Predicting Every NFL Team’s Biggest Bust of the 2022 NFL Season | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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At this juncture of the offseason, every
franchise has reason to be optimistic about the upcoming NFL campaign.

While a case can be made for just
about any player to have a strong showing this coming year, the truth is that each
team will have at least one bust amongst the noteworthy talents on their 2022
rosters.

Expectations may be high for these
players going into the season, but there is a strong chance they fail to meet
them for a variety of reasons.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the
player with the most bust potential on each of the league’s 32 teams as well as
some reasons why they will disappoint this year.

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Rondale Moore was a popular sleeper
pick as a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals last year. While he showed flashes of talent during his first season, he ultimately only had four games
with 50 or more receiving yards on his way to a 54-catch, 435-yard, one-score campaign.

Moore was mostly utilized as a gadget-type
weapon in this offense. He saw less than 50 percent
of the offensive snaps and had a concerningly low 1.3-yard
average depth of target.

Although it initially appeared there
would be more opportunity for Moore to take on a bigger role in 2022 following
Christian Kirk’s departure, Arizona’s decision to trade for Marquise Brown
could result in a net loss of volume for the second-year wideout.

While Moore could flash some
impressive numbers during the six games DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for, he’s
likely to disappoint once the No. 1 receiver is back in the mix and finish his
second campaign on an underwhelming note.

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The Atlanta Falcons have found
themselves evaluating a new starting quarterback for the
first time in 14 years.

With Matt Ryan being shipped off to
the Indianapolis Colts, the team is forging ahead with Marcus Mariota and
third-round rookie Desmond Ridder competing for the QB1 role in training camp.

Although Ridder is coming off an
impressive run at Cincinnati, Mariota reportedly
has the inside track for the job based on his familiarity with head coach
Arthur Smith’s system.

While Mariota is likely to win out in
this positional battle, the Falcons aren’t going to be very competitive while
he’s holding the job. The 28-year-old led his Tennessee Titans squads to a sub-.500
record (29-32) during his four-and-a-half seasons as a starter and has long struggled
with injuries.

Mariota missed time in each of his starting seasons and never threw for more than 3,426 yards or 26 touchdowns in any campaign.

Even if Mariota can stay healthy in
2022, he’s shown time and time again to be nothing more than a below-average QB. He isn’t going to be the catalyst to end a four-year playoff
drought in Atlanta, and the team will likely find itself in the league’s basement at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

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The Baltimore Ravens made the rather questionable
decision to not only trade away Marquise Brown during the 2022 draft, but also not
bring in any replacement wideouts during the event.

With Brown and Sammy Watkins now gone,
Devin Duvernay is poised to step into the WR2 role across from Rashod Bateman.

While Duvernay has proven himself to
be an elite return man—evidenced by his Pro Bowl nod in 2021—he only has 53 career
receptions for 473 yards and a pair of touchdowns since entering the league in
2020.

Duvernay believes he’s capable of
holding down the main returning job while also taking on a larger role on
offense (per BaltimoreRavens.com):

“I love playing
returner, I love playing receiver, I love having the ball, so if anything, it’s
just going to drive me to continue to be better and better.”

Although Duvernay is confident
he can thrive with an expanded workload, the Baltimore passing offense will be set back by a lack of battle-tested wideouts on the roster.

The Ravens are likely to
regret not drafting a replacement for Brown and trusting Duvernay to make a
seamless transition to WR2 as they look to return to the playoffs following a disappointing 2021 season.

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Dawson Knox joined the upper echelon
of tight ends in 2021.

After teasing his potential for two
years, Knox finally had a breakout third season, in which he racked up 587 yards
and nine touchdowns on 49 receptions.

It remains to be seen if Knox can
reach these heights again, especially now that the Buffalo Bills will have a new play
caller following Brian Daboll’s departure to become the New York Giants head
coach.

Ken Dorsey is taking over the job
after working as the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach last year.
There may be some growing pains as the team makes this transition, with rising
star QB Josh Allen potentially taking a step back and lowering the ceiling of
the entire offense.

Knox’s production could see a
noticeable dip if this offense isn’t finding the end zone as often.

The tight end’s breakout year was powered
by paydirt, something he struggled with prior to 2021. The 25-year-old had just
five touchdowns across 27 career games before scoring nine times in 15 contests
last year.

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Christian McCaffrey hasn’t lived up to his billing as one of the league’s most dangerous
dual-threat backs in recent years.

