Who will be the 'breakout' player in 2026?

[Boone]

Excluding guys signed or drafted in the 2026 offseason, who will be the 'breakout' player this season?

 

[Commander Wraith]

Feels kind of cheating, but Conerly is my vote. My impression is that this scheme should help the oline above all else, and he improved as the year went on, even though his grading wasn’t great.

Amos is my second choice.

Coleman’s a bit of a dark horse IMO, and obviously a major part of that is whether he gets playing time. A run-oriented scheme could help him earn the job over Paul and play to his strengths though.

Burks is probably next for me simply because his production was so low, in part because he joined the team so late. Not sure my expectations would be what I’d classify as a “breakout” though… I think it likely he doesn’t reach his career highs.

Hard for me to see any of the others seeing more than a slight uptick in production (if that) for various reasons.

I’ll be holding out hope that multiple guys break out of course.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I’m going with Burks. He has the talent to do so and he needs someone who can unlock that talent. The hope is that it is this year. The opportunity is there as the WR room is open and waiting for someone to step up beside of Terry. I’m really hoping he can do that. And if he can’t, it’s because someone else has and not because he failed.

 

[Ashburn Dave]

Newton shines in our new attacking defense.

 

[bowhunter]

I'm stoked that Johnny "Big Fig"Newton is getting some love this offseason, but I voted LMC. If and When Daniels gets some confidence in throwing his way, he is the one I think has the most potential to thrive. He's still learning and developing and perhaps this will be the year that he takes the leap.

 

[NickyJ]

I have to imagine that Sainristil can still get back to what he was in 2024. That it wasn't just a flash in the pan or coached out of him for good.

 

[Faithful Fan]

I voted LMC. He was getting more opportunities and making more of an impact before he got hurt: 3 touchdowns, a few deep catches, a spectacular sideline catch, and solid special teams play. A broken collarbone shouldn’t have lingering effects when healed, so hopefully he picks up where he left off. All that plus his pedigree makes me think he’s the favorite to emerge from the crowded WR competition. My main concern with him is Jayden has shown a tendency to ignore him when he’s open, but if they can build that trust and rapport, then I could see him having a good year.

Dyami Brown isn’t on the list but probably should be. He has a real chance to surprise people if he and Jayden click like they did in 2024. Those playoff games were the best of his career.

People are saying good things about Newton. I could also see Sainristil and Amos bouncing back, and Sinnott or Lane emerging. How nice would it be if this is the year a lot of AP’s draft picks start to pay off?

 

[DWinzit]

I am hoping Luke, Lane or Burks blows up. My gut is Luke will be the top of the 3 receivers.

I picked "Other" and went with Kinlaw. While not having giant numbers, I think he is going to be a big time contributor. I feel similarly about Luvu

 

[HailYeah]

I picked sinnot, but it’s mostly that I hope he breaks out more than I think he will. The new offense may help with that though.

 

[Riggo44]

I picked sinnot, but it’s mostly that I hope he breaks out more than I think he will. The new offense may help with that though.

#BelieveInBen!

I really like Sinnot in a different role than what KK used him in; the same with Lane.

 

[Conn]

I picked Sainristil, although that’s probably more so answering the question of who I’ll be most disappointed about if they DON’T break out.

In reality one of the offensive weapons might be bigger for the team’s success, but I’m not feeling very high on any of those guys at the moment. McCaffrey has the highest chance, if I had to pick.

 

[Riggotoni]

I'm the guy who picked Lane. I'm always wrong on these, probably because I go with what I hope rather than what I think. He has the speed to be a Ricky Sanders or DeSean Jackson deep threat (though nobody's going to be as good at tracking the deep ball as DJax). I also keep thinking Newton is going to be a top notch interior pass rusher, but it's a longer shot.

 

[Always Commander Never Captain]

Another vote for Sainristil here. I think this new defense is really playing to his strengths. I'm excited to see what I hope is a big season.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

For reasons I'm not entirely sure of, I think it's Coleman. It's easy to forget about him, because he got hurt then beat out by Paul. But he is a real perfect fit for the style of running game where they want to get players on the move and blocking at the second and third level. He has more athletic ability than Paul, and I think if he can stay healthy, he can be really, really good. He was ok to good as a rookie LT. As a third year LG, there's a chance he could be better than that.

 

[Neophyte]

Burks

 

[SmiffySkins]

+1 for Coleman. I picked him to have a bigger year last offseason but an inconsistent start gave Paul a chance which to his credit he grabbed with both hands. From reports it would seem that Coleman will be the better fit for the new offensive scheme. If he can stay healthy he can lock down LG this season.
Also keen to see the progression of Conerly. He looks like he has had a really good offseason. Have high hopes for Mikey to bounce back and for Luke and Sinnot to get more opportunities offensively

 

[bowhunter]

How should we define "Breakout?" A 30% increase in PFF rating? Snap count? Yards/sacks??.

 

[Conn]

How should we define "Breakout?" A 30% increase in PFF rating? Snap count? Yards/sacks??.

As a Supreme Court Justice once famously said about being unable to strictly define what is or isn’t pornography: “I know it when I see it”

 

[bowhunter]

As a Supreme Court Justice once famously said about being unable to strictly define what is or isn’t pornography: “I know it when I see it”

Anxiously awaiting for the next version of "Daniels does Dallas"

 

[Boone]

How should we define "Breakout?" A 30% increase in PFF rating? Snap count? Yards/sacks??.

I think it means a surprisingly good season from someone who has yet to produce one. I don't think guys like Conerly or Kinlaw or Amos should even be in the discussion because they have been expected to play well and often have. We have so many guys with 'potential' (according to some). I have sort of come to hate that word - because honestly, any player who has enough native ability or talent to make an NFL roster has 'potential'. Another way to say 'potential' is 'has yet to produce', it's really just a more hopeful way of saying it.