It’s basically used as a way to kill a few weeks of programming during a dead time of the off-season, but the annual NFL Network’s Top 100 Players series (as voted on by the players) is a fun, easily watchable waste of time. But how can we turn killing this one hour a week into something more? I already added at least 15 minutes of read time to your life with my recap and reactions. Now, here, just as you thought it was over I present to you 10 guys who could (or should) make the Top 100 list next season. Yeah, I’m stealing 10-15 minutes more of your life.
Robert Quinn, Outside Linebacker, Los Angeles Rams
2016: 9 games played, eight games started, 10 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, two passes defended
Quinn was on the Top 100 list when he was healthy, but hasn’t been for the last two seasons. For a player his age, that means there were some serious training issues inside the Rams facility and considering everything else in the Jeff Fisher regime was ass, it’s safe bet training was too.
Quinn had three seasons of triple-digit sacks including 19 in 2013. Moving to outside linebacker in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme should actually help Quinn stay healthier and use his speed and athleticism better as a stand-up player.
Todd Gurley, Running Back, Los Angeles Rams
2016: 278 carries, 885 yards, six touchdowns, 43 catches, 327 yards
Gurley was lost behind a shitty offensive line and the absolute worst offensive playcalling and design in all of professional football. Gurley himself called it a middle school offense and that was probably kind.
New Rams head coach Sean McVay knows what he has in Gurley and is not only designing a better, smarter running attack, but utilizing Gurley in multiple formations in the passing offense to create match up problems. Lost in Gurley’s “bad” 2016 was his emergence as a pass-catcher. His rookie of the year campaign was good for 1,294 total yards and 10 touchdowns. Last season Gurley had 1,212 total yards and six touchdowns. Trust that it wasn’t lost on McVay.
DeAndre Hopkins, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans
2016: 78 catches, 954 yards, four touchdowns
Hopkins had two consecutive 1,200-yard plus seasons before last year. The entire Texans offense suffered from bad playcalling, bad play design and bad quarterback play. A trifecta of turds. Hopkins was still an elite player and should bounce back, especially if Houston hands the offense to Deshaun Watson by October.
While Hopkins may have been forgotten by his peers in 2016, the guys that line up across him will remember why he burned them for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015.
Demaryius Thomas, Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos
2016: 90 catches, 1,083 yards, five touchdowns
I had to double check to make sure I didn’t miss him, but it’s true. Demaryius Thomas did not make the Top 100 list. And that’s just ridiculous. This was Thomas’ fifth straight 90 or more catch season and his fifth straight 1,000-yard plus season. What does a guy have to do?
Play with Peyton Manning, probably. As it is, the unsettled quarterback situation in Denver cost Thomas a spot. I don’t expect it to happen again, especially if Paxton Lynch separates himself in the preseason.
Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
2016: 59 catches, 788 yards, three touchdowns
Brandon Marshall karmicly doomed himself last preseason when he challenged Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown to a yardage competition. Of course Brown destroyed him and Marhall’s then team, the New York Jets, swirled down the toilet.
Marshall is about to play with the best quarterback of his career in Eli Manning and be the No. 2 guy. Meaning he won’t be facing the double teams and scared shitless defensive backs. That job belongs to Odell Beckham Jr. on the other side. Marshall will never find it easier to get open and pile up yards than this year.
Andy Dalton, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals
2016: 64.7 completion percentage, 4,206 yards, 18 touchdowns, eight interceptions
Like Thomas, Dalton’s absence from the list defies explanation. Since his second year in the league he’s never completed under 61.9 percent of his passes and this yardage total was the second highest of his career.
Dalton was punished by being on a losing team, with the Bengals finishing 6-9-1. On my list, he’d be in the Top 30. If Cincinnati bounces back, Dalton should find his way back into his peers’ hearts. Especially if he drops a couple of touchdowns on them.
Alshon Jeffery, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
2016: 52 catches, 821 yards, two touchdowns
Jeffrey played in just 12 games last season on an abhorrent Chicago Bears team that couldn’t field an NFL quarterback. He has one this year, in a one-year prove it deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Expect Jeffrey to prove it.
With Carson Wentz at quarterback and Doug Pederson calling the plays, Jeffrey should fall right back into his pre-2015 production. The Eagles aren’t lining him up there alone. He’ll have Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor taking the pressure off.
Telvin Smith, Linebacker, Jacksonville Jaguars
2016: 118 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, eight passes defended, two interceptions
Telvin Smith has been in the league for three seasons. In those three seasons he has never recorded fewer than 104 tackles. He’s been an elite player, lost on a bad team and hidden off all our TV sets in Jacksonville.
If the Jaguars improve in 2017, and they should, Smith’s reputation should as well. Trust me. Everybody that plays against him knows who he is. He should have been on this year’s list. Hell, he should have been on last year’s list when he had 128 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumbles, seven passes defended and a pick.
Jamie Collins, Linebacker, Cleveland Browns
2016: 112 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, three passes defended, two interceptions
Statistically, 2016 was the second best of Jamie Collins’ career. So why wasn’t he on the Top 100 list again? He was traded to the Cleveland Browns seven games into the season. That’s why and that’s the only reason why.
The Browns know what they got in the deal and made it a priority this off-season to bring him back with a huge, new contract. If the Browns do anything at all this season, Collins should find his way back on the list.
Honorable mention:
Ryan Shazier, Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers
Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Jared Goff, Quarterback, Los Angeles Rams
Blake Bortles, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
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