After downright dominating between 2018-2019—McCaffrey
racked up 2,485 yards and 22 touchdowns on 506 totes and added 1,872 receiving
yards and 10 scores on 223 receptions—the Carolina Panthers star has spent more
time on the sidelines than he has on the field.

McCaffrey signed a blockbuster four-year,
$64 million extension
following a sterling 2019 campaign, but ended up missing all but three games in
2020. The 26-year-old was slightly healthier this past season, but still only
saw action in seven contests while dealing with nagging injuries.

The Panthers are still holding out
hope that McCaffrey can return to the game-breaking force he was just a few
seasons ago. They opted not to trade him despite rumors
swirling earlier in the offseason and are planning to forge ahead with McCaffrey
as the starter in 2022.

The back isn’t going to take a single
snap in the preseason as part of the team’s effort to ensure their
superstar avoids any unnecessary injury risks, but it seems that McCaffrey’s
best days could be behind him.

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Justin Fields is coming off a
concerning rookie season, one in which he went just 2-8 as a starter while
completing a meager 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,870 yards and seven
touchdowns against 10 interceptions while taking 36 sacks.

While the Ohio State product did show
glimpses of the playmaking abilities that caused the Chicago Bears to trade up
in the 2021 draft to acquire him, it was one of the more underwhelming first-year
QB performances in recent memory.

Fields is now heading into 2022 as the
clear-cut starter—he was behind veteran Andy Dalton in training camp last year—and
the pressure is on to show improvement following that abysmal campaign.

It’s going to be difficult for Fields
to right the ship, however, especially with an offensive line that is likely to rate amongst
the league’s worst units.

After ranking slightly below average in PFF’s
end-of-season rankings (No. 22), only the Seattle Seahawks are expected
to be worse in 2022. The site noted that the Bears will have the No.
31-ranked offensive line largely because of their decision to start a pair of
sophomore tackles coming off ugly rookie years.

Chicago parted ways with its two
highest-graded offensive lineman from last year, letting both Jason Peters and
James Daniels—the only players to earn above a starting-caliber
70.0 score—walk in free agency.

With such poor projected protection,
it’s hard to envision a scenario in which Fields doesn’t have another rough go
of things in 2022.

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The Cincinnati Bengals failed to
address one of their biggest holes this offseason. By bringing back Eli Apple
as a projected starter at the cornerback position, Cincinnati’s secondary will remain beatable.

That much was evident during Super
Bowl LVI, when Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford worked with
wideout Cooper Kupp to exploit the corner with a championship on the line. According
to Next Gen
Stats, Apple gave up both of Kupp’s scores in the contest.

While the team only had to pay $3.75
million to keep the starter for the upcoming season, it would have been
better served finding a more competent player to take over the CB2 position.

Apple did have some positive moments
during the 2021 season, including some strong man coverage showings, but his inconsistency
in big moments ultimately hurt the Bengals when they needed him most.

Cincinnati did draft Cam Taylor-Britt
in the second round as a potential replacement for Apple as early as this
season. While it won’t be ideal to rush the rookie Nebraska product into
action, it may be necessary if Apple is struggling in 2022.

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The Cleveland Browns deserve praise
for making the trade that brought Amari Cooper over from the Dallas Cowboys
this offseason.

The Browns only had to give up a fifth-rounder
and lose a little bit of draft position in the sixth round to make the deal happen,
quite a low cost to acquire a four-time Pro Bowl wideout.

While Cooper immediately becomes the
best receiver on Cleveland’s roster, it’s unlikely he’ll return to his Pro Bowl
form during his third stop in the league. Cooper is coming off a relatively
disappointing 2021 campaign in which he only caught 68 passes for 865 yards and
eight touchdowns.

Cooper couldn’t take full advantage of
the single coverage he often faced thanks to high-end teammates like CeeDee Lamb
and Michael Gallup drawing plenty of defensive attention.

It’s hard to imagine Cooper rebounding
in Cleveland with Donovan Peoples-Jones and rookie David Bell as the club’s top
pass-catchers around him.

Cooper can still be a productive asset
for the Browns, but he’ll likely fail to live up to lofty expectations with his
Pro Bowl days in the rear-view.

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Ezekiel Elliott is no longer the
feared running back he was earlier in his career.

After averaging over 95 yards per game
on the ground in each of his first three seasons, Elliott has steadily declined
over the past few years. His production hit a new low in 2021 when he averaged
just 58.9 rushing yards per contest.

