Sizzle or fizzle? For dozens of NFL players, it’s time for them to finally shine in the white-hot spotlight.
Ahead of training camps opening in late July, Yardbarker NFL writers identify a player on each NFC team who must get hot this season.
NFC East
DALLAS COWBOYS | WR George Pickens | Dallas’ offense needs a whole lot more from Pickens than the 59 catches and three touchdowns he had in Pittsburgh last season. Dallas wants its No. 2 receiver, behind CeeDee Lamb, to net at least 70 passes.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES | WR Jahan Dotson | The Eagles require more from their third receiver than last season’s 18 catches. The 2022 Washington first-rounder has great hands, but he has never developed into a playmaker.
NEW YORK GIANTS | QB Russell Wilson | After playing on three teams in four seasons, the former Super Bowl champion may be one more mediocre season away from retirement. Wilson must play well enough for first-rounder passer Jaxson Dart to learn from the bench.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS | WR Luke McCaffrey | The 2024 third-rounder is better than his 18 catches as a rookie. McCaffrey flashed potential at times, but another lackluster season may mean falling off the roster in 2026. — Rick Snider
NFC West
ARIZONA CARDINALS | CB Will Johnson | The rookie’s draft stock tanked because of injuries. Now tasked with being the CB1 in head coach Jonathan Gannon’s defense, the second-round pick must deliver for the Cardinals to take the next step in their rebuild.
LOS ANGELES RAMS | QB Matthew Stafford | At 37, the team has no great contingency plan behind him if the injury bug bites. So, as Stafford goes, so go the Rams, but he can still lift L.A. “When Stafford is locked in,” Pro Football Focus’ John Kosko wrote in May, “he is as good as anyone in football.”
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | WR Brandon Aiyuk | After signing a four-year, $120M contract and suffering torn ligaments in his knee, Aiyuk has become one of the bigger wild cards in the league. With his cap hit set to skyrocket in 2026 and his name constantly in trade rumors, the former second-team All-Pro must establish himself among the NFL’s top wideouts to justify the large payday.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | DE DeMarcus Lawrence | The 33-year-old signed a three-year, $32.5M deal to spearhead the defensive line, but with an opt-out following the 2025 season, Lawrence must prove his worth or be forced into early retirement. After a subpar 2024 (four games), the 11-year veteran needs a bounce-back season in the worst way. — Sterling Bennett
NFC North
CHICAGO BEARS | QB Caleb Williams | There are no excuses for Williams after the Bears added head coach Ben Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III and upgraded the offensive line this offseason. All the pieces are in place for Chicago to become a playoff team, but that won’t happen unless Williams lives up to the hype.
DETROIT LIONS | DE Marcus Davenport | Davenport, who missed nearly the entire 2024 season after suffering a torn triceps in Week 3, will be a key piece of the defensive line. The Lions desperately need someone to step up in the pass-rushing department after no player outside of Aidan Hutchinson had more than four sacks last season.
GREEN BAY PACKERS | CB Keisean Nixon | The Packers recently released CB Jaire Alexander, so they have confidence in Nixon to step up as a full-time starting cornerback. QBs will be quick to target him instead of safety Xavier McKinney and CB Nate Hobbs, so Green Bay needs the 28-year-old to hold down his side of the field.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS | QB J.J. McCarthy | The Vikings have one of the more loaded rosters in the NFL and a superstar head coach in Kevin O’Connell. However, none of that will matter unless McCarthy performs well in his first season as a starter. Minnesota will be a legitimate Super Bowl contender if the Michigan product exceeds expectations in 2025. — Jack Dougherty
NFC South
ATLANTA FALCONS | TE Kyle Pitts | The No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft has been mostly a non-factor since posting 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie. Playing on an expiring fifth-year rookie contract, Pitts must step up to warrant a second deal in Atlanta.
CAROLINA PANTHERS | WR Xavier Legette |
Per ESPN Analytics, Legette tied for No. 99 of 116 wide receivers in overall receiving score last season. The assessment factors in pass-catchers’ ability to get open, catch and gain yards after a reception. After Carolina selected Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Legette needs a big season or risks becoming an afterthought.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | OL Trevor Penning | It’s the last chance for Penning, the No. 19 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, to solidify himself as a starter on the offensive line after the team declined to pick up his 2026 fifth-year option. The former tackle has moved to guard under first-year head coach Kellen Moore and is optimistic it could lead to a career revival, telling The Times-Picayune in early June, “The things I do well, I think fit better at guard.”
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS | DL Calijah Kancey | Despite posting 7.5 sacks in 12 games last season, Tampa’s 2022 first-round pick (No. 19 overall) has room for significant growth this season, his third in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, Kancey was a below-average run defender in 2024, with a 25 percent missed-tackle rate, the third-highest among 146 interior defensive linemen with at least 200 defensive snaps. — Eric Smithling
