Every single season there are players that make massive jumps in the offseason to become star players and key contributors to their team. Here are some of the most likely breakout players for the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens:
There are more than a few players who have shown promise to be a potential breakout candidate for the 2024 season. Linebacker Trenton Simpson is looking to have a massive season as the starter alongside Roquan Smith after the departure of Patrick Queen Simpson. Simpson is an extremely athletic linebacker selected in the third round last year out of Clemson, with fantastic coverage ability and great instincts on the ball. Simpson is looking to have a big sophomore jump, and it should be easy for him to find success right next to arguably the best linebacker in the NFL. Another player looking for a massive sophomore jump for Baltimore is none other than 25 year old Andrew Voorhees. Andrew has a massive frame at 6’6 310, and is looking to be the starting left guard for the Ravens this year. Voorhees slid to the 7th round due to back injuries, but should prove to be a steal for Baltimore as Voorhees has fought back from injury and looks like he’s going to be a quality starter for the ravens long term. Andrew Vorhees I was very high on coming out of college and the Ravens will be rewarded for taking a chance on him.Finally, I’d like to discuss the second year wide receiver Zay Flowers. Flowers had a fantastic rookie year with over 800 yards and five touchdowns but this year he’s looking to go nuclear. Flowers looks like Lamar’s best weapon over Mark Andrew and is projected to shatter the numbers he put up his rookie campaign as he tries to prove that he is one of the best young receivers in the league. We’ve already seen what Flowers can do, but this year he’s going to bring that to another scale as he steps into the role as the Ravens number one option.
Cincinnati Bengals:
As for the bangles, there are two key offensive players I’d like to discuss that could breakout based on what I’ve seen in training camp so far. First off is Andrei Iosiva, the 24 year-old sophomore wide receiver out of Princeton. Andrei is currently the WR3 on the Bengals depth chart and has shown enough promise to potentially slide in as Tee Higgins’ replacement if Higgins were to leave. Iosivas is 6’3 with extremely strong hands and on only 15 catches last year had four touchdowns. Andrei has been all over the field at training camp so far making multiple highlight catches, reeling in balls no matter how tightly he’s covered by the defensive backs. As the WR3 in a high flying offense led by Joe Burrow, Iosivas projects to improve off of his production last year ten fold. The other player looking to have a big jump going into the season is running back Chase Brown. Chase showed many flashes last season averaging 4.1 yards per carry on limited touches and had quite a bit of work as a receiving back. This year Brown looks to potentially expand upon his role from just a third down player after the departure of star running back Joe Mixon. Zack Moss is no slouch himself, but Chase Brown still should have an opportunity to establish himself as the lead back for the Bengals offense in his second year
Cleveland Browns:
For the Browns, they’re hoping that a wide receiver will be able to break out to be a dynamic threat alongside star receiver Amari Cooper. Jerry Jeudy is by far the top of that list. Cleveland just brought in Jeudy this year and he has looked extremely fluid with great burst and phenomenal route running in his offseason training. However, Jeudy just participated in his first training camp session so he hasn’t quite cemented himself yet. I’m eager to see what Jeudy will do on his new team, but he certainly needs to stay on the field to be worth the contract Cleveland gave him. Of players who actually have participated in all of training camp so far, Alex Wright is a player that I have my eyes on to potentially have a big breakout season. He’s only 23 years old and 6’5 as the backup defensive end behind ZaDarius Smith. On limited snaps last year Wright managed to have five sacks and two forced fumbles. Alex looks to be having a strong showing at training camp and may serve in a bigger role this upcoming season, especially if Smith falls short of expectations. Finally, cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. has looked absolutely phenomenal so far in training camp. Emerson already had a great season last year and is only looking to build off of that this upcoming season. Emerson has tons of length at 6’2 and has been a shut down guy so far in camp with fluid footwork and great physicality in press against opposing receivers. Last year Martin had 4 interceptions and a whopping 14 pass breakups. Emerson is looking to form one of the best cornerback trios in the league alongside Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
By far, the biggest stand out for the Pittsburgh Steelers so far has been recently added quarterback, Justin Fields. The Bears never gave Justin Fields a fair shot, refusing to commit to going all out on constructing an offense around Fields. On a team with a great coach and sufficient playmakers to throw to, Justin has shined tremendously for the Steelers at camp massively exceeding the projected starter, Russell Wilson. If you are a Steelers fan, you have to hope that you may have finally found a Ben Roethlisberger replacement and that Fields may be the franchise quarterback of the black and gold moving forward. Justin Fields might even be the starting quarterback entering the season if he shines bright enough. Another player that I believe is on pace for a breakout season is nose tackle Keeanu Benton. Benton was a 2nd round pick last year who has shown tremendous promise and looks to have a big jump this year as the immediate starter in the middle of arguably the best front seven in the NFL. Benton has tremendous athleticism for a nose tackle at 6’4 310 and should prove to be an extremely good player for the Steel City moving forward.