Even his pass-catching abilities are
fading. Elliott averaged at least 22 yards per game through the air in each of
his first five seasons but failed to even reach a 17-yard per game mark this
past year.

With Tony Pollard on the come-up and poised
to see a significant
increase in touches this coming season, it’s readily apparent that Elliot is fading into the twilight of his career

While Elliott can still be a
contributor to a winning Cowboys club, expecting him to be a top rusher putting
up 100-plus yard performances with any regularity would be foolish.

Although Dallas is still paying
him like a superstar, Elliott will see his workload further diminished as he
settles into a more even timeshare with Pollard this coming campaign.

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Javonte Williams is one of the more
hyped players entering the 2022 season following his promising rookie performance.

The Denver Broncos running back rushed 203 times for 903 yards and four
scores while adding 316 yards and a trio of touchdowns on 43 receptions in 2021.

While Williams should remain a key cog
in Denver’s offense, it’s unlikely he’ll notably improve in any major statistical category this coming year.

With quarterback Russell Wilson taking over the reins at center
in the Mile High, the Broncos’ passing attack should see an increase in volume.
The club hasn’t had a competent quarterback since Peyton Manning retired six
years ago and can air it out more efficiently with the
nine-time Pro Bowler now running the show.

Denver’s decision to retain Melvin
Gordon will also eat into Williams’ workload. Gordon is gearing up for his
third season with the Broncos, having started 16 games for the organization
last year while racking up 918 yards and eight TDs on 203 carries. He was also
a capable pass-catching back with 28 receptions for 213 yards and two scores.

Williams may have sky-high potential,
but too many factors are working against him from becoming a dominant bell-cow running back in 2022.

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D’Andre Swift has been one of the most
frustrating players in football since joining the Detroit Lions in 2020.

While the running back has put up
decent numbers—especially as a pass-catcher—when healthy, he has performed poorly as a rusher and has had durability issues in each of his first two seasons.

Swift racked up 617 yards and five
scores on 151 totes while posting 452 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns
on 62 catches in just 13 games last year.

While his snap count increased to 560
in those matchups after he saw just 398 snaps in the same number of games last
year, Swift still hasn’t been on the field as much as Detroit fans would have
hoped.

Even when healthy, Swift hasn’t
contributed at a high level outside of his receiving skills. According to Ian
Hartitz of PFF.com, the 23-year-old ranked dead-last in the site’s rushing
grade metric amongst the 50 backs who qualified with 100 or more carries.

Unless he shows serious improvement as
a ball carrier, Swift will remain an injury-prone, one-dimensional pass-catching
back set up to disappoint in 2022.

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AP Photo/Morry Gash

The Green Bay Packers accomplished
their No. 1 offseason goal by retaining Aaron Rodgers on a contract extension.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep his top receiver and were forced
to trade superstar Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.

With Adams out of the picture, Green
Bay’s receiving corps leaves much to be desired. The team has a smattering of
underwhelming veterans in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins set to
play key roles along with rookie second-round pick Christian Watson.

Watson will be the X-factor in this
offense. At 6’5”, 208 pounds, the North Dakota State product has the size and
athleticism to be an elite playmaker in the league.

The rookie may not be ready to take on a large volume of work in Year 1. He did
well but didn’t exactly dominate lesser competition for the run-heavy Bison, tallying up 43
receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games as a senior.

Given his unpolished route-running
tree and inconsistent catching abilities, it will take Watson some time to
adapt to the speed and physicality of the NFL.

Watson’s upside may be undeniable, but expecting
him to have a breakout 2022 campaign is rather unrealistic.

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The Houston Texans weren’t put off by
Derek Stingley Jr.’s health issues when they drafted him at No. 3 overall this
year.

While Stingley does have the upside to
become one of the game’s few true shutdown cornerbacks, it could take some time
before he’s truly healthy and reaching his potential.

Stingley notably underwent a Lisfranc
surgery last September, a procedure he was still rehabilitating from during
the pre-draft process.

The LSU product will also need to
knock some rust off after he saw action in only 10 games since the start of the
2020 campaign while battling several ailments that limited his capabilities.

Given his lack of reps and underwhelming showings over the past
couple years, it could take Stingley quite a bit of time to get back up to
speed.

It may result in a ho-hum rookie campaign in terms of on-field
production, but a clean bill of health will have him set up nicely to dominate
in 2023 and beyond.

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The Indianapolis Colts struggled to
get steady production from the cornerback position last year. The team brought
in Stephon Gilmore in free agency to help rectify that issue, but it’s not going to be easy for the aging defensive back to turn this unit around himself.

