The New Wave Part 2

David Rainey • September 8, 2022

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The Next Wave Part 2

Every team’s 2022 breakout candidate

 

 Preseason is wrapping up.  Teams are having to make tough decisions to get down to 53 players.  Not only does that mean we are about to see REAL football , but it also means we survived the dead period on the sports calendar.  So, let’s raise a glass to that shall we? 

            With the beginning of every new NFL season comes a plethora of new storylines.  Who are this year’s favorites?  Who will be the surprise team of the year?  While we’ll discuss those two questions in greater detail soon (stay tuned), today we are going to discuss a different topic.  Who are the players to watch this year? Or in other words, who are the breakout candidates for the 2022 NFL season? 


 We’re going to examine every roster and identify players I believe are primed for “breakout” seasons.  Now, I say “breakout” in quotes because of the parameters I’m using to pick these guys. I’m not only looking for breakout candidates, but I’m also looking at guys who could have a rebound season.  Guys that may have had a solid start to their career but dealt with injuries or down seasons but are now ready to make a comeback. The only players I want to exclude for this list are quarterbacks and rookies, simply because it makes this list a little more challenging. 


Let’s dive in!


NFC East

 

  • Dallas Cowboys – Tony Pollard (Running Back)
  • If you play fantasy football, you know who Tony Pollard is. He is by no means an unknown player, but he is underappreciated. Even by his own team, if you ask me. Pollard is known as the backup to Zeke, but in my eyes, he’s been so much more than that. For about 2 seasons now I’ve stood my ground on my idea that Pollard is the best back the Cowboys have. When you turn on a Cowboy game, unlike Zeke in recent seasons, Pollard jumps off the screen. He has the juice these days. The only thing, or should I say person, that I think could hold him back from showing his true potential is Jerry Jones. He seems adamant about forcing the ball to Zeke. I think it would be wise for Mike Mike Mccarthy to get the dual threat Pollard more touches and let him take over that backfield. Zeke is aging and not aging well. I think Mccarthy comes to this realization at some point this year and allows Pollard to become the household name he deserves to be.
  • Philadelphia Eagles – Kyzir White
  • Washington Commanders – Benjamin St-Juste (Cornerback)
  • Full disclosure, finding a player on the Commanders’ roster was difficult. They don’t have a ton of young great talent outside of guys like Chase Young who has already been to a Pro-Bowl. So, choosing him as a breakout guy would feel like cheating. But there is one guy I came across in my research that I’m intrigued by, and that’s second year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “Who?” That’s understandable given that St-Juste was a third round pick last year that only played 9 games due to multiple concussions. But why do I think he’ll breakout? Well, it’s tough to go off stats when talking about cornerbacks or defensive backs in general, but if you go by the “eye-test,” St-Juste had played well during his rookie year until he was shut down. But what really stands out to me is his size. He’s 6’3 200 lbs. which is way above average for a cornerback, outside of the guys from the legendary Legion of Boom. I think he showed promise last season, and I think with his physical traits and another year of NFL coaching under his belt, he’s going to turn a lot of heads this year. Keep an eye out for Benjamin St-Juste.


  • New York Giants – Kadarius Toney (Wide Receiver)
  • There have been a lot of second year wide outs that have stood out to me while researching this article, but I’m not sure any of them excite me more than Kadarius Toney.  Toney had his rookie year derailed by injury, terrible coaching, and average quarterback play.  But when he was on the field, the talent was evident.  Toney is incredible after the catch.  If you get him the ball in space, he is an electric player.  As I mentioned before, bad coaching held Toney back last year among other things, but that won’t be an excuse this year.  The Giants hire ex-Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to be their new head coach, and if his time in Buffalo is any indication, creative offense will not be a problem.  I fully expect Daboll to find as many ways as possible to get Toney involved and allow him to make plays that fans will see in the highlight reels week after week.  The second-year breakout is on the horizon for Kadarius Toney.

 

NFC West

 

  • Los Angeles Rams – Van Jefferson (Wide Receiver)
  • Arizona Cardinals – Rondale Moore (Wide Receiver)
  • The Cardinals have a lot of young talent, but there’s not too many guys in the league, let alone on their roster, as exciting of a prospect as Rondale Moore.  He started off last season with a bang with games of 4/68 and 7/114/1 TD. However, he fell off a little bit after that. He still had a solid season for a rookie with 54 receptions and 435 yards.  That’s a pretty good season, especially considering how crowded the Cardinals’ wide receiver room was last year.  They had Hopkins, AJ Green, and Christian Kirk.  Kirk left for Jacksonville and Hopkins will be suspended for the first 6 games.  That should create a path for Moore to become the WR1 in Arizona.  He’s an electric player that can absolutely fly.  Just get him the ball in space and let him work.  If the Cardinals can do that, Moore will have a monster year.

