One player each NFL team needs to step up this season

The Arizona offense is expected to be transformed with new head coach Kliff Kingsbury and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, but the team will need better offensive line play than last season for the plans to work. Johnson can help give Murray more time in the pocket by becoming a major threat on the ground again. He averaged only 3.6 yards per carry last season, but improvement this season could turn the Cardinals into a truly dynamic offense.

There's a direct correlation between the regression of Atlanta's defense recently and Beasley's play. After leading the league with 15.5 sacks in 2016, Beasley has recorded only five sacks in each of the last two seasons. The Falcons had only 37 sacks last year (tied for 22nd) and need Beasley to bounce back.

Baltimore had some drastic changes this offseason on the defensive side of the ball, including the losses of Terrell Suggs and Za'Darius Smith. The Ravens are counting on other players to step up this season, including Judon. A quality pass rusher during his first three seasons with 19 total sacks, Judon has a chance to take another step forward in his fourth season.

Buffalo made some big moves on offense during the offseason to complement young quarterback Josh Allen, but the one that could have the biggest upside is bringing in speedy wideout John Brown, who should be a good fit for Allen's strong arm. If he can help the offense move vertically and aid in increasing Allen's 6.5 yards per attempt from last season, the Bills could be playoff contenders again.

The Panthers finally moved on from veteran linebacker Thomas Davis during the offseason and are counting on their former first-round pick. Thompson has been a productive member of the defense for the last four seasons but is set to see a major uptick in snaps this season.

The Bears offense made major progress last year in Matt Nagy's first season. The team shored up running back by drafting David Montgomery but could use more production from its home run threats. After giving Robinson big money last year, he came through with 55 receptions for 754 yards in 13 games, bu that was far from his elite 2015 season. He has a chance to be a difference maker after one year with Mitchell Trubisky.

Brown played only seven games in his first season with Cincinnati due to a knee injury, but the team still gave him an extension. The Bengals defense must play better this season to compete, and Brown remains one of their most talented defensive players, leading the league in tackles in 2017 when he was with Buffalo. If the Bengals are to turn things around this year, Brown will likely be a big part of it.

Most of the attention in Cleveland has been on the addition of Odell Beckham Jr., but the Browns are also expecting a major step forward from Callaway. Arguably the most talented wideout in the 2018 draft, Callaway showed flashes last season but could help make Cleveland's offense unstoppable with a jump in his sophomore season with Beckham and Jarvis Landry drawing most of the attention.

Charlton has been a disappointment in his first two NFL seasons, recording a total of only four sacks. Dallas acquired Robert Quinn in the offseason, which doesn't show much confidence in Charlton. He still has a chance to make an impact in his third season, which the Cowboys would welcome from him opposite Demarcus Lawrence.

The Broncos' quarterback play has held them back since Peyton Manning's retirement. The franchise addressed the need by acquiring Flacco and drafting Drew Lock this year. The starting job is clearly Flacco's, but the team needs him to perform more like he did in his early career than he had in his last few years in Baltimore.

Stafford's production took a huge step back last season in what became a more conservative offense, with his yards per attempt declining from 7.9 in 2017 to only 6.8 last season. The Lions are expected to continue running the ball with regularity this season, but Stafford is still being counted on to rebound under new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. He still has the ability to be a top quarterback and the weapons to help, with Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, and rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson.

The Packers paid Graham big money last season, but his production wasn't nearly what they hoped. While Graham fought through injury to play a full 16-game season, he had only 636 yards receiving and two touchdowns. An offense that's expected to be more creative under new head coach Matt LaFleur could help, but the Packers simply need better production from the five-time Pro Bowler.

Houston showed an improved pass rush last season with a healthy J.J. Watt and another big season from Jadeveon Clowney, but Mercilus continued to disappear. He recorded a combined 19.5 sacks in 2015-2016 but hasn't been the same since an injury-plagued 2017 season. The Texans might not be able to rely on the same elite performances from Watt and Clowney, given their injuries in recent seasons, so Mercilus could be counted on for more production.

Houston was the Colts blue-chip offseason addition, set to complement a defense that greatly improved last season. The former All-Pro should get more opportunities to rush the passer than he had recently at linebacker in Kansas City, but the biggest question for Houston is always his health, having last played a 16-game season in 2014. If Houston can stay healthy and strengthen an Indy pass rush that ranked tied for 19th in sacks last year, the Colts could be Super Bowl contenders.

The Blake Bortles chapter in Jacksonville is finally over, and the team now has its first proven quarterback in years. For all the excitement surrounding Foles, it should be noted that his weapons don't match what he had in Philadelphia over the last two years. The defense and running game should be able to support Foles, but the team needs him to be a massive improvement over Bortles to get back to the AFC championship game, where it ended up two years ago.

The Chiefs defense prevented them from winning a Super Bowl last year, and they had drastic offseason changes. Mathieu was signed for big money and comes in as their clear defensive leader after a terrific year in Houston. He's effectively taking the departed Eric Berry's role both on and off the field and could be a huge factor in how the defense meshes in the new 4-3 scheme.

