Writer: Peter DiPaola
Each NFL season, players in every position have to prove themselves, this piece focuses on the quarterbacks that have something to prove in 2018.
JAMEIS WINSTON
Jameis will not be starting the first three games of the 2018 season due to a suspension from an off the field incident in which Winston was accused of groping a female Uber driver. He is now entering his fourth season in the NFL, and in 45 games played since being taken with the first pick in 2015 he has compiled the following statistics:
11,636 Yards
60.8% Passes completed
69 Passing touchdowns
44 Interceptions
513 Rush yards
8 Rushing touchdowns (6 of which came his rookie season)
15 Lost fumbles
In 45 games Winston has 77 total touchdowns and 59 turnovers, and with his turnover issues, and being suspended the first three games of 2018, Winston could be in a tough spot once he comes back. The Buccaneers start off the season on the road against their division rival Saints, then they play back to back home games, one against the Eagles and the other against the Steelers. If the Buccaneers have a rocky start, when Winston comes back he will have to play smarter football by keeping the turnovers down. If he struggles when he comes back and Tampa Bay has another losing season, the young signal caller might face a tough road ahead attempting to stay in Tampa.
Keep an eye on Winston in 2018, this could be a make or break year for the former Heisman winner.
RYAN TANNEHILL
After spending all of 2017 on the injured reserve, Ryan Tannehill will be back as the Dolphins starting quarterback in 2018. Why is Tannehill on this list? Following his first four years in the NFL, in which Tannehill improved each season in passing categories, he struggled in 2016. During the 2016 season, Tannehill played in 13 games, tossing 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and averaged 230.4 yards a game. To be fair during 2016 he did set career highs in completion percentage (67.1%) and passer rating (93.5). So while Tannehill has shown potential in the NFL, he is coming back after missing the 2017 season due to a torn ACL he suffered in a training camp practice. Tannehill will also be missing wide receiver Jarvis Landry (traded to the Browns), who led the league in receptions (112) in 2017. Tannehill is a quarterback to watch this upcoming season, watch him to see how he comes back from injury and how he performs with some new teammates.
MARCUS MARIOTA
Marcus Mariota is entering his fourth year in the league, and he has played in 42 games (all starts), in his career he has compiled the following statistics:
9.476 Passing yards
61.8% Passes completed
58 Passing Touchdowns
34 Interceptions
913 Rush yards
9 Rushing touchdowns
12 Lost fumbles
In total he has 67 total touchdowns and 46 turnovers in 42 games, Marcus went from 26 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 2016 to 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 2017. Tennessee did manage to make the playoffs in 2017 and won a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs on wildcard weekend. Tennessee now has a new head coach in Mike Vrabel, Marcus will have to show his new coaching staff that he can improve from his down season. New coaching staffs will want players that fit their system, Marcus is a quarterback worth following in 2018. Watch to see how he looks to improve and fit in the new coaches system, if Mariota can play the way he did in 2016, or better, he should not have to worry about his future.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
JOE FLACCO- Joe Flacco averaged 196.3 yards per game in 2017, his worst since his rookie season in 2018 (185.7 per game). His team, the Baltimore Ravens, traded back up into the first round and selected quarterback Lamar Jackson with the 32nd pick as well. As long as Flacco can stay healthy and improve on his numbers, he should be safe.
TYROD TAYLOR- After helping the Buffalo Bills get to the playoffs last season for the first time since 1999, he was shipped to the Cleveland Browns. Tyrod makes this list because if he performs well, the Browns could shop him if they can resign him or tag him after the season is over. That is because they have the 2017 Heisman winner and 2018 first overall pick, quarterback, Baker Mayfield on the roster.
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Peter DiPaola
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Friday, August 31, 2018
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2018 NFL Season: Year of the Receiver
Author- Peter DiPaola
Every season in the NFL, there are plenty of players that want to prove themselves to their respective teams, whether it is fighting for a roster spot, or wanting to land a new deal. With some of the moves at wide receiver this offseason, there are plenty of receivers looking to prove their worth. Here are receivers to keep an eye on during the 2018 season.
COREY COLEMAN
The Cleveland Browns took Corey Coleman in the first round of the 2016 draft, then on Sunday, August 5th, the Browns traded Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills, per Adam Schefter. Schefter did state that the Bills traded their 2020 7th round pick for Coleman. Corey joins a team that made the playoffs in 2017, during his 2 year stint in Cleveland he played in19 games, catching 56 passes for 718 yards and 5 touchdowns. Corey Coleman's numbers are not great, but injury issues have hampered him since entering the NFL. He was also part of an organization that went 1-31 the last two seasons. He can help the Bills offense with his speed and ability, keep an eye on how he performs in 2018, if Josh Allen is the starting quarterback, Coleman could be a home run hitter for Allen, who has a strong arm.
TAVON AUSTIN
While officially listed as a running back, per the Dallas Cowboys official website, nfl.com's Kevin Patra, wrote that Tavon has not lined up in the backfield during training camp. Tavon Austin has not played up to the level of a first round pick. Since being selected by the Rams in 2013, (when they were still in St. Louis), he has only caught 194 passes for 1,684 yards and 12 touchdowns. In two of his five seasons, he did not catch a single touchdown pass, Dallas is a fresh start for him. With the departure of Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will be leaning on their other pass catchers to make plays. Tavon Austin was drafted as a receiver, and based on how he has lined up in camp, it would be fair to assume he will be seeing plenty of action in the passing game.