     

  • San Francisco 49ers – Brandon Aiyuk (Wide Receiver)
  • This is one of those teams where the quarterback would be a good choice, but since I can’t choose Trey Lance let’s choose someone who will benefit from him.  Aiyuk started off last year somewhat quiet, but as Deebo transitioned into his hybrid role, Aiyuk started to take off at wide receiver.  One thing that held Aiyuk back was Jimmy G.  He doesn’t have the arm to take advantage of Aiyuk’s speed and ability to make plays down the field.  Trey Lance, however, is a different story.  Everything coming out of 49ers camp is pointing towards Lance and Aiyuk having great chemistry.  I believe Aiyuk will be the greatest beneficiary of the upgrade at quarterback and turn out his best season yet.

   

  • Seattle Seahawks – Noah Fant (Tight End)
  • New situations lead to new opportunities.  Noah Fant was one of the key pieces that Denver sent over to Seattle in the trade for Russell Wilson.  I’ve long been a fan of Noah Fant and felt he was undervalued in Denver.  Fant is a dynamic player and fantastic athlete at the tight end position.  At 6’4 250 lbs. and a 4.5 40-yard dash, he can be a mismatch nightmare for defenses.  He’s hovered around 600 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, but as I mentioned, I never felt like he was a focal point of the Denver offense.  I think that has the possibility to change in Seattle.  While Seattle will certainly want to run the ball and get DK Metcalf involved heavily, I think they wanted Fant in return for a reason.  I’m expecting Fant to finally be an important piece of an offense and have a career year if he can get competent quarterback play from Geno Smith or Drew Lock.


NFC South

 

  • Tampa Bay Bucs – Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
  • The Bucs are another one of the veteran-filled teams that made it difficult to find breakout candidates.  One guy that seemed to keep catching my eye was outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.  JTS is in his second season with the Bucs after coming out of Washington.  He’s an easy guy to find on the field, as he’s one of these massive linebackers that rocks a single digit jersey number (9).  JTS played limited snaps last year as he mostly was a rotational piece behind veteran pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul.  But this year, JTS will get his chance to be the guy full-time.  In his limited playing time last year, he managed four sacks, 29 tackles (5 for loss), 10 quarterback hits and three pass deflections.  This is simply a case of more opportunities leading to more production.  He will be on the field often for the Bucs and will show everyone why he was a first-round pick. 


  • New Orleans Saints - Paulson Adebo (Corner Back)
  • Carolina Panthers – Jaycee Horn (Cornerback)
  • It pained me as a Saints’ fan to see the son of Joe Horn be drafted by a rival, but boy did I love me some Jaycee Horn.  Flip on the tape of Jaycee at South Carolina, and you’ll see why it was so easy to fall in love with his game.  Unfortunately, the Panthers first round selection had his season ended very quickly after an injury in week three last year.  However, in those games he allowed a total of two receptions on 7 targets and recorded 1 interception.  Jaycee didn’t have the opportunity to put his talents on display in his rookie year; however, he’s healthy and back in his second season to show the world what he’s all about.  I fully anticipate that he will be one of the next great shutdown corners in the NFL, and I believe it could happen as quickly as this season.


  • Atlanta Falcons – Bryan Edwards (Wide Receiver)
  • I promise this next statement is not a result of me being a Saints’ fan.  The Atlanta Falcons don’t have a ton of good young players on their roster.  I think their record over the last couple years is evidence enough for that.  However, they have made a few additions and added some guys over the years that I think will be solid contributors for them.  Cornerback AJ Terrell is a guy I think is ready to make a name for himself, but he had somewhat of a breakout season last year.  So, with that said, I’m going with new wide receiver addition Bryan Edwards.  Edwards had moments last year with the Raiders that started to get him some recognition, but he was overshadowed by other guys on that team like Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller.  Not to mention all the drama that surrounded the organization.  Edwards moved to on to Atlanta where he was going to be the number two receiver, but a Calvin Ridley suspension has catapulted him to the number one spot.  Of course, tight End Kyle Pitts is the main attraction in that offense and rookie Drake London is assumed to be a guy who can take over that number one role at some point.  But I think this is the season Bryan Edwards shows that he can be a good receiver in this league. I think he’ll have the best opportunity of his career to prove he can be the guy, and I believe he takes advantage of it. 

