via Saints official site
The NFL offseason is in full swing with NFL players in OTAs! While we have a read on who will play a factor in the 2024 season, there are always players who have a breakout season. Whether it was due to an injury cutting their season short or a slow start to the season, some players don’t have the stats to show how good they can be. Here are three NFL players who are primed for a breakout season.
Defining A Breakout Season For NFL Players
I always like to qualify these types of lists using my thought process. I opted to stay away from the obvious candidates. Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is primed for a better year simply because of how bad the team was last season. His numbers will likely look better simply because of better weapons.
Similarly, I stayed away from players who were injured last year. These seemed too obvious. Someone like Christian Gonzalez was trending toward an amazing rookie season before an injury ended it. It stands to reason he will bounce back if he is totally healthy. I tried to find the players that did well last year but, for whatever reason, didn’t have a large role.
NFL Players: Leo Chenal, LB Kansas City Chiefs
The depth at the linebacker position for the Chiefs has left Chenal on the outside looking in. However, when he sees the field, the young linebacker is highly effective. Pro Football Focus put Chenal in the top 20 of all linebackers in overall grade and run defense. He got to showcase his skills in the playoffs on the biggest stage. In the Super Bowl, Chanel had six total tackles, with one of them being for loss, along with a quarterback hit and a forced fumble. Because of his strong showing, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could give him more playing time. Watch out for him in the 2024 season.
AT Perry, WR New Orleans Saints
AT Perry was another among a slew of NFL players who were bumped down the depth chart due to veteran presence. This is not the case now for the Saints. New Orleans has no money to work with and will likely rely on the young wide receiver more in 2024. What makes me think he is primed for a breakout year is his limited snaps showed huge potential.
He only caught 12 passes for 246 yards but had four touchdowns, which tied him for second-most on the team. This was all done by running just over 200 routes in the year. If he can show some growth in his second year and build rapport with Derek Carr or even Spencer Rattler, Perry could be primed for a breakout season.
Will McDonald IV, Edge New York Jets
Will McDonald was the butt of many jokes because he was drafted by the New York Jets and then didn’t do much. However, this wasn’t anything against him. Similar to the other NFL players on this list, McDonald was behind a ton of other people on the depth chart. Many of those players have left in free agency, and McDonald’s looked good in terms of limited work.
The first-round pick only had 99 pass rush snaps in 2023 and still had three sacks and 12 pressures. That is a very good percentage for the former Iowa State Cyclone. He will be getting more work this season and it will give him a chance to show why the Jets took him so early.
There are many other NFL players who could have breakout seasons, but these are the ones I am keeping an eye on as the offseason continues.
