1 Player on Each NFL Team Who Could Break Out Before the 2022 Season Ends

Progression in the NFL isn't always linear. Sometimes, it just takes a while for things to "click" for a young player.

As we approach the second half of the NFL season, there is still plenty of time for players to break out. Consider Amon-Ra St. Brown last season. The Lions receiver had just two games with 65 or more yards in the first 10 games of the season.

Then he was one of the most prolific receivers in the league. From Week 12 on, he had five touchdowns and 86 yards or more in five of the last six games.

Several players are bound to begin to showcase their true potential after a somewhat slow start to the 2022 season.

Whether it's a rookie who is just taking time to acclimate or a young player given new opportunities through trades, injuries or adjusting to a new coaching staff, these players could all experience a massive uptick in production over the second half.

Much like Amon-Ra St. Brown last year, Rondale Moore got off to a slow start in 2022. He missed the first three weeks of the season with a hamstring injury. He only exceeded 50 yards in one of his first four games.

However, he's slowly developing into the weapon the Cardinals envisioned him to be when they drafted him with a second-round pick in the 2021 draft.

In the last two weeks, he has become a focal point of the passing game, garnering 18 targets that he turned into 15 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.

That increased attention from Kyler Murray isn't going to stop anytime soon. Moore has been one of the best yards-after-the-catch receivers this season. His average of 7.9 yards per reception is fifth in the league, per Next Gen Stats.

With Marquise Brown healing from a fracture in his foot and the Cardinals' offensive line banged up, Murray will lean on Moore's ability to take a quick pass and create yards over the second half of the season.

Arnold Ebiketie is a good reminder that progress doesn't always show up in the box score and things take time. The Penn State pass-rusher registered a sack in Week 1 but didn't register another until Week 10's Thursday Night Football game when he was credited for a half-sack against the Panthers.

Despite the lack of production, Ebiketie boasts an above-average pass-rush win rate, according to Seth Walder of ESPN, which is a metric that measures how often a player beats his block in under 2.5 seconds.

Unfortunately, pass-rush win rate doesn't always translate to sacks. For instance, Carl Lawson, who has a similar win rate, has already posted four sacks this season. If Ebiketie was on pace to have eight quarterback sacks, he'd be right up there with No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson, who has 4.5.

Instead, Ebiketie isn't getting his due with the better pass-rushers in this rookie class.

That could easily change over the second half of the season as the first-year defender learns how to finish plays at the pro level.

The Baltimore Ravens showed their confidence in Kyle Hamilton when they used the 14th selection on him in the 2022 draft.

However, that confidence did not lead to a full-time role on defense in the early part of the season. The Notre Dame product played around 50 percent of the defensive snaps in the first two weeks of the season but was relegated to much less playing time in the following five games.

An injury to Marcus Williams has created an opportunity for Hamilton, and he's starting to show why he was a first-round pick.

Going into November, Hamilton was the highest-graded rookie safety in the league by PFF. The website praised the safety's improvement over the course of the season, missing just one tackle in seven games after whiffing on two in the first game of the season.

Hamilton has flashed the versatility to line up in the slot with a great break on the ball in the endzone against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also had an interception that was wiped away by an iffy pass interference call on Monday Night Football against the Saints.

The more Hamilton plays, the more impressive he has been. After playing a season-high 75 percent of snaps against the Saints, expect more splash plays from him.

The Buffalo Bills defense relies on its front four to get after the quarterback. They maintain one of the lowest blitz rates in the league, yet they still are disruptive, primarily thanks to Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau.

The dynamic duo has combined for 12 sacks. However, Rousseau sprained his ankle and is now considered week-to-week. For most teams, that would be a huge blow, but the Bills have another young option waiting in the wings.

For most teams, Carlos "Boogie" Basham would already be a heavy presence in the rotation. He was one of the Bills' highest-graded defenders in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, and he was even better in Week 2, per PFF.

Yet he has played a smaller role throughout the rest of the season. Despite playing less than 40 percent of the snaps in any given week, he has registered six total pressures and an interception.

He's a high-impact defender when he's in the game, and the injury to Rousseau is only going to highlight how much he should be playing.

Terrace Marshall Jr. has become the forgotten man of the legendary LSU wide receiver trio from 2019. While Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson have gone on to dominate in the NFL, Marshall, who had 13 touchdowns that year, has been underwhelming.

