5 NFL Teams Ready to Take the Next Step...in 2016By Brent Sobleski , NFL Analyst Dec 19, 2015
Leon Halip/Getty Images There is always next year. As the season winds downs, multiple NFL teams still hold tenuously to playoff aspirations even when they've obviously become far-fetched. Others, meanwhile, start to look toward the future.For some, the 2015 season already went bust, but a select few teams didn't get over the hump and should be excited about their prospects next year. No organization would admit to this publicly, though. After all, there are still games to be played, and individuals continue to make their cases to be part of the league for another year. However, as the offseason nears, a handful of teams are better positioned than others to pull themselves out of the squalor known as the NFL's basement and finally make some noise a year from now. All of the teams featured fall under at least one of the following qualifiers: An increased win total from last yearYoung and developing core pieces at premium positions A stable front office structure and coaching staffWhile not all of the teams can claim all three of these, the top three franchises do. Each year, the NFL experiences plenty of playoff turnover. As many as five teams that made the postseason last year could miss out on the playoffs this season. Obviously, the standings could change over the next three weeks, but different teams always have an opportunity to improve and find their way into the second season. We ranked five teams that currently own losing records but possess enough promise to become one of those playoff clubs next season.5. Chicago Bears Winning seasons in last five years: 1Playoff appearances in last five years: 0Overall record (2011 to 2015): 36-41Four days after the Denver Broncos and John Fox decided to part ways, the head coach signed on to lead the Chicago Bears. The Bears faltered last year under the direction of Marc Trestman. Three years prior, the team actually owned a 10-6 record under then-head coach Lovie Smith.With Chicago having three coaches since 2012, Fox's steady hand became a welcome addition—one that included offensive coordinator Adam Gase. He is a rising star in the coaching profession, and his talent has shown through this season after getting out of Peyton Manning's shadow. Entering the season, many wondered if the Bears would try to get out from under Jay Cutler's contract. The same quarterback who threw 18 interceptions a year ago while making $15.5 million in base salary instead became a reliable presence behind center under Gase's tutelage. Gase pulled in the reins on the quarterback a bit and also added some packaged plays and numerous screens, which achieve two things. First, these plays get the ball out of Cutler's hands more quickly. Second, they simplify the offense to a degree. The Bears now run a more quarterback-friendly scheme. "High-percentage throws, getting the ball out of my hands and let those guys run," Cutler described as the difference in his play, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkbush. "We do put a lot of time into it, and I think Adam dialed some of those up in key moments where they were blitzing and had some nickel pressures." As a result, Cutler has only thrown seven interceptions so far this season. The Vanderbilt product has never thrown fewer than 12 interceptions in a season where he started 11 or more games. Along the way, the team also discovered running back Jeremy Langford and tight end Zach Miller as legitimate weapons in the offense. Defensively, the Bears acclimated to a 3-4 base defense much quicker than expected. Rookies Eddie Goldman and Adrian Amos have already emerged as key pieces within the scheme. More importantly, the Bears staff is getting the most out of linebackers Pernell McPhee, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston and even Shea McClellin. With consistent coaching, more efficient quarterback play, emerging weapons on offense and an improving defense, the Bears can take these elements and continue to build toward next season. 4. Buffalo BillsWinning seasons in last five years: 1Playoff appearances in last five years: 0Overall record (2011 to 2015): 33-44The Rex Ryan effect didn't have quite the impact the Buffalo Bills expected when the organization hired him this offseason as the new head coach. As the head coach of the New York Jets, Ryan led his team to two consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances in his first two seasons. The Bills are on the outside looking in at playoffs, which is slightly disappointing since the team finished 9-7 a year ago under then-head coach Doug Marrone. However, there is one big difference with the Bills this season compared to last: quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Even though his signing to compete against veteran Matt Cassel and former first-round pick EJ Manuel came as an afterthought to many outside of the organization, the thrifty acquisition—Taylor signed a three-year, $3.35 million contract—may have just turned into the NFL's Holy Grail: finding an ever-elusive franchise quarterback. "Is he the long-term starter?" general manager Doug Whaley said, per MMQB.com's Jenny Vrentas. "Let’s put it this way: He’s shown us enough that we can obviously keep trying with him. But it won’t preclude us from going out and protecting ourselves [in case] he’s not."Taylor and the Bills dealt with injuries this season, which stunted their progress, but the quarterback is already one of the league's best deep-ball throwers, which only adds to his dynamic abilities as a runner. The