The 2022 NFL season is rapidly approaching, with the opening fixture schedule for September 8, when the Buffalo Bills travel to the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, in the NFL Kickoff Game. Teams are heading to their respective training camps, and many players have high hopes for the upcoming season. The following three players have a reason to be extra excited for the 2022 campaign because they are about to embark on their second year as NFL professionals and are highly likely to enjoy a breakout year.
TrevorLawrence – QB – Jacksonville Jaguars
Last season was another disappointing campaign for Jacksonville Jaguars, who slumped to a 3-14 record, ultimately resulting in Urban Meyer losing his job at the TIAA Bank Field. It was hardly the ideal situation for Trevor Lawrence to flourish. The 2021 first overall pick started all 17 regular season games, had a 59.6% pass completion rate from 602 attempts, racked up 3,641 yards, and threw 12 touchdowns. It is fair to say Lawrence was one of the few positives for the Jaguars.
While the Jaguars are not on the radar of anyone about to make NFL bets online for the coming season, they should be massively improved with Doug Pederson coming in as head coach. Pederson guided the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl LII glory and is considered a quarterback guru by many, which should help Lawrence thrive.
The Jaguars have the likes of Evan Engram, Marvin Jones, and Christian Kirk on the perimeter, in addition to strengthening the offensive line that failed to protect Lawrence during the last campaign. Expect the Jaguars to be much improved throughout the 2022 season and Lawrence to be one of the main reasons for that vast improvement.
Zach Wilson – QB – New York Jets
The New York Jets selected Zach Wilson as the second overall pick in 2021, and it is easy to see why. The former BYU Cougar played 30 college games and enjoyed a 67.6% pass completion for 7,652 yards and 56 touchdowns, which earned him an overall rating of 162.9. Reproducing those figures for the Jets was always going to be a tall order.
The Jets went 4-13 during the regular season, partly because of their inability to stop the opposition defense from beating up Wilson. He was sacked 44 times and lost 370 yards due to those sackings, the most yards lost via sacks in the entire league. In addition, that lack of protection cost the Jets and Wilson dearly because he suffered a knee injury in Week 7 against the Patriots, which kept him out for four games.
Like the Jaguars mentioned above, the Jets have strengthened their offensive line and playmakers on the perimeter, making the Jets system very quarterback friendly. There are no excuses for Wilson not to have a breakout year and put up solid numbers in 2022, even if the Jets continue struggling.
Rondale Moore – WR – Arizona Cardinals
Rondale Moore joined the Arizona Cardinals as the 49th overall pick in Round 2, entering the 2021 season fourth on the Cardinals’ wide receiver depth chart. However, he still turned out 14 times in a Cardinals uniform, averaging 8.1 yards from 54 receptions and scoring a 77-yard touchdown.
Moore has a great chance of becoming a vital starting player for the Cardinals. Christian Kirk left Arizona for the Jacksonville Jaguars, freeing up one of the perimeter places. Plus, DeAndre Hopkins misses the first six games of the 2022 season through suspension, giving Moore the perfect opportunity to show what he can do on the football field.
The Cardinals acquired Marquise Brown from the Baltimore Ravens, but Moore should still enjoy plenty of game time. Combined more minutes on the field with an ever-improving Kyle Murray pulling strings at quarterback, you have the recipe for a potential breakout year for the former Purdue Boilermaker.