There's still time for that to change, though.

Wide receivers coach Joe Dailey and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo have been high on Marshall's practice habits as he continued to work toward a starting role this season.

"Terrace is a guy who keeps growing; he keeps getting better. And as he gets more games under his belt, we expect him to take more steps," McAdoo said, per the team's website.

The next week, Marshall caught his first NFL touchdown from Baker Mayfield in a play that demonstrated the kind of physicality he showed at LSU.

With the Panthers looking to figure out what young players belong in their core going forward, Marshall should have plenty of opportunity to show he can become a WR2 beside D.J. Moore.

Bears fans have had the pleasure of seeing a few of their young prospects begin to break out. Justin Fields just set the single-game rushing record for a quarterback with 178 yards against the Dolphins while throwing for five touchdowns and no interceptions over the last two games.

On the defensive side, Jaquan Brisker has flashed the ability to be an elite safety with 55 tackles, three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Unfortunately, Kyler Gordon's rookie season has been characterized by getting beat in coverage on a regular basis. The second-round pick is ranked 101 out of the 113 corners graded by PFF.

Those struggles continued against the Miami Dolphins when he gave up six catches for 63 yards against Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Those types of performances have overshadowed some strong showings that have highlighted his growth. For instance, against the Giants, Commanders and Patriots he gave up no more than 3.5 yards per target and registered his first interception against New England.

Expect more of those games as Gordon continues to adapt to the pros and the kind of athletes he sees on a weekly basis.

Back in September, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was giving an impassioned defense as to why first- and second-round picks Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt were not involved in a rotation in the secondary.

Now, he's depending on Cam Taylor-Britt to be the team's starting outside cornerback.

Anarumo had cited the need for consistency in the secondary and a desire to protect the confidence of his young defensive backs. Now, however, injuries and poor performance have forced his hand.

Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie has been ruled out for the year with a torn ACL, and Mike Hilton missed Week 9's game with a finger injury.

Taylor-Britt's confidence might be shaken right now based on what he's given up. In the last three weeks, he's seen heavy usage and he's allowed seven completions on nine targets for 114 yards and a touchdown.

It's important to keep in mind that Taylor-Britt dealt with his own injury this season. He started the campaign on injured reserve after suffering a core injury during training camp.

Anuramo called Taylor-Britt a "work in progress" after the game against Carolina in which he gave up his first touchdown. With a starting role locked up by default, expect Taylor-Britt to look more comfortable as he gains experience.

The Jacoby Brissett-led version of the Cleveland Browns' offense has not left much room for receivers to put up big numbers.

The Browns have been one of the most run-heavy teams in the league, and the targets in the passing game have been highly concentrated on Amari Cooper. He has 66 targets with Donovan Peoples-Jones 20 targets behind.

That has left rookie receiver David Bell without much of a role to build on. The rookie from Purdue has only seen 11 targets, bringing down nine of them for 100 yards.

It's much too early to declare that Bell isn't ready to produce, especially under the circumstances. With Deshaun Watson set to make his Browns debut in Week 13 against the Houston Texans, there's a good chance that the Cleveland offense looks much different.

That should open the door for Bell to showcase why the organization was high enough to take him with a top-100 pick in the draft this spring.

Tyler Smith has already proved more than most on this list, but that just means the ceiling of his impending breakout is even higher.

Given the expectations that Smith walked into this season, the Cowboys have to be thrilled with his rookie campaign. While the plan might have been for Smith to one day take over for Tyron Smith at left tackle, he was supposed to be the starting left guard.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, a knee injury for Tyron Smith changed those plans. The veteran went on the injured reserve and the rookie Smith was moved from guard to starting tackle.

So far, he's acquitted himself nicely there. He's earned a PFF grade of 63.4, ranking him 52nd out of 78 tackles while giving up four sacks and drawing seven penalties.

The book on Tyler Smith coming out of Tulsa was that he was a physically dominant run blocker who was prone to drawing holding penalties and blown blocks as a pass blocker.

That has essentially played out to this point. His physicality and mean streak have translated to the league, but the penalties and struggles against faster rushers have also shown up.

However, Tyron Smith could return in December, per Executive Vice President and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones. If that happens and Tyker Smith can return to his left guard spot, it would give the Cowboys a potentially elite answer at a position in which Connor McGovern has struggled.