 

NFC North

 

  • Green Bay Packers – Rashan Gary (Defensive End)
  • I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about Rashan Gary before doing research for this article.  I honestly was going to pick one the Packers wide receivers given that SOMEONE must catch passes from Rodgers this year.  But, as I looked into the Packers’ defense, Gary stood out.  Gary had 9.5 sacks last season, which is a solid year for any player but leaves room for improvement.  According to Packers beat writers, Gary has been dominating Packers’ camp this offseason.  If we look at his numbers more deeply, he had 20 QB hurries.  So, if he sees his snap percentage increase and generates more pressures and converts them into sacks at a higher rate, he should end up with a VERY impressive sack number this season.  A 13+ sack year doesn’t seem unreasonable. 

  • Minnesota Vikings – KJ Osborn (Wide Receiver)
  • My Miami Hurricane bias might shine through here with this pick, but it’s my prolonged exposure to KJ that makes me confident he can take a leap forward.  KJ spent most of last season as a special team’s player for the Vikings and a rotational slot guy.  He saw his snap percentage take a leap in week 12 and became a mainstay in the lineup from then on.  He’s an incredible route runner and one thing he proved that he could do for certain, is score touchdowns.  He scored seven TDs with five of them coming after week 12.  KJ should see his role this year begin where he left off last year.  If he continues to see that snap percentage, he should be able to show off his big play ability and find the endzone often! 


  • Chicago Bears – Darnell Mooney (Wide Receiver)
  • The Bears don’t have much going for them, as they’re poised to be one of the worst teams in the NFL.  However, Darnell Mooney, the Bears wide receiver 1, showed he and quarterback Justin Fields have fantastic chemistry last season.  You could argue that the Tulane product had his breakout season last year after putting up 81 catches, 1055 yards and 4 touchdowns, but I believe he can still take an even larger step forward.  As I mentioned, he and Justin Fields have an incredible connection, and the bears don’t have too many other weapons at the wide receiver position.  Therefore, I expect Fields to force feed Mooney this season, and we’ve already seen that Mooney has big play ability.  Expect Mooney to see his targets go through the roof and take advantage of the extra workload.


  • Detroit Lions – Amon-Ra St. Brown (Wide Receiver)
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown.  I don’t know what happened after week 12 last year, but whatever it was turned Amon-Ra into an animal.  He was quiet as a mouth from weeks 1-11.  But from week 12 on, he made is case as one of the best wide receivers in his rookie class.  As a matter of fact, he outproduced his fellow rookie Jamar Chase from week 12 on.  Chase had 31 catches, 549 yards and 5 touchdowns.  St. Brown recorded 51 catches, 560 yards and also had 5 touchdowns.  Those numbers speak for themselves, and I think Dan Campbell will make sure to have St. Brown be the focal point of the Lions’ offense going forward.  I don’t expect Amon-Ra to come off the field often, and with that, he should put up incredible numbers. 

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The Curious Case of the Player to Be Named Later