Gilmore was one of the best defenders
in the league between 2017 and 2019 but hasn’t performed at that level over the
last two seasons.

Injuries have kept Gilmore off the field for 14 games in that
span while hindering his ability to be an elite cover man when on it.

The 10-year veteran only suited up for
a career-low eight games during his lone season with the Carolina Panthers in 2021 and is a real risk to miss more time this coming season. Even if he can
stay healthy, Gilmore’s coverage skills have been noticeably fading.

On the bright side, the Colts won’t
ask Gilmore to play as much man as he did during his recent stops with the New
England Patriots and Panthers.

The scheme change could help hide some of the 31-year-old’s
declining skills, but there’s a chance Gilmore’s production falls off a cliff
in 2022.

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Brandon Scherff has been one of the
better interior linemen the NFL has to offer when healthy. Unfortunately, Scherff
has greatly struggled with his availability for much of his career, missing
multiple games in each of the last five seasons.

The Jacksonville Jaguars brought
Scherff in to shore up the offensive trenches with the knowledge that the 30-year-old
isn’t likely to suit up for all 17 games. He hasn’t played a full campaign
since his sophomore year in 2016 and missed five or more games in two of the
last three seasons.

While he still made the Pro Bowl in
five of the last six seasons and commanded nearly $50
million on a three-year deal, don’t be surprised if Scherff is sidelined for a
significant stretch again in 2022.

The addition may have been worth the
risk to a Jaguars squad desperate to improve Trevor Lawrence’s protection as
the QB gears up for a critical second season, but there’s a real risk that
Scherff goes down as one of the team’s biggest free-agent busts if he goes down
for long stretches with more injuries.

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It wasn’t too long ago that Clyde
Edwards-Helaire was expected to take over the league as a hyped first-round rookie back
joining an electrifying Kansas City Chiefs offense.

While the Chiefs offense has remained
a high-powered unit, Edwards-Helaire hasn’t lived up to his billing.

After a tantalizing rookie year in
which he amassed 803 yards on 181 totes in 13 games, CEH regressed to just 517
yards on 119 carries in 10 games this past season. His pass-catching numbers
also fell from 36 receptions for 297 yards to 19 catches for 129 yards.

It’s too early to definitively call
Edwards-Helaire a bust, but the discussion can certainly begin. Fellow 2020
draftee Jonathan Taylor—taken nine picks after the Chiefs selected CEH at No. 32 overall—emerged
as the league’s top back while Edwards-Helaire did little more than frustrate
fans in Kansas City during Year 2.

Edwards-Helaire is facing an uphill
battle to prove he was worthy of his lofty draft position in 2022. If he can’t improbably
improve to become a feature back who can stay healthy, the Chiefs will likely regret
this selection.

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AP Photo/John Locher

Chandler Jones is coming off a Pro
Bowl season with the Arizona Cardinals, a year in which he racked up 10.5 sacks
in total.

While that double-digit sack count is
impressive at first glance, it’s worth noting that nearly half of that tally came
in Week 1 when Jones brought down Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill five
times. Discounting that contest, Jones has just 6.5 sacks in 20 games since the
start of the 2020 campaign.

Jones is now well on the wrong side of
30—he turned 32 right after the 2021 campaign ended—and joining a new defensive
scheme for the first time since he was traded from the New England Patriots to
the Cardinals in 2016.

Jones can still be a quality edge-rusher
now that he’s with the Las Vegas Raiders, but he’s no longer the type of talent
who amassed 49 sacks between 2017 and 2019. Expecting him to contribute at that
high of a level at this point in his career is unrealistic.

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AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

The Los Angeles Chargers have taken a major
risk with the signing of Bryce Callahan to shore up their secondary.

The cornerback has been severely injury-prone
over the last six seasons, missing a total of 31 games in that span. He just
wrapped up a two-season stint with the Denver Broncos having participated in
just 21 of a possible 33 contests.

Despite this, the Bolts brought in the
30-year-old to play a notable role in 2022. Although it didn’t cost them much financially—Callahan
inked a meager one-year, $1.3 million deal—it
could hinder their secondary when he’s spending a good chunk of time on the IR.

While Los Angeles does have free-agent pickup
J.C. Jackson and incumbent corners Asante Samuel Jr. and Michael Davis, the
unit could quickly look thin if Callahan is sidelined.

It’s reasonable to think Callahan will contribute at a high level
when he is on the field, but those moments will likely be too few for the
Chargers to feel great about this signing when looking back on it at the end of
the season.