There was a reason the Denver Broncos were willing to deal away a talented pass-rusher like Bradley Chubb. The cupboard is hardly bare, even while they are dealing with injuries at the position.

Nik Bonitto is a big reason for that. The second-round pick is starting to show signs of being a menace to quarterbacks. With Baron Browning out with a hip injury and Randy Gregory on injured reserve, the Broncos turned to Bonitto to take on a big role.

He played a season-high 58 percent of the snaps and rewarded the team with his first sack and a forced fumble.

That shouldn't come as a surprise. Going into November, Bonitto had the highest pass-rush win rate of all rookies, per PFF.

With Chubb now in Miami, the Broncos are going to have to continue giving Bonitto more snaps. If his production to this point is any indication, that's going to lead to many more sacks over the second half of the season.

It's been a rough year for the Detroit Lions defense as a unit, but young players like Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph are giving hope that things will be better in the near future.

Derrick Barnes could join that list soon.

The second-year linebacker started six games last season but didn't make enough of an impression to be a starter this season. That could change after the game he played against the Green Bay Packers.

With rookie Malcolm Rodriguez dealing with an elbow injury, Barnes was thrust into a bigger role and played 50 snaps. He not only played his best game to date, but it was one of the better games by a Lions linebacker in more than a decade.

Barnes had 12 tackles, one pass defended and a sack. He was the first Lions linebacker to have at least 10 tackles, a pass defended and a sack since Julian Peterson in 2010.

Linebacker coach Kelvin Sheppard acknowledged that Barnes has had to adjust to different coaching in his two years, so we haven't seen his best yet.

"I know everyone is looking at him as a second-year guy, but he's in his second year with different coaches in two years asking him to do two different things," Sheppard said, per Tim Twentyman of the team's website." Asking him for two different styles of play. So, Derrick is a very developmental linebacker in my eyes."

There isn't a whole lot that has gone right for the 3-6 Green Bay Packers. That includes the rookie season of Christian Watson.

The second-round pick was supposed to be an immediate contributor as a potential No. 2 wide receiver opposite Allen Lazard.

That hasn't been the case for a few reasons.

For one, Watson has shown some holes in his game. He dropped the first target of his career after burning Patrick Peterson for a would-be touchdown then only saw three more targets in that game.

It was a reminder that Watson had one of the highest drop rates in college of this year's rookie class.

Injuries have also derailed his start in Green Bay. A knee injury affected his preseason and training camp. He suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of games in Weeks 5 and 6. A head injury took him out of the team's Week 8 game against the Bills.

Head coach Matt LaFleur has recently said the team can "give him everything" in terms of what he's able to handle, per Pete Bukowski of Locked On Packers. With fellow rookie wide receiver Romeos Doubs sidelined with a high ankle sprain, it might finally be time to unleash a healthy Watson.

A team like the Houston Texans doesn't let someone like Kamu Grugier-Hill go in the middle of the season unless they feel confident that a young player is ready to step up in his place.

The 28-year-old linebacker made six starts for the Texans at linebacker this season, but the team released him shortly after the trade deadline. That decision is likely related to Christian Harris' return to the lineup.

The three-year starter at Alabama started the season on injured reserve as he recovered from a hamstring injury. But now, he's come back to a sizable role in the defense. He played 68 percent of the snaps in his Week 7 debut, and head coach Lovie Smith offered high praise.

“Who are our best options that we feel like we can be successful with defensively?” Houston coach Lovie Smith said to the media the day after the game. “If we think that he’s one of them, we’ll find ways for him to get on the field. I would say Christian Harris is one of those guys, and we found a way to start the process yesterday."

Smith has continued that process with Harris playing 100 percent and 88 percent of the snaps over the last two weeks. In those two games, he registered 12 tackles, including 10 solo, one for a loss and a forced fumble.

As he continues to adjust to the NFL, he's going to start making big plays.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay Jr.'s decision to fire Frank Reich in the middle of the season and hire former Colts center Jeff Saturday as a head coach is a true head-scratcher.

Saturday has no coaching experience at the college or professional level. It's hard to make an argument that he's ready to be an interim head coach in the NFL. However, he might be able to have an impact on an offensive line that has been downright bad this season.

