The establishment of new stars, or the emergence of players we thought we already had pegged, may be the best part of watching the NFL on a weekly basis. Here are five names to keep an eye on for 2019, if you're not already.
LAMAR JACKSON, QUARTERBACK, BALTIMORE RAVENS
An offseason spent building something genuine around Baltimore’s 2018 first-round pick could yield some major dividends. We saw the momentary spark he provided the Ravens in Joe Flacco’s absence with a scheme that was largely smashed together on the fly by offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. This offseason, the Ravens’ new general manager, Eric DeCosta, will take over possibly with a new head coach and new offensive coordinator. They can focus on complementary pieces for Jackson and a quarterback whisperer who can continue to assist Jackson in ironing out his game. That being said, the uphill climb to get him on the field was not nearly as high as initially expected at this point a year ago.
SAM DARNOLD, QUARTERBACK, NEW YORK JETS
Along those lines, the Jets will almost certainly scour the coaching market for someone who has a reputation of developing young passers. The team has a nice defensive core in place, but lacks weapons on the outside and a dependable, heart-of-the-backfield type running back. Recognizing that the best time to win a Super Bowl is during a quarterback’s rookie contract, expect the Jets to spend lavishly this offseason to pad the runway for their new coaching hire.