The NFC West was already arguably the best division in football during the 2025 season, and seemingly every team got even better ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Three teams won 12 or more games last season, the Seahawks and Rams battled it out for the NFC title, and the Seahawks won the Super Bowl.
This division includes the reigning NFL MVP (Matthew Stafford), Defensive Player of the Year (Myles Garrett), and Offensive Player of the Year (Jaxon Smith-Njigba). Christian McCaffrey won NFL Comeback Player of the Year just for good measure.
This division is loaded with star power, but they're not done yet. There is plenty more talent on the way for the NFC West, and we're going to do our best to predict the top 4 breakout player candidates in the division, picking one from each team.
NFC West top 4 breakout player candidates for the 2026 season
Los Angeles Rams: Terrance Ferguson, TE
Although the Los Angeles Rams have plenty of playmakers drawing more attention than second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson, he could be in line for a massive second year in the NFL.
The former 2nd-round pick out of Oregon didn't get a ton of targets last season, and finished with just 11 receptions overall. But the work that he did get was impressive. Ferguson's 11 receptions went for a whopping 231 yards and three touchdowns.
With the Rams really finding a groove when they went to 12 and 13 personnel (2 and 3 TE sets) last season, we're expecting a major uptick in work for Ferguson even with players like Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and 2nd-round rookie Max Klare now in the mix.
Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB
Even after winning Super Bowl MVP, the Seattle Seahawks let Kenneth Walker leave in free agency for the Chiefs rather uncontested.
Whether the Seahawks weren't convinced of Walker's longevity or simply didn't want to pay big money to a running back, they're putting a lot of faith in rookie running back Jadarian Price. Not only is Price coming in with the 1st-round draft pick pressure, but he's also filling the shoes of a player who helped bring home some serious hardware.
On top of that, Zach Charbonnet won't likely be around at the start of the season as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in the playoffs. Price is going to be catapulted out of the nest and asked to take on a big workload right away.
Even with Klint Kubiak off to the Raiders, the expectation will be for the Seahawks to be balanced offensively, and Price will need to perform right away.
San Francisco 49ers: De'Zhaun Stribling, WR
Even with veterans like Mike Evans and Christian Kirk joining the team this offseason, the 49ers spent their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on De'Zhaun Stribling, and that selection was immediately put under a microscope.
The 49ers have struggled drafting in recent years, and the wide receiver position has seen a ton of transition after this team previously had the most enviable trio in the game with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings. Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
Stribling has been steadily proving himself during the 49ers' offseason program, and could be counted on to play a pretty huge role as a rookie. There have even been some recent reports that other NFL teams (besides the 49ers) had Stribling as the top receiver in this entire draft class.
Maybe the 49ers were onto something...
Arizona Cardinals: Walter Nolen, DL
Although some of the most popular picks for the Cardinals -- Marvin Harrison Jr., Jeremiyah Love -- might come from the offensive side of the ball, Nathaniel Hackett being the OC and having anything to do with that unit is leading me to a more skeptical outlook before the season.
Defensively, the Cardinals really need some young players to emerge as foundation pieces for both the present and future, and Walter Nolen needs to be one of them.
Arizona took Nolen in the 1st round of last year's draft out of Ole Miss, and he flashed as a rookie with 5 TFL, 5 QB hits, and 2 sacks in just 6 games played (169 snaps). With a full workload in 2026, he could emerge as one of the best young defensive linemen in the game.
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