They've given up a league-high 3.9 sacks per game while only helping the run game to average 3.7 yards per carry. As a player, Saturday has the fourth-highest career approximate value in Colts history by Pro Football Reference's metrics.

Playing isn't the same as coaching, but much of Saturday's job as Peyton Manning's center was making sure the team had proper pass protection adjustments. His understanding of how to block different fronts and blitzes could go a long way in fixing the Colts' pass protection issues.

That's great news for Bernhard Raimann. The third-round pick is manning the left tackle spot, and Saturday confirmed he—and quarterback Sam Ehlinger—will continue to be the starters at their respective positions.

Thus far, Raimann has played 183 snaps, giving up two sacks and drawing four penalties, per PFF. He's an athletic prospect with the size and ability to at least become a solid starter. If you're looking for a silver lining in Saturday's presence, it's the potential for him to help develop Raimann and the line.

When you compare Travon Walker to his fellow rookie pass-rushers taken in the first round, he looks like a disappointment. The No. 1 pick has just 2.5 sacks and a pass rush win rate that's nearly half of No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson, per PFF.

Those who followed Walker as a prospect shouldn't be surprised by that. The Georgia defender was drafted for his physical traits, not his ability to immediately produce.

Walker is putting things on film that remind you why the Jags took a big swing at him. When he does win pass-rush reps, those traits are evident. He's doing things—like tracking down a tight end 30 yards downfield—that don't show up in the box score, but point to an athletic marvel that's going to be dangerous when he puts it all together.

The rookie has played in at least 78 percent of the defensive snaps in each game this season.

The fact the Jaguars are letting him develop as he goes shows their faith in him. He will reward them with many more high-impact plays in the back stretch of the season.

Cornerback depth is crucial, especially for teams with Super Bowl aspirations like the Chiefs. So it says a lot about how the Chiefs feel about rookie Trent McDuffie's availability that they traded away Rashad Fenton at the deadline.

In an extremely limited sample size, McDuffie is making the Chiefs' front office look smart.

According to PFF, the rookie has played 45 coverage snaps this year and has yet to allow a catch.

What makes those numbers really impressive is that those 45 snaps happened in Week 1 and Week 9. McDuffie missed nearly half the season because of a hamstring injury and picked up right where left off with a promising Week 9 performance.

The Chiefs often ask their corners to play press on an island, and McDuffie has shown the physicality to thrive in that role. The Chiefs are once again a Super Bowl contender, and McDuffie is going to have several high-profile matchups to show off his skills in the regular season and beyond.

There are plenty of reasons for Las Vegas Raiders fans to be frustrated after a 2-6 start, but the progress of Dave Ziegler's draft picks this spring should offer a glimmer of hope.

Third-round pick Dylan Parham has already arrived in a lot of ways. He was named to The Athletic's All-Rookie midseason team. The website praised him for his strong performance while playing over 100 snaps at all three interior positions on the offensive line.

Thayer Munford has shown promise, giving up just one sack on 255 snaps while playing some right tackle in recent weeks, per PFF.

But it's Neil Farrell who could make the biggest leap over the second half of the season. The 6'4", 325-pound tackle has played 58 snaps over the last two weeks, a role that should continue now that the Raiders have traded away veteran Johnathan Hankins.

Farrell was ranked sixth among all rookies in Week 9 by PFF for his work against the run. With Hankins now out of the defensive tackle rotation, the LSU product is going to have more opportunities to prove himself.

The Los Angeles Chargers need as many skill players to step up as possible right now. Injuries have left Justin Herbert without Keenan Allen, Donald Parham and Mike Williams.

That puts a lot on the shoulders of Josh Palmer and Austin Ekeler as the most proven pass-catchers in the offense. With Ekeler's involvement in the passing game, the Chargers have done a lot to figure out a reliable second back.

They drafted Isaiah Spiller this offseason and signed Sony Michel when he was released by the Dolphins during the preseason.

For much of the season, Michel and Joshua Kelly have kept Spiller out of the lineup. That appeared to change in Week 9. With Kelly on injured reserve, Spiller had 13 snaps to Michel's 11 and seven carries to Michel's one.

The rookie ran the ball hard and proved that his pass-blocking is improving with a nice blitz pickup rep.

Spiller projected as a good change of pace back to Ekeler at the beginning of the season. The 6'1" 215-pound back has the power to run the between-the-tackles concepts they may want to keep Ekeler from running.

