5 NFL Skill Players Ready to Breakout With Their New Teams

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With the 2018 NFL season less than a month away, Slackie Brown looks at the NFL skill players ready to have breakout years with their new teams.

Only one week of preseason games have passed but the regular season is now less than a month away. On September 6th, the first real game will take place, featuring the defending Super Bowl champs and the Atlanta Falcons. Some things have changed, of course, like how touchbacks will now result in the ball being spotted at the 25-yard line, but in general, things are mostly the same. Here, though, we’ll look at some players that are ripe for big changes — in a positive way.

 5 NFL Skill Players Ready to Have Breakout Seasons With Their New Teams

Brice Butler, WR, Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are thin at receiver, that’s a fact. Besides Larry Fitzgerald, you won’t recognize too many names from their receiver group. With that said, veteran Brice Butler will likely get his first real shot at a starting role. He was effective in spot duty as a Cowboy from 2015-2017 but now, he’s primed for career-highs in every category.

Janarion Grant, WR, Baltimore Ravens

While not many recognize his name now, they should by the end of the season. Grant, an undrafted rookie, is Rutgers’ all-time leader in kick return yards and a lightning quick tool that can shine on an offense not known for their explosiveness. Per RavensWire, Grant is projected to make the roster. If they’re smart, they’ll let him handle all returning duties and put him in the slot.

Isaiah Crowell, RB, New York Jets

This offseason, the Jets threw a nice contract Crowell’s way — three years, $12 million. Of course, that means he’ll get his shot at a TON of carries. Crowell, in four years with the Browns, never reached the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. This season, though, he’s going to get there. After all, every one of the Jets’ three QBs — Bridgewater, McCown, or Darnold — need a solid running back. Bridgewater doesn’t have a great arm, McCown is aging, and Darnold is a rookie.

Allen Hurns, WR, Dallas Cowboys

After going over the 1,000-yard mark in 2015 with the Jaguars, Hurns had two down seasons in 2016 and 2017. While injuries played a role, a lot of it had to do with other receivers outplaying him. Now, after getting released by Jacksonville, Hurns is the No. 1 guy in Dallas. With Dez Bryant and Jason Witten gone, there’s a lot of targets to be had; you can expect Hurns to hit that magical 1,000-yard mark again.

Paul Richardson, WR, Washington Redskins

With Terrelle Pryor out of the mix in Washington, the Redskins gave former Seattle receiver Paul Richardson a hefty five-year. $40 million deal. In D.C., he’ll be competing with Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder for targets but from the looks of things, new starting QB Alex Smith likes Richardson. In his 47-game career with Seattle, Richardson started less than half of them. Now, though, he should start all 16 games and record his first 1,000-yard season.

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