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The Los Angeles Rams are preparing to
forge ahead without longtime left tackle Andrew Whitworth anchoring the
offensive line.

After protecting the blind side for
the last half-decade and capping his career with a Super Bowl championship,
the 40-year-old opted to retire back in March. The decision has opened the door
for Joe Noteboom to take over the position on a full-time basis.

Noteboom has experience at the left
tackle spot, filling in for an injured Whitworth for nearly half of the 2020
campaign. The results weren’t great, as Noteboom scored a middling 60.3
PFF grade and allowed two sacks that season.

The 27-year-old performed slightly
better during his two starts last year, earning a 76.0
PFF grade while allowing one sack on 174 snaps.

While the Rams are clearly confident
that Noteboom can do the job—evidenced by the club giving him a three-year, $40
million contract
in free agency—it will be tough to seamlessly replace Whitworth and the 86.1
PFF grade he scored in 2021.

Expect some growing pains as the Rams make
this transition, one that could set the offense back slightly and hamper the
team’s electrifying offense as it prepares to defend its Super Bowl title.

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The Miami Dolphins finally made the decision to fully commit to
Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.

After seemingly endless trade
speculation to start his career, the ‘Phins opted to build around the young signal-caller
and provided him the tools needed to succeed in 2022.

With guys like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen
Waddle and Cedrick Wilson Jr. making up one of the league’s more impressive receiving
corps and an improved offensive line that picked up an elite left tackle in
Terron Armstead, it’s now up to Tagovailoa to show he can become a top-tier NFL
quarterback.

Expectations will be high for the No.
5 overall pick in 2020 to evolve his game this coming season. He’s come
painfully close to making the playoffs in each of the last two years and has
a decent 13-8 career record as a starter, but his stat line does leave something to be
desired.

Tagovailoa has completed 66.2 percent
of his passes for 4,467 yards and 27 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and 40
sacks taken.

Getting better at throwing the deep
ball will be imperative. The 24-year-old has only connected
on 17 of his 48 passes that traveled 20-plus yards in the air, a number that
needs to improve with Hill on the roster.

If Tagovailoa shows he’s nothing more than an average QB again this
year, the Dolphins hold a pair of first-round picks in the 2023 draft. That
is capital they can use to acquire a signal-caller who can get the job done,
whether it’s trading for one or picking a rookie to hand the keys to.

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AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn

The Minnesota Vikings are intimately familiar
with what a healthy Za’Darius Smith can bring to the table after the former
Green Bay Packers edge-rusher notched 4.5 sacks in his five appearances against
them.

While Smith has been a force when
active in recent years, he only saw the field for a single regular season game in 2021. Despite
this, the Vikings still opted to dish out a three-year, $42 million deal
to the seven-year veteran at the start of free agency.

There’s a good chance Smith fails to
live up to this contract. He’ll be turning 30 years old just three days before
he faces his old team in the season-opener, and his best days could be in the
rear-view.

If
Smith is forced to miss time this year, Minnesota could be bereft of
pass-rushing talent. The team already employs another injury-prone edge-rusher
in Danielle Hunter—who has seen action in just seven of a possible 33 games
over the past two seasons—and can’t afford to lose both in 2022.

Even if healthy, Smith may not be the
player he once was.

In 2020 Smith started 16 games on the
edge for the second straight year but failed to make the same sort of impact
that he did the season prior. It was evident in his PFF grade, which fell to a 76.7
after he earned an incredible 90.2
during his first season with the Packers.

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AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

The New England Patriots appear ready
for a changing of the guard at the linebacker position.

After deploying Dont’a Hightower in
the middle of their defense for the past decade, New England opted not to
retain the 32-year-old in free agency. That decision has opened the door for Mack
Wilson to play a bigger role for the club in 2022.

It’s a decision the Patriots could
regret, even if Hightower had clearly lost a step in recent seasons. Wilson spent
the last three years with the Cleveland Browns, failing to carve out a reliable
role after being drafted in the fifth round back in 2019.

Wilson has only secured 163 tackles,
nine pass defenses, one interception and one forced fumble during his NFL
career. He started 14 games and played 88 percent of the defensive
snaps as a rookie but lost playing time in each of the last two years,
seeing his starts and snap count drop to a career-low six and 21 percent,
respectively, in 2021.

While New England is hoping he can
live up to the potential he has thus far failed to reach, it could be difficult
for the Alabama product to finally put it all together.