Now it appears he might finally be getting his shot to take over that role.

The Los Angeles Rams have two major issues that have contributed to a 3-5 start. They can't protect the passer, and they aren't getting after the opposing one. They are 31st in pressure rate on defense and give up the ninth-highest pressure rate on offense.

The offensive line issues might be too far gone to salvage this season. But Terrell Lewis could be the key to improving the pass rush over the final nine weeks of the season.

The third-year edge rusher has struggled with injuries since getting drafted. He only played eight games in his rookie season. Last year, he had to deal with a talented rotation of pass-rushers that added Von Miller at the halfway point.

Despite the struggles, the Rams did not make a move for a pass-rusher at the trade deadline. Instead, they'll have to hope that Lewis and Justin Hollins are much better in the latter half of the season.

It seems that Lewis is going to get an increased opportunity to do so. He played a season-high 54 snaps in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a near-interception that went down as a pass defended and a tackle for a loss.

Now that he's finally healthy and playing a bigger role, he's the Rams' best chance to improve the pass rush.

If you only look at the sack numbers, you could fall into the trap that Jaelan Phillips' sophomore campaign has been a letdown in Miami.

After securing 8.5 sacks in his rookie year, he has just three at the halfway point of this season. But that ignores the fact that Phillips is comparable to Za'Darius Smith and Myles Garrett when it comes to hurries this season, and he's posting a pass rush win rate of more than 20 percent.

His blocked punt against the Bears demonstrates the kind of speed and power he brings off the edge.

With the Dolphins' addition of Bradley Chubb at the trade deadline, the pass rush should be improved. Chubb didn't eat into Phillips' workload, either. Chubb saw 54 snaps while Phillips topped all pass-rushers with 61 of the 74 defensive snaps.

Phillips is getting into opposing team's backfields. But when he's the only one, it is too easy for opposing quarterbacks to simply move in the pocket and throw the ball.

Chubb should help, as the two have the ability to collapse the pocket from both directions.

Andrew Booth Jr. was supposed to be a key addition to the Minnesota Vikings' stable of corners when they drafted him in the second round.

Instead, it's fourth-round selection Akayleb Evans who stepped up when the team needed help at corner in Week 9. With Cam Dantzler out, Evans was inserted into the starting lineup against the Washington Commanders and allowed just one completion for negative yardage on five targets.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell had high praise for the rookie after the game.

"All I know is when that ball is in the air, nobody cares when people were drafted," O'Connell said, per Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "It's all about snap in and snap out playing competitive football, and when you can do that, like a lot of these young corners in the league are doing, like Akayleb did when we needed him, confidence can happen and manifest itself at a pretty rapid pace."

Evans flashed the kind of potential you'd expect from a Day 1 or 2 pick. He had a great pass breakup when matched up with Terry McLaurin on a critical fourth down.

Dantzler is a "long shot" to play against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. That should extend Evans' audition and give the staff time to find a way to keep him on the field when Dantzler comes back.

This choice is kind of cheating because the Josh Uche breakout is already underway. The third-year linebacker has as many sacks over the last two weeks as in his first two seasons in the NFL.

The former Michigan defender has taken a while to come into his own since being drafted in the 2020 second round. Various injuries have limited him to just 28 games in two-and-a-half seasons.

Uche's breakout game came in Week 9 with three sacks against the Indianapolis Colts.

Matthew Judon, who leads the league in sacks with 11.5 for the Pats, wasn't surprised.

“For him to come out there and have a game like he had, and then play lights-out like that, that just allows him to see what he can do in this league,” Judon said, per Nick O'Malley of Mass Live. “He can be a premier pass rusher, and I always tell him, he’s probably the best pass rusher we’ve got.”

It would be easy to write off Uche's big day as an opportunistic performance against a crumbling Colts o-line.

But Judon's words point to a player who's about to showcase his talent throughout the rest of the season.

Alontae Taylor is another inclusion on this list who is already arguably in the process of breaking out. The rookie cornerback has been called upon to start for the Saints in the last three weeks, and he's turned in stellar performances each time.

The second-round pick has only conceded seven catches on 20 targets for 93 yards and no touchdowns.

Cornerback is a position that requires confidence to succeed. It's not coincidence that some of the brashest personalities, like Jalen Ramsey and Richard Sherman, have made for the best cover men.