By David Rainey • July 19, 2025
It’s that time of year again. The excitement of All-Star weekend and the Homerun Derby are behind us, and it’s on to the second half of the MLB season. This is the time where the great teams separate themselves from the good teams. It’s the time for teams to show whether they should be considered contenders or pretenders. And with this time of the year, of course, comes the MLB trade deadline. Arguably the most intriguing trade deadline of all the major sports. Fringe teams will have to decide whether to be buyers or sellers, and the great teams will mortgage their futures for one player they believe will take them to the promise land. Now, as out of left-field as the ending to this year’s All-Star weekend was (raise your hand if you also weren’t aware that swing offs were a thing), the MLB trade deadline features something much more curious. The Player to Be Named Later. You see, as most of us know, it’s extremely common in Major League Baseball for a team like the Padres, for example, to sell off a handful of their top prospects at the trade deadline for a lefty reliever they hope will help them navigate the difficult waters that is the postseason. But what some people aren’t aware of (outside of us baseball nerds of course) is the use of something, or someone more specifically, called the “Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL)” in these trade scenarios. For those of you who don’t know, here’s a quick explanation of what exactly the phrase “Player to Be Named Later” means. In baseball, when a team isn’t sure exactly which prospect they want in return or when they are trying to finesse the roster management rules, they will accept a “Player to Be Named Later” in return in a trade. This gives that team the opportunity to further evaluate players and choose who they want in return at a later date. This doesn’t mean that the team will just be able to choose a superstar down the road, there are limitations placed on who can be chosen, and most of the time the player ends up being just another player lost in baseball lore. However, sometimes these PTBNL turn out to be more than just a journeyman or even lead to oddities that only baseball can provide. So, what are the most famous cases of Players to Be Named Later? Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s start with the not so unexpected scenario that actually led to the PTBNL rules to be changed. Trea Turner Before 2015, there was a rule in place in the MLB in which prevented players from being traded for a year after being drafted. Trea Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2014 Draft which meant, you guessed it, he wasn’t eligible to be traded until the following year. However, in December of 2014 the Padres, Nationals, and Rays agreed to mega-deal that involved 11 players AND a Player to Be Named Later. So, what does this have to do with Turner? Well, everyone was aware of who that PTBNL would be. Trea Turner. But as I mentioned before, he wasn’t allowed to be traded yet. So Turner had to spend the beginning of the next season playing for the Padres who had already traded him. This led to a rule change in MLB before the next draft to avoid this situation ever playing out again. But where is Trea Turner now? He’s certainly no journeyman. He had an incredible start to his career with the Nationals, before being traded (again) to the Dodgers with Max Scherzer in 2021. He eventually signed a $300 million deal with the Phillies where he still plays and remains one of the best players in Major League Baseball. But is he the best PTBNL of all time? Not quite. David Ortiz Big Papi. Ever heard of him? Sure you have. But did you know he wasn’t always the mashing lefty for the Red Sox that we know and love? That’s right. Early on in David Ortiz’s career he actually struggled to find a place in the league; and at one point, was even a Player to Be Named Later in a trade. He actually started his career with the Seattle Mariners, but he doesn’t mean much to the Mariners franchise outside of being a PTBNL in a trade in 1996 with the Minnesota Twins for Dave Hollins. As a matter of fact, not only was Ortiz not the player we know on the field, he wasn’t even David Ortiz on paper. At the time, he was actually known as David Arias. You might be thinking, “Wow. The Mariners really traded BIG PAPI.” Trust me when I tell that the Twins feel even worse. Ortiz would play a handful of seasons for the Twins from 1997-2002; however, even after a solid season in 2002 with the Twins, they would go on to RELEASE Ortiz. That’s right. Even one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond was not only traded as PTBNL but was also outright released. Of course in 2003, David Ortiz would go on to join the Boston Red Sox. Ten All-Star games, 3 World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, and a Hall of Fame selection later, David Ortiz would go down in baseball history as one of the most feared batters of all time, and the legend we know him as today Big Papi. What is the oddest Player to Be Named Later situation? There is a rare, but always delightfully bizarre situation in which a player is traded for himself as a Player to Be Named Later. This hilariously absurd scenario is so rare that it has only happened four times in the history of Major League Baseball. Harry Chiti – traded from the then Cleveland Indians to the Mets in 1962 for a PTBNL. However, he was so bad that the Mets decided trade him back to Cleveland as the PTBNL Brad Gulden – traded (with $100,000) from the Yankees to the Mariners for Larry Milbourne and a PTBNL in 1980. Once again, he performed so poorly that the Mariners traded him back to New York as the PTBNL in the original trade. Are you sensing a theme? Dickie Noles – In 1987 the Cubs traded him to the Tigers for a Player to Be Named Later. Sadly, he didn’t do enough during the Tigers playoff run that year for them to want to keep him around. So, they shipped back to the Windy City to complete the trade as the PTBNL. John McDonald – The most recent example. He was acquired by Detroit, who clearly didn’t learn anything in 1987, from the Blue Jays in 2005 for, that’s right, a PTBNL. Later that year, he was sent back to Canada for cash considerations. There you go. Next time you’re hanging out with your buddies on the back porch naming random athletes from your pass, feel free to drop in a “Dickie Noles” reference and explain the wonderful scenario of him being traded for himself. Baseball is such a beautiful sport in so many ways. For many of us, it’s the first sport we play as children, or the sport we remember watching with our grandparents on the living room floor. It has such an iconic and rich history. It’s known as “America’s past time” for a reason. But throughout that history, there are so many things that have happened that can only be described as strange and uniquely baseball. And that’s why we love it. So, when you’re scrolling social media or watching ESPN this trade deadline season and see that stud middle reliever traded for nothing but a Player to Be Named Later, maybe you won’t just brush it off this time around. Maybe you’ll wait to see who that player becomes, and maybe they’ll end up being another great piece of baseball trivia.

Tulane Football Season Preview E-Book

July 14, 2025
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