THEY’RE BAAACK!
Patriots’ Edelman among players now off suspension
The conclusion of an NFL season’s first quarter coincides with a talent influx into the league’s ranks. Why?
Because the fifth game typically signals the end to a litany of suspensions.
Here’s a ranking of 10 returning players who could make the most difference moving forward:
10. Chargers DT Corey Liuget (4 games/perform
ance-enhancing drugs): It’s been several years since he was a disruptor, and Liuget is also coming back from offseason foot surgery. But he can play a lot of snaps and should improve Los Angeles’ interior line, where Darius Philon needs help.
9. Colts RB Robert Turbin (4 games/PEDs): He’s managed only 1,344 rushing yards and 3.8 per carry in six seasons. Yet Indianapolis would welcome that kind of production given its offense is managing 3.6 yards per rush, has the fourth-worst ground game in the league and asked Andrew Luck to throw a career-high 62 passes in Sunday’s overtime loss. 8. Giants DL Josh Mauro (4 games/PEDs): Not a big
name, but he does bring experience (24 starts) in new coordinator James Bettcher’s system from their time together in Arizona. As Alvin Kamara showed Sunday, New York could use Mauro to bolster the run defense. 7. Cowboys DL David Irving (4
games/substance abuse): He’s unreliable off the field, missing the first four games of 2017 for a PED violation. But Irving is a force between the lines, collecting 10 sacks in his past 11 regularseason games. With opponents geared to stop DeMarcus Lawrence (NFL-leading 51⁄ sacks) and a Dallas pass rush that ranks third overall with 14 sacks, Irving could feast right away if he’s right personally.
6. Panthers LB Thomas Davis (4 games/PEDs): Carolina is coming off its bye, so he still has a week to go. The 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Davis’ suspension was one of the offseason’s stunners. Shaq Thompson, who should continue to play extensively (especially in base packages), has done a fine job holding down the fort alongside star MLB Luke Kuechly. But even at 35, Davis, a Pro Bowler the past three seasons, ought to give the defense a shot in the arm. 5. Ravens CB Jimmy Smith (4 games/personal conduct): The rich get richer as Baltimore’s second-ranked defense brings back a stellar corner. CBs Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey and Tavon Young have played quite well, but Smith is the best of the bunch and will take the nickel and dime packages up another notch. 4. Saints RB Mark Ingram (4 games/PEDs): He’s set to reunite with Kamara a year after the Pro Bowl duo became the first teammates to both surpass 1,500 yards from scrimmage in the same season. This could seem tricky given Kamara leads the NFL with 611 yards from scrimmage after taking over as the starter for an offense now rolling amid a three-game winning streak. But he and Ingram have proved they can coexist beautifully and serve interchangeably even though Kamara tends to do the majority of his damage as a receiver while Ingram usually gets most of the carries. Sitting four games could ultimately serve Ingram and his fresh legs well, especially since he’s scheduled to be a free agent in 2019. 3. Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict (4 games/PEDs): Forrest Gump could have said, “Life is like Vontaze Burfict — you never know what you’re gonna get.” This is the third consecutive season Burfict has begun on suspension (the others were for a collection of illegal hits). When he’s on the field, his mental and physical gifts translate to Pro Bowl ability ... yet he too often fails to reach that threshold because he’s prone to losing his cool. Cincinnati is 3-1 but has gotten progressively worse defensively, skewered Sunday in Atlanta in a 37-36 thriller the Bengals were lucky to win. They need Burfict and must hope he keeps his wits about him if they want to maintain what appears to be a playoff course.
2. Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston (3 games/personal conduct): He returned Sunday, replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick at halftime of the brutal 48-10 loss at Chicago. Little surprise, Winston was a mixed bag while inheriting a 35-point deficit. He completed 16 of 20 passes and got Tampa Bay into the end zone but was picked off twice. He has the bye week to get his bearings before entering a stretch that might determine this club’s season as well as Winston’s future with it. After pulling off two early upsets thanks to Fitzpatrick’s stellar play — Bucs fans will doubtless clamor for more Fitzmagic if Winston falters — the team has regressed to .500 and will play three of its next four on the road against formidable foes (Atlanta, Cin- cinnati, Carolina) while hosting the revived Browns in Week 7. Winston is the only Bucs quarterback under contract in 2019. But if he doesn’t show a steadier approach on and off the field, the team could decide to rescind the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. High stakes on the high seas indeed.
1. Patriots WR Julian Edelman (4 games/PEDs): New England has started 2-2 the past two seasons, and Edelman has been absent each time (a torn ACL in the preseason prematurely ended his 2017 campaign). He last played a meaningful contest in the Super Bowl LI comeback against Atlanta. The Patriots surged to life Sunday, dispatching the first-place Dolphins 38-7. Still, the rushing attack has carried an offense that ranks 22nd in passing and 23rd overall. Tom Brady hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game this season, and most of his targets are of the underneath variety, with 53 of his 87 completions going to backs and tight ends. Edelman will likely continue that trend given he generally mans the slot. Expect Brady’s most trusted target to keep the chains moving while creating space downfield for Rob Gronkowski, Chris Hogan, Josh Gordon and Co. And Edelman’s return might come at an ideal time with Gronk’s status for Thursday in question because of an ankle issue.