Taylor has already made an impression with his competitiveness.

"He's an ultra-competitor," co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard said, per the team's website. "Loved his technique. He had a missed tackle out there, and we want better. But he's got great confidence, real good boost for our team. Uber confident. Really aggressive in coverage. Coverage intensity is there, and he doesn't back down from anyone."

That was after Taylor's first start in Week 7. He made his coach's word look prophetic when he went toe-to-toe with Davante Adams in Week 8.

All that's left to prove is that he can continue to play like that in a larger sample size and force some turnovers.

The rebuilding of the New York Giants' offense under Brian Daboll has been well ahead of schedule this year. The first-year head coach should be lauded for his ability to put a functional offense on the field given the lack of production they have at wide receiver.

Darius Slayton leads the team in receiving yards with 232 on 16 receptions eight games into the season.

While it's impressive that the Giants are 6-2 with those kinds of numbers from their top receiver, it isn't a sustainable model. Solid offensive line play and Saquon Barkley can only keep the unit alive for so long.

A healthy Wan'Dale Robinson might be the spark the offense needs to take the next step.

The rookie suffered a knee sprain in Week 1 that forced him out of the lineup until he returned in Week 6. He scored a touchdown in his first game back, and he has caught 11 of his 15 targets for 102 yards since his recovery.

Bigger things should be ahead. He's impressed his veteran teammates, including Sterling Shepard.

“There’s not too much I need to tell him," Shepard said, per Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. "He’s well beyond his years, man. He’s gonna be great for us.”

The Giants don't have a ton of other options in the passing game. He should see increased opportunities to show off that greatness.

It's been a frustrating season for Elijah Moore in the New York Jets offense. After compiling 538 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games as a rookie, he has been underwhelming in Year 2.

Through nine games, he is sixth on the team with 30 targets, catching 16 balls for 203 yards and no touchdowns. Moore has only played in eight games. He sat out against the Denver Broncos following a trade request that the team refused to honor.

Since then, Moore has only seen one target, but it sounds like the coaching staff is still working out ways for him to get the ball.

Robert Saleh told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports that the team plans on moving Moore to the slot, giving the sophomore a chance to shine on the inside.

That could be the switch that Moore needs to carve out a role in the Jets offense and finally flourish. He mostly played in the slot while at Ole Miss. His physicality made a move to the outside possible.

The explosive play-making he showed as a rookie is still there. The move to the outside just hasn't worked out. Now that he's returning to his natural alignment he could unleash his potential.

Breaking through at this point on a team like the 8-0 Eagles isn't easy. They've already had their fair share of breakout performances, including the play of Jalen Hurts this season.

But Jordan Davis' ankle injury that sent him to the injured reserve might just open the door for Milton Williams to start standing out. With Davis having a strong rookie campaign, Williams was relegated to snap shares in the neighborhood of 30 percent from Weeks 4-6.

Davis exited the game against the Steelers at the end of the first half, and Williams logged 39 percent of the snaps followed by 40 percent in the next game against the Houston Texans.

He picked up a sack, a tackle for loss and a pass defended against Pittsburgh, giving a peek into the kind of disruptor he can be on the interior when given the opportunity.

At 6'3", 290 pounds, he's much different than Davis, but the Eagles have shown their ability to develop interior defenders, and Williams should utilize the extra reps to make a name for himself.

George Pickens had a mini-breakout over a two-week stretch in Weeks 4 and 5 with 12 catches for 185 yards against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

Since then, he's been much quieter. He didn't even log a catch in his last game against the Philadelphia Eagles despite playing 65 snaps.

Much bigger things are going to come.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to trade away Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears was the most significant endorsement they could've given to the receiver. With Claypool in the Windy City, Pickens is now No. 2 in the pecking order behind Diontae Johnson and the best deep threat at Kenny Pickett's disposal.

Looking at Pickens' path to the draft, it was always going to make some sense for him to blossom later in his rookie year. He missed all but four games of his final season at Georgia because of an ACL injury and had just five catches for 107 yards.

Essentially, he's spent the first half of his rookie season getting back into the swing of playing every week and being healthy. It's easy to see the talent in plays like the one-handed snag that went viral against the Cleveland Browns.

Expect more highlights to come.

It might have largely gone unnoticed to this point, but Spencer Burford is already having a decent rookie season. The fourth-round pick has registered eight starts and hasn't been charged with a sack by PFF.