WILL FULLER V
Will Fuller was picked with the 21st pick in the 2016 NFL draft, by the Houston Texans, since then he has caught 75 passes for 1,058 yards and 9 touchdowns in 24 games. His touchdown receptions did improve from 2 in 2016, to 7 in 2017. His yards did decline from 635 (2016) to 423 in 2017, and he caught 28 passes in 2017, compared to 47 in 2016. It should be noted that all 7 touchdowns in 2017 came during a four week span in 2017 when Deshaun Watson was the quarterback. If Watson is fully healthy when he comes back and is able to find that connection with Fuller again, Fuller could be due for his breakout season.
TERRELLE PRYOR
Terrelle Pryor posted a 1,000 yard season in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns, he caught 77 passes for 1,007 yards and 4 touchdowns that season in 16 games. Last year he was in the nations capitol playing for the Washington Redskins and caught 20 passes for 24 yards and just 1 touchdown (in 9 games played), a big drop off, even though he played in 7 less games than in 2016. Pryor is now a New York Jet, how he will fit in on the Jets offense, and how much playing him he will get, will be something to watch this season. Will he be closer to the 2016 version of himself? Only time will tell.
Honorable mentions:
Kelvin Benjamin- With his recent rumblings about the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton, which irked his head coach, Sean McDermott, and this being his contract year in Buffalo, it is arguable that he would have to prove himself to stay on the Bills. There has been a change at quarterback, and the Bills just traded for wide receiver Corey Coleman.
Danny Amendola- For the first time since the 2012 season, Amendola is playing for a team not named the New England Patriots, he is now part of the Patriots division rival Miami Dolphins.
ALL STATISTICS AND INFORMATION FROM WWW.PRO-FOOTBALL-REFERENCE.COM, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
Follow us on twitter at @foxholesports1
Every season in the NFL, there are plenty of players that want to prove themselves to their respective teams, whether it is fighting for a roster spot, or wanting to land a new deal. With some of the moves at wide receiver this offseason, there are plenty of receivers looking to prove their worth. Here are receivers to keep an eye on during the 2018 season.
COREY COLEMAN
The Cleveland Browns took Corey Coleman in the first round of the 2016 draft, then on Sunday, August 5th, the Browns traded Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills, per Adam Schefter. Schefter did state that the Bills traded their 2020 7th round pick for Coleman. Corey joins a team that made the playoffs in 2017, during his 2 year stint in Cleveland he played in19 games, catching 56 passes for 718 yards and 5 touchdowns. Corey Coleman's numbers are not great, but injury issues have hampered him since entering the NFL. He was also part of an organization that went 1-31 the last two seasons. He can help the Bills offense with his speed and ability, keep an eye on how he performs in 2018, if Josh Allen is the starting quarterback, Coleman could be a home run hitter for Allen, who has a strong arm.
TAVON AUSTIN
While officially listed as a running back, per the Dallas Cowboys official website, nfl.com's Kevin Patra, wrote that Tavon has not lined up in the backfield during training camp. Tavon Austin has not played up to the level of a first round pick. Since being selected by the Rams in 2013, (when they were still in St. Louis), he has only caught 194 passes for 1,684 yards and 12 touchdowns. In two of his five seasons, he did not catch a single touchdown pass, Dallas is a fresh start for him. With the departure of Dez Bryant, the Cowboys will be leaning on their other pass catchers to make plays. Tavon Austin was drafted as a receiver, and based on how he has lined up in camp, it would be fair to assume he will be seeing plenty of action in the passing game.
WILL FULLER V
Will Fuller was picked with the 21st pick in the 2016 NFL draft, by the Houston Texans, since then he has caught 75 passes for 1,058 yards and 9 touchdowns in 24 games. His touchdown receptions did improve from 2 in 2016, to 7 in 2017. His yards did decline from 635 (2016) to 423 in 2017, and he caught 28 passes in 2017, compared to 47 in 2016. It should be noted that all 7 touchdowns in 2017 came during a four week span in 2017 when Deshaun Watson was the quarterback. If Watson is fully healthy when he comes back and is able to find that connection with Fuller again, Fuller could be due for his breakout season.
TERRELLE PRYOR
Terrelle Pryor posted a 1,000 yard season in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns, he caught 77 passes for 1,007 yards and 4 touchdowns that season in 16 games. Last year he was in the nations capitol playing for the Washington Redskins and caught 20 passes for 24 yards and just 1 touchdown (in 9 games played), a big drop off, even though he played in 7 less games than in 2016. Pryor is now a New York Jet, how he will fit in on the Jets offense, and how much playing him he will get, will be something to watch this season. Will he be closer to the 2016 version of himself? Only time will tell.
Honorable mentions:
Kelvin Benjamin- With his recent rumblings about the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton, which irked his head coach, Sean McDermott, and this being his contract year in Buffalo, it is arguable that he would have to prove himself to stay on the Bills. There has been a change at quarterback, and the Bills just traded for wide receiver Corey Coleman.
Danny Amendola- For the first time since the 2012 season, Amendola is playing for a team not named the New England Patriots, he is now part of the Patriots division rival Miami Dolphins.
ALL STATISTICS AND INFORMATION FROM WWW.PRO-FOOTBALL-REFERENCE.COM, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
Follow us on twitter at @foxholesports1
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