I wanted to take a look at players from each NFL that will breakout next season so here is four players from the AFC East teams that will make the leap from good to great, good to decent, or decent to mediocre.
New England Patriots Wide Receiver Jakobi Meyers: New England went out in free agency and broke the bank adding weapons for either Mac Jones or Cam Newton in Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Jonnu Smith, and Nelson Agholor but, the one weapon in their arsenal that is set to breakout is Jakobi Meyers.
Last season Meyers recorded 59 catches going for 729 yards but no touchdowns. The third year wideout from North Carolina State will be able to avoid double teams and work against weaker defenders with the new additions. At 6’2, he can become more of a threat on the goal line while teams are keying in on Henry and Smith.
I really don’t think Meyers got better but I think he’ll benefit from defenses paying less attention to him. I think he’ll record 750 yards with 62 catches and 4 touchdowns for the Patriots next season.
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver/Running Back Lynn Bowden Jr.: Bowden was drafted by the Raiders and then dealt before playing a regular season snap to the Dolphins. He didn’t post impressive numbers last season as he had 243 scrimmage yards with 28 receptions.
The reason I believe Bowden will breakout is because of his versatility. The Kentucky product is just as versatile as Tayson Hill. He can play quarterback, running back, receiver, and return kicks. If Miami uses him correctly then I think that 5’11 Swiss Army knife will be able to go for 300 yards on the ground and 500 through the air with 5 total touchdowns.
Bowden benefits the same way that Meyers does with other, better weapons around him. Defenses will key in on Mike Gesicki, Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, and Myles Gaskin. Watch for the Youngstown native to be used in a lot of jet sweep action , screens, and RPOs.
Buffalo Bills Running Back Zack Moss: In Mosses rookie season he actually put up pretty good numbers as a backup running back. The former Ute was behind Devin Singletary last season and still posted 5 touchdowns and 576 scrimmage yards.
I think the Bills will use the 223 pound back near the goal line like they did last season but in a higher volume. With deceiving speed, Moss could even split carries with Singletary around week ten and on. I predict that Moss will gain 650 yards on the carpet and 225 through the air with 7 total touchdowns.
New York Jets Defensive Back Ashtyn Davis: On December 12th of 2020, Davis was placed on injure reserve with a foot injury and now he’s looking to make a splash in all seventeen games. In the ten games he played, Davis recorded 36 tackles, a pass break up, and a forced fumble.
He’ll be in a bit of a position battle during camp with veteran Lamarcus Joyner and rookie Hamsah Nasirildeen but his elite speed will solidify him as the starting strong safety for the Jets. If he stays healthy then I think he can rack up 62 tackles, 3 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions which will be a massive jump from his rookie season.
In addition to playing safety, I think that the Jets will use Davis in the return game. He runs a 4.4 second 40 yard dash. If he is efficient in that aspect of the game then he’ll make the jump from unproven to good.