That isn't to say their analysts have totally loved what the UTSA product has done. His grade of 49.0 ranked him 64th of the 81 qualifying guards in their system.

Still, there's a lot to like about the 6'4", 300-pound former tackle who has kicked inside to guard at the NFL level.

He's shown the physicality to move big defensive tackles on the inside and has the athleticism to pull and kick out in Kyle Shanahan's diverse run game. He's even drawn praise from Trent Williams for his drive to get better.

The next step for him is to completely take over the right guard job and show more consistency. Right now, he's still in a timeshare with veteran Daniel Brunskill. It's relatively unorthodox to rotate linemen, and Burford should completely take over the job and come into his own as the season moves along.

No team has benefitted more from players having breakout performances this season than the Seattle Seahawks.

Whether it's Geno Smith breaking out at 32 years old or Tariq Woolen becoming an absolute ballhawk in his rookie season, the Seahawks are in the thick of the playoff hunt because several players are looking like emerging stars.

Otherwise, cornerback Mike Jackson would be getting more attention for the breakout season he's working on. The 25-year-old has become a consistent starter in his fourth year despite appearing in just four games in his first three NFL seasons.

Woolen has gotten the attention because of the interceptions and the physical gifts of being 6'4" with elite speed. However, Jackson has quietly held quarterbacks to a 69.5 passer rating when targeted and a 51.0 completion percentage.

The only thing that's left to appear is the ball production that comes with it. Jackson has seven passes defended but has yet to get an interception.

With that kind of coverage, the picks are going to come, and a broader fanbase is going to understand he has arrived as a long-term starter at corner.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team searching for answers on the offensive side of the ball.

They may have found one late in their 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Cade Otton.

The rookie tight end put up his best game of the season against the defending Super Bowl champions. He reeled in five passes for 68 yards including a one-yard touchdown pass for his first career score that sealed the game.

The final drive started with a 28-yard pass across the middle to Otton, and Brady looked his way again when it mattered most, showing signs the veteran quarterback is starting to trust the rookie.

With the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, Brady has missed having a big-bodied tight end who can make plays in the middle of the field. Cameron Brate was the heir apparent to the role, but he has just 13 catches for 114 yards on the season.

Now he's out of the lineup with a neck injury. He's working his way back now, but Otton may have already earned a bigger pass-catching role.

The Tennessee Titans decision to trade A.J. Brown for a first-round pick that they used to take Treylon Burks has not aged well thus far.

Brown is in Philadelphia helping transform the Eagles offense into one of the most dangerous units in the league. Burks has just 10 catches for 129 yards in four games.

Of course, comparing the two receivers directly isn't fair at this point. Burks is a rookie who is working his way back from injured reserve, where he has been since Week 5 after going down in Week 4 with turf toe.

Head coach Mike Vrabel has been impressed with his rehab and is excited for his return.

"We'll see how he is feeling," Vrabel told the media when asked about the possibility of Burks playing against the Broncos this week. "He has worked extremely hard to stay in shape and condition, take care of his body, lift. … I think this is the best he has been from the standpoint of handling a distraction … Whenever he is ready, I'm excited for him to get back out there."

The Titans desperately need a jolt to the passing game. They have the least passing yards in the league at just 1,090 through eight games.

Getting Ryan Tannehill and a more experienced Burks back from injury should help.

Expectations are sky-high for off-ball linebackers taken in the first round. Like running backs on offense, inside linebackers just don't offer the same kind of value of positions like edge rusher, offensive tackle or receiver.

So when Jamin Davis posted a 46.8 grade on PFF as a rookie in 2021 after the Commanders drafted him with the 19th pick in the 2021 draft, it was fair to be frustrated. Davis made few high-impact plays with 76 total tackles, just one sack, one pass defended and three tackles for loss.

Davis has spent the first eight games of this season building a better reputation for making big plays. This season, he already has three sacks and six tackles for loss while cutting his missed tackle percentage in half.

With a year-and-a-half of experience in the NFL now, Davis is starting to look comfortable. Grant Paulsen of The Athletic noted his Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings saw him record five tackles, one for a loss, and a pass defended.

There's still more ground to make up if Davis is going to prove to be the kind of linebacker worth a first-round selection, but he's starting to show why the Commanders made the choice.