Two coordinators also could be pivotal in 2018
Every NFL team has begun its training camp after the last of the openings Friday. While there are questions surrounding all of them heading into the season, here’s a look at one key individual for each NFC club who might prove most pivotal to its fortunes in 2018.
NFC East
Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence: He and David Irving combined for 211⁄ of 2 Dallas’ 38 sacks last season, or nearly 57%. Now on the franchise tag, Lawrence hopes to cash in next year but will have to maintain his production while Irving is suspended for four weeks. With just nine sacks in his three previous seasons combined, Lawrence — known as “Tank” — must also prove he wasn’t a (muzzle) flash in the pan.
Giants RB Saquon Barkley: Is any rookie under more pressure to deliver immediately? The No. 2 overall pick seems to have the talent, cool and drive to pony up quickly, and doing so should take a significant burden off Eli Manning, Odell Beckham and a defense in transition. Big Blue hasn’t had a back rush for even 900 yards since 2012.
Eagles QB Carson Wentz: When will he be ready? Will he be ready? Will he look like the MVP front-runner he was in 2017 before his knee collapsed in Week 14? If Nick Foles has to play — and then plays well — how do Wentz and coach Doug Pederson react? Perhaps no situation leaguewide will garner more summer scrutiny.
Redskins DL Jonathan Allen: Last year’s first-rounder was playing reasonably well before a Lisfranc injury curtailed his season — one that saw Washington rank last against the run while finishing tied for the sixth-most points allowed. Allen and this year’s top selec- tion, fellow Crimson Tide stud Daron Payne, must have a remedying effect.
NFC North
Bears WR Allen Robinson: He had 1,400 yards and an NFL-high 14 touchdown grabs in 2015. Since then, Robinson has 900 yards, six TDs and a torn ACL that cost him 15 games last year. Chicago signed him to be the big-time receiver they haven’t had since Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery departed. Robinson could be the essential factor between the lines in second-year QB Mitchell Trubisky’s development.
Lions RB LeGarrette Blount: He joins his third team in three years ... and, FWIW, the last two hoisted Lombardi Trophies. Hard to expect him to go 3for-3 in Motown, but Blount should certainly spark a running game that’s finished last twice in the past three sea- sons (and 30th in 2016). Maybe he’ll also help new coach Matt Patricia weave “The Patriot Way” into this locker room.
Packers DC Mike Pettine: Pro Bowler Mike Daniels says his new boss has brought a “controlled fury” to the defense, which stagnated under longtime coordinator Dom Capers recently. Reclamation project Mo Wilkerson and rookie DBs Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson should help further Pettine’s cause.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: No getting around it — No. 8 is the primary difference between this year’s club and the 2017 edition that cruised to the NFC North title and within a game of playing the Super Bowl on its home field. Amid astronomic expectations — borne of his $84 million contract and new supporting cast — Cousins needs to get up to speed quickly in a division where Aaron Rodgers will seek to reclaim the throne.
NFC South
Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian: Little changed personnel-wise from the 2016 Super Bowl offense to last year’s version except the guy calling the plays. After scoring the most points in the league, the Falcons tumbled to 15th in 2017. First-round slot WR Calvin Ridley joins the mix, but it’s up to Sarkisian to deploy the pieces more effectively, and that includes better leveraging Julio Jones in the red zone.
Panthers LB Shaq Thompson: Big opportunity for the 2015 first-rounder to further elevate his stock while one of Carolina’s defensive captains, Thomas Davis, serves a four-game suspension. The Panthers might have to lean on their defense early while Cam Newton and Co. acclimate to new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s playbook.
Saints LB Demario Davis: Despite signing a three-year, $24 million deal, his move to New Orleans received little fanfare. But Davis is a sure tackler (league-high 97 solo stops in 2017) and the kind of alpha male who could move this defense up a rung or two.
Buccaneers DE Jason Pierre-Paul: Tampa Bay made a lot of moves this offseason, maybe none as significant as adding JPP to a pass rush that collected a league-worst 22 sacks in 2017. Even more so than its division rivals in Charlotte, Tampa Bay will have to rely on its defense amid a brutal opening schedule (Saints, Eagles, Steelers) that coincides with Jameis Winston’s suspension.
NFC West
Cardinals RB David Johnson: Hard to forget he missed virtually all of last season, yet many don’t remember Arizona finished 8-8 without its best player. If Johnson can again pile up 2,000 total yards, Sam Bradford and/or Josh Rosen and last year’s sixth-ranked defense could feed into a dark-horse playoff push.
Rams DT Ndamukong Suh: With Aaron Donald theoretically liberating him from the double teams he’s commanded throughout his career, Suh could be a force to behold as he looks to parlay a one-year contract into one more massive payday in 2019.
49ers RB Jerick McKinnon: San Francisco minted him like a top-five back even though he has fewer touches over the past two seasons (403) than Le’Veon Bell had in 2017 (406). Now McKinnon is charged with spearheading the backfield’s crucial role in Kyle Shanahan’s offense while reducing the freight on Jimmy Garoppolo.
Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner: He has to be the man on a new-look defense — immediately if Earl Thomas’ absence becomes permanent. Regardless, Wagner will call the plays and needs to rally the new troops into the kind of frothing ferocity that made the Legion of Boom so effective for so long.