Melvin Gordon has held out to start training camp, and it looks like neither Gordon nor the Chargers are about to budge in contract negotiations. If he pulls a Le'Veon Bell-like holdout this year, the pressure will be on Ekeler to step up. The dynamic running back has averaged more than 5 yards per carry in each of his first two seasons, but he hasn't received anything close to a full workload.

Peters' first season was a disappointment, due in large part to a calf injury. He still played through the ailment, but the stats and tape showed a player who didn't play up to the elite standard he showed with Kansas City. Peters is entering a walk year and is being counted on to help get the Rams back to the Super Bowl.

Miami's defensive line was thrashed last season, and Harris was one of the issues. The 2017 first-round pick has been a major disappointment in his first two NFL seasons, recording a total of only three sacks. A new coaching staff probably isn't a bad thing for Harris, but the new regime is also unlikely to give Harris much leeway if he struggles.

The Vikings would like to revert back to a run-heavy team after passing the ball more in the early part of last season. The question is whether Cook can handle a full workload after two injury-plagued seasons since joining the NFL. Cook has been quite productive when on the field, but the Vikings can ill-afford to have him miss more time after losing backup Latavius Murray in the offseason. The backup plan now is unproven third-round pick Alexander Mattison.

The Patriots seem to weather offensive line changes better than any team due in large part to coach Dante Scarnecchia. Still, this year's transition could be more difficult after replacing free agent Trent Brown with 2018 first-round pick Isaiah Wynn at left tackle. Wynn missed his rookie season with a knee injury, and there's a lot of pressure on the inexperienced tackle to protect Tom Brady's blindside.

New Orleans traded up in the 2018 draft for Davenport, hoping he'd become a star pass rusher. His rookie season had mixed results with 4.5 sacks, but he should be more comfortable in his second year. The Saints are Super Bowl or bust in what could be Drew Brees' last season, and they need the defense to deliver again to reach their goal.

Manning is under the microscope after the Giants drafted Daniel Jones sixth overall. New York's Super Bowl hero is still expected to remain the starter at age 38, but there's more pressure on him with Jones waiting in the wings and the team trading Odell Beckham Jr. The Giants have already received some additional bad news with Sterling Shepard suffering a thumb injury and new addition Golden Tate possibly facing a four-game suspension.

Head coach Adam Gase was hired to help develop Darnold. The young starter showed flashes in his rookie season but will need to show rapid improvement for the Jets to make the playoffs. The Jets have tried to help the cause with the additions of Le'Veon Bell and Jamison Crowder.

Carr has regressed considerably in recent seasons to the point that there was speculation Oakland would draft a starting quarterback this year. That didn't happen, but there's still pressure on Carr to improve with new weapons Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, and Josh Jacobs. If Carr isn't able to rebound this season, the Raiders likely will be looking for a new quarterback next offseason.

Barnett had a promising rookie season but was able to play only six games in his second campaign due to a shoulder injury. He's set to see an uptick in playing time this year after the Eagles lost Michael Bennett and Chris Long. With the additional snaps come much higher expectations to continue what's been an elite defensive line recently.

The Steelers run defense has struggled since losing Ryan Shazier, but they hope to have remedied that issue by drafting Bush. They've put a lot of pressure on Bush as a rookie, but the successes of NFL rookies Darius Leonard and Leighton Vander Esch last season have likely given the Steelers more confidence Bush can succeed. 

There were high hopes for Garoppolo and the 49ers last year after the quarterback led the team to a 5-0 finish in 2017. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 3 last season, but Garoppolo's play up to that point was far from flawless. More is expected of head coach Kyle Shanahan in his third season, and Garoppolo will be the key to the team's success.

Seattle's pass rush could be in trouble this year unless Ansah plays at his best. The team traded Frank Clark and now had to contend with a  six-game suspension  for star defensive tackle Jarran Reed. There are already questions about Ansah's health entering training camp after playing only seven games in Detroit last year.

Winston has seen severe regression over the last two seasons. To remedy his lack of development, the Bucs hired Bruce Arians, who has done a terrific job in the past with quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck and Carson Palmer. But Winston could be his most challenging project. The Bucs do have the weapons to help their quarerback, with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard.

The focus was on Mariota to improve last year with Tennessee's new coaching staff, but it really didn't happen as he battled through an arm injury. Over the last two seasons, Mariota has 24/23 TD/INT, a ratio that's unacceptable in today's NFL. Tennessee is counting on Mariota to catapult the offense this year and could move on from him next year if he fails.

Washington was competitive with a conservative offense last season led by Adrian Peterson. Peterson's heavy workload was due to Guice's knee injury, but Washington hopes the LSU alum can rebound as itsstarting running back this year. With a passing game that looks like a work in progress, Washington needs more than the 4.3 yards per carry that the team averaged last season.