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USA Today Sports Media Group

Sport

Pat Yasinskas

10 coaches and players who could make or break their teams’ seasons

This is a story about players and coaches who can make or break a team’s season. But let’s be clear from the very start, this is not about quarterbacks.

That’s because, if quarterbacks were included, they would dominate the list and players who are as — or more — crucial would get overlooked and that would make the list unfair an inaccurate. Besides, quarterbacks get far too much attention when their team succeeds and way too much blame when their team sputters.

So, let’s take a look at 10 players and coaches who will make or break the seasons for their teams.

10. Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Yeah, Tampa Bay’s season is all about quarterback Jameis Winston. But even if Winston blossoms, the Bucs will go nowhere without a decent defense. And it’s starting to look like that could be an issue. Vea, who came on strong late in his rookie season last year, is supposed to be a cornerstone of this defense. He’s one reason why the Bucs parted ways with six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. But Vea suffered a knee injury in camp and the Bucs have said he’s expected to be out anywhere from four to eight weeks. If reality turns out to be closer to the higher number, that could spell doom. The defensive line was supposed to be a strength. But end Jason Pierre-Paul suffered a broken neck in an offseason car accident and is expected to miss at least half the season. If Vea misses anything close to that amount of time, the Bucs suddenly could have one of the worst defensive lines in the league.

9. Dont’a Hightower, LB, New England Patriots

On a defense that’s noted for its strength as a unit rather than individual stars, Hightower is the heart and soul and the best player. Here’s all you really need to know about Hightower’s importance to the team. In the years when he stays healthy all season, the Patriots win the Super Bowl. That was the case in 2014, 2016 and 2018. When he was injured in 2017, the Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl. This guy is right up their with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in terms of importance to the Patriots.

8. Justin Houston, defensive end, Indianapolis Colts

Last year, coordinator Matt Eberflus installed the 4-3 defense and got solid results. Surprisingly, that happened even though the Colts didn’t have anything close to a dominant pass rusher. That will change this year. The Colts went out and brought in former Kansas City start Justin Houston, a four-time Pro Bowler. He has 78.5 career sacks to rank eighth among active players and he hasn’t slowed down. In 14 games, including the postseason, last season, Houston produced 11 sacks. He should give the Indianapolis defense the one thing it lacked last year.

7. Matt LaFleur, head coach, Green Bay Packers

Coaching a legendary franchise like the Packers is supposed to be a dream job. But it can also be a nightmare job. Just ask former coach Mike McCarthy. Although McCarthy had a supreme talent in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the pair only won one Super Bowl together and were openly clashing by the end of the coach’s tenure. McCarthy deserved blame, but Rodgers doesn’t deserve a free pass. Those who know the quarterback well say he has a massive ego, can be very stubborn and likes things done his way. At 39, LaFleur is only four years older than Rodgers and it’s critical that the coach finds a way to make his quarterback happy. Maybe the closeness in age will draw the pair together and again make Rodgers one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Or maybe Rodgers won’t respect such a young coach and that could lead to a repeat of McCarthy’s final years.

6. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

Throughout Sean Payton’s tenure, the coach has used a stable of rotating running backs and has had a lot of success. But this year’s going to be different. The Saints will be using Kamara as a true feature back. The team didn’t want to lose Mark Ingram, but couldn’t come up with a better offer than the one he got to leave for Baltimore as a free agent. But Kamara is ready for a bigger role. He showed that last season when he rushed for 883 yards and had 709 receiving yards. Those numbers will increase sharply with Ingram gone.

5. DeSean Jackson, wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles

As the Eagles fell short of successfully defending the Super Bowl championship they won in the 2017 season, it became obvious one thing they lacked was a deep threat. So, they went out and got perhaps the best in the game by reaching into their past. Jackson played for the Eagles from 2008 through 2013. Even at 32, he still has top-flight speed and led the league in yards per catch last year for the fourth time in his career. And he did that in Tampa Bay, where he got himself squarely in the middle of the quarterback battle between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston. Jackson backed Fitzpatrick and shunned Winston. That’s why the Bucs let him go. Jackson has one of those difficult receiver personalities. That’s why it’s critical that quarterback Carson Wentz develops a strong chemistry with Jackson.

4. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

Aside from Barkley, the Giants aren’t loaded with talent and they’ll probably be switching from veteran quarterback Eli Manning to rookie Daniel Jones at some point. This is a team that’s in full rebuilding mode. But the quickest shortcut through rebuilding is to have a guy that’s talented enough to carry the team. The Giants have that in Barkley, an all-purpose running back. As a rookie last season, Barkley was spectacular. That ended the pre-draft argument about whether he would be the next Barry Sanders or the next Reggie Bush. He’s obviously much closer to Sanders. He’s obviously not Sanders yet, but he has the talent to get there — quickly.

3. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Gurley is the best all-around running back in the league with one big qualifier — when he’s healthy. And Gurley’s health is going to be the story of the season for the Rams. If he’s healthy, the Rams have a decent shot at a return to the Super Bowl. If he’s not, a team that’s loaded with talent could struggle to make the playoffs. It’s really that simple. Despite the growth of quarterback Jared Goff, Gurley is the team’s offense. Everything the Rams do offensively stems from Gurley’s talent as a runner and receiver. Coach Sean McVay has continued to insist Gurley remains the focal point of the offense. More importantly, McVay insists that Gurley is healthy after a knee injury limited him in the postseason. But there have been speculative reports that Gurley has a chronic knee condition. If his knee turns out to be a continuing problem, the Rams are in big trouble.

2. Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs

Riding the dynamic play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last season. Surprisingly, they did that with one glaring weakness. That was a defense that finished 24th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. You can’t win a Super Bowl with a defense like that. That’s why the Chiefs brought in Spagnuolo and gave him some strong talent by adding defensive end Frank Clark and safety Tyrann Mathieu. Spagnuolo has a strong track record, but he doesn’t need to be a miracle worker. If he can just produce a middle-of-the-pack defense, the Chiefs could win it all.

1. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Cleveland Browns

Optimism is high in Cleveland after the Browns finished 5-3 under interim head coach Gregg Willliams and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield had 27 touchdown passes, the most ever by a rookie. The Browns still finished 7-8-1, but they may have found the missing link in Beckham. He’s always going to have that diva personality that’s so common in wide receivers (see Terrell Owens, Michael Irvin, Steve Smith, etc.). But Beckham is a supreme talent and could turn into the league’s best receiver. He could make Mayfield into a superstar and the Browns into a playoff contender. But that’s only if he’s in the right mood and plays somewhat within the confines of the team. If Beckham is only about himself, he could become a distraction and ruin Cleveland’s season.

Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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