Hype can’t take you that far in your NFL career. Whether it comes from a blockbuster motion picture depicting your struggle growing up or an exciting rookie year that already had your name in the discussions for the greatest of all time, anyone can find themselves fighting to survive. 2015 is a big year for these players, as it may be their last chance to prove their worth in the NFL.
NFL Players that Need to Perform in 2015
Robert Griffin III
Probably the most obvious inclusion on this list, Griffin looked amazing in his rookie season. He shocked the league with an incredible performance in his first career game against the Saints, and won rookie of the year after an incredible seven-game win streak to get the Redskins into the playoffs with their first division title since 1999. But it all came crashing down. Griffin sustained a knee injury late in a regular season game against the Ravens, and was forced to leave the game. He returned and finished the season for his team, but took more hard hits to his knee. In their first playoff game against the Seahawks, Griffin tore his ACL trying to recover a bad snap.
Since then Griffin has been a mess. He struggled through injuries his second year in the NFL and it was obvious that his knee still bothered him. After week 13 his season ended when he was benched for back up Kirk Cousins. Griffin would take back his starting spot in 2014, but a poor start, followed by an injury sustained while dangerously diving into the end zone set the tone for yet another lack luster season.
The Redskins decided to hold onto Griffin for at least one more year this offseason, and exercised their option to hold on to him. But Griffin must make the most of his final opportunity. He has shown in the past that he can lead the team to success, but the team has also shown him that if he does not perform then they will not hesitate to bring in Kirk Cousins off the bench. Griffin will have to impress from the start of the season, or may not see himself as a Redskin for much longer.
Sam Bradford
As the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, Bradford has yet to show his true potential. Similar to Griffin, he is a promising young talent that has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and has never had a real chance to live up to his potential. Luckily for Bradford, the Eagles still believe he has what it takes and traded Nick Foles for him earlier this summer.
Over the past five years, Bradford has only played two full seasons. But in those years he has shown that he can make it as a quarterback in the NFL. In his rookie year, Bradford took a Rams team that was the NFL’s worst the previous year out of the cellar of the NFL and won a respectable seven games. In 2011, though, Bradford took a huge step back. He was injured multiple times throughout the year, and missed six games. Of the ten games he did play, the Rams only won one. The promising rise of the Rams had come to a halt and they found themselves again as one of the NFL’s worst teams.
2012 was Bradford’s best season, as he threw for over 3,700 yards and 21 touchdowns, both career highs. The Rams again won seven games, and Bradford managed to stay healthy for a full season. The first half of 2013 set up what should have been Bradfords best season yet. He threw 14 touchdowns and over 1,600 yards over seven games, before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. His 2014 season never even got under way as he tore his ACL in preseason, ending his career with the Rams.
In 2015 Bradford has two major things to prove. First that he can stay healthy. Last season an injury to Nick Foles led to the Eagles missing the playoffs despite a great start to the season, and a repeat of last year may have the Eagles looking elsewhere for a quarterback. The biggest challenge, though, will be winning games. Bradford has a career record of 18-30-1, partly because of the team he played. Winning seven games in St. Louis is acceptable as they are the worst team in one of the NFL’s best divisions. The Eagles, though, are a team with playoff expectations. With Foles under center, the Eagles were favorites for the division nearly every season. They are a team that expects to return to the playoffs in 2015, something that Bradford is yet to do. He will most likely be fine if the team misses the playoffs with a respectable record, but seven wins won’t cut it in Philadelphia. Bradford has to prove he can lead a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Michael Oher
Despite the touching story of Oher’s rise from homelessness to a first round pick in the NFL draft, which was told in The Blind Side, a major Hollywood hit featuring Sandra Bullock, Oher’s career has not been as successful as many would have hoped.
Despite being a first round selection by the Ravens, he never became the solid lineman that was expected. He was constantly shifted along the offensive line, but he never was able to comfortably hold his role. Oher started every single game over his five years as a Raven, but the Ravens elected not to re-sign him after his contract ended in 2014. He then signed with the Titans with a deal worth $20 million. Oher would attempt to play through an injury riddled 2014, and was eventually put on injured reserve. The Titans released Oher at the end of the season.
Oher is now at Carolina hoping to revive his career. Despite a somewhat successful time in the NFL, which includes a Super Bowl ring earned with the Ravens in 2013, Oher is seen as a bust by many around the NFL. He led the NFL in quarterback hurries allowed last season, and may not find himself starting on the Panthers offensive line to long if he puts up more poor performances.
Darren McFadden
As the fourth overall pick in 2008, McFadden was expected to slide into the Raiders offense and become a star. The Raiders had a lot weighing on him and quarterback JaMarcus Russel, who is no longer in the NFL, to make the Raiders a threat in the AFC. McFadden was never able to get off the mark, though. Until 2014 he had never played a full season, and has only once rushed for over 1,000 yards. Over his seven years in the NFL, McFadden has only rushed for 4,200 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Raiders continued to give him chances though, as they did not have an adequate replacement. With the signing of Trent Richardson from Indianapolis, the Raiders decided to part ways with McFadden.
McFadden then signed with the Dallas Cowboys, the ideal destination for a player in his situation. The Cowboys have invested heavily in their offensive line over the past five years, and last season it paid off for them immensely. DeMarco Murray, who usually found himself in the middle of the pack when it came to running backs, emerged as the NFL’s rushing champion and managed to stay relatively healthy throughout the year. The Cowboys let Murray go despite the numbers he put up in 2014, boldly implying that their offensive line may have been majority of the reason why.
The Cowboys will be expecting a lot from McFadden this year. He will have to not only stay healthy, but be a major factor in the Cowboys rushing game that was so good a year ago. In Oakland, he played for a team with many problems beyond their rushing game, but the Cowboys seem to have it figured out. They were a dropped ball away from the NFC championship last season and will expect another big year in 2015. McFadden has no excuse to not perform in 2015, and all the pressure will be on him this year to prove that the Cowboys did not make a mistake.
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