Salem:
This might be my favorite question of all: Who will dominate the narrative for the 2018 NFL season? I will give you my favorite nominees, then I need yours. This isn’t a comprehensive top 10, as someone could come out of nowhere or, you know, it could just be someone stupidly obvious like Tom Brady or Ezekiel Elliott.
1. Carson Wentz – Returning after his team won the Super Bowl without him. With a loaded roster around him, does he lead the title defense everyone is expecting, or do Eagles fans begin to clamor for the days of Nick Foles? And what if he isn’t ready to go in September?
2. Deshaun Watson – Returning to a team that has the highest variance of any AFC team with him behind center. The Texans looked fearsome last year before Watson went down. They could develop into the best team in the conference (with a little help from a healthy Watt).
3. Jalen Ramsey – Already ruffling feathers in the preseason, perhaps the best defender and the best talker in the sport. Ramsey headlines the front-runner for the best team defense in the league and a unit that may have to carry its offense back into the playoffs.
4. LeSean McCoy – Legal issues could pursue him all season, shining a light on the negative side of the league. The NFL cannot escape off-field issues, mainly because it always bungles the PR surrounding said issues like no other league is capable.
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5. Earl Thomas – The last vestiges of the Legion of Boom, Thomas could carry the Seattle defense to one final hurrah. He could also be around to see it fall or simply be traded to the most famous franchise in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys.
6. Jarvis Landry – The most confident, talkative, and perhaps best player on the “rising” Cleveland Browns. What if they are actually good? Landry will be the face of that triumphant return if it happens.
7. Ndamukong Suh – Slapped into the middle of the best defensive line in the league, which Suh will show up for Los Angeles? He has been just as famous for wreaking havoc in the backfield as he has for angering opponents and officials with his dirty play.
8-9. Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley – This could be the best skill position pairing in football, playing in the largest media market in the country. Beckham on his own is a story under all circumstances. Pairing him with the premiere rookie in the game should create some talking points.
10. Kirk Cousins – Finally heading a championship contender, is Cousins the real deal? He flew under the radar for years in Washington, collecting stats and Cousins is pretty good and no one gives him credit comments. The oral accolades melded him into simultaneously being the most underrated and the most overrated player no one truthfully has an opinion on. He may be facing the biggest make-or-break season of any leader of a playoff hopeful.
Dan Salem:
I really can’t argue with any of the 10 names you dropped on us. They have all certainly dominated the 2018 NFL preseason thus far, so any one can steal the spotlight of the league year. Instead of rationalizing how one or the other will actually pull off dominance, I’m going to add five more names to the list. 15 NFL names who can and will steal our attention for the 2018 NFL season.
11. Sam Darnold – Nothing is more exciting than a rookie quarterback getting his first start and Darnold will likely be the first. Plus, he plays in New York and was the third overall pick. Will he be the savior of the Jets? Will he flop hard? Success breeds more national attention, especially if New York sneaks into the playoff conversation.
12. Alex Smith – He’s on a new team with a chip on his shoulder. Washington finally moved on from Cousins, only to bring in a player eerily similar, but less exciting. Smith can truly push the narrative by succeeding with the Redskins, or prove that Washington is truly the worst run franchise by playing well, but not good enough to win football games.
13. Baker Mayfield – Any success in Cleveland will be national news, but the rookie starting and winning for the Browns will be huge! He was the No. 1 overall pick, so don’t discount his impact on headlines. The likelihood of his rule atop the news cycle is very low, lower than Darnold’s, but its still a possibility. So you’re saying there’s a chance?
14. Running Back from nowhere – Every season a new running back seemingly comes out of nowhere to dominate the position and steal fantasy football fans’ hearts. Plus, they usually lead their team into the real life playoffs. Could this be someone for Denver, or Indianapolis? Perhaps a player for the 49ers? We don’t know who it will be, just that it will happen.
15. Jon Gruden – Everyone seems to love talking about Gruden and either loves or hates him. There is no in between. Will he lead the Raiders back to glory? Will he suck worse than ever and return to the booth? Success in Oakland will make it all about Gruden this season. The more likely scenario is that both coach and team are average all year. But I’m rooting for magic!