The Patriots’ complex
defense is notoriously difficult to pick up, and it could take the linebacker
time to make the adjustment, setting him up for a down 2022 campaign.

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AP Photo/Matthew Hinton

After letting Terron Armstead walk in
free agency, the cash-strapped New Orleans Saints opted to fill their left
tackle void by drafting Trevor Penning in the first round.

Penning is an intriguing prospect who
has boom-or-bust potential. The Northern Iowa product has an enviable mix of
size, athleticism and strength—assets that could make him an elite tackle in
the NFL—but he’s still exceedingly raw in terms of talent.

The 6’7”, 332-pound tackle has the physical
makeup and attitude of a franchise-caliber offensive lineman, but the work the
No. 19 overall pick put on tape with the Panthers was more indicative of a
late-round prospect.

If Penning doesn’t show improvement
early on, it’s unlikely he’ll beat out James Hurst for the starting LT job.

It would be a disappointing start to
the No. 19 overall pick’s career, one hopefully he will be able to overcome
with some improvement from the bench.

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The New York Giants should be
disappointed with Kadarius Toney’s rookie year. After expending the No. 20
overall pick on the Florida receiver, Toney failed to meet expectations despite
ample opportunity to thrive with the club.

Toney saw action in just 10 games last
year, catching 39 passes for 420 yards. He failed to find the end zone even
once, a concerning stat for such a naturally talented prospect.

While the 6’0″, 193-pound wideout did
show flashes of elite playmaking during a 10-catch, 189-yard outing against the
rival Dallas Cowboys, he was also ejected from that same contest for throwing a
punch.

Those bouts of immaturity and nagging
injuries ultimately derailed what could have been a promising first season for the
23-year-old.

Toney may be one of the more athletic wideouts
in the league, but until he is able to become more consistent and avoid
injuries, he’ll remain one of the more frustrating players on Big Blue’s
roster.

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The New York Jets seemed to have their
left tackle woes sorted after they selected Mekhi Becton early in the first
round of the 2020 draft.

The Louisville product put together a promising
rookie campaign and seemed ready to build upon that showing in 2021.
Unfortunately, Becton went down after playing just 48 snaps last year and was
never able to return to the field.

New York’s brass is reportedly frustrated
with Becton’s recovery and rehabilitation process. The 23-year-old was only
supposed to miss up to eight weeks after going down in last season’s opener
with a knee injury, but he ultimately missed the next 16 contests.

If Becton has issues with his conditioning and struggles to shake off the rust or misses a large amount of time again, the Jets offense will be limited
in terms of its capabilities.

Gang Green has done a nice job revamping
the offensive side of the ball to end a lengthy rebuild and emerge as a contender in
2022, but Becton could be the weak link that holds them back.

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Injuries have been the unfortunate
story of Miles Sanders’ career.

The Philadelphia Eagles running back has
missed nine games over the past two seasons, ailments that have held him back from becoming a bona fide superstar.

While Sanders has undeniable talent—he’s
averaged a highly-impressive 5.4 yards per carry since the start of the 2020
campaign—he’s only been able to log a shade over 1,000 snaps while battling chronic
ankle and knee injuries
these last two years.

The Eagles are keenly aware of Sanders’ propensity to miss time. It’s part of the reason the team drafted Kenneth
Gainwell last year and brought Boston Scott back on a one-year deal
this offseason.

It wouldn’t be a shock if Philadelphia
also came to terms with Jordan Howard at some point during the 2022 campaign as
some experts
are projecting. Howard helped fill in for Sanders last year, racking up 406
yards on 86 carries, and could perform a similar role for the club this season.

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AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have more
than a quarterback conundrum on their hands this offseason.

According to The Athletic’s Mark
Kaboly, Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson isn’t happy with his current
contract and is running out of time to get one done.

Because the Steelers traditionally
haven’t paid their wideouts and don’t negotiate new deals during the season, there
is a real chance Johnson will be heading into his final season with the club.

It’s hard to fault Johnson for wanting
to get his contract ironed out before he enters unfamiliar territory with
either a veteran cast-off or rookie QB throwing him passes.

Johnson is coming off a career-best
107-reception, 1,161-receiving yard, eight-touchdown campaign. While he thrived
with Ben Roethlisberger under center, he could be in line for a regression with
either Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett taking over for the retired
signal-caller.

Johnson should still be a force, but
it’s doubtful he’ll hit those same lofty marks in 2022. That could hamper his
earning power next offseason as he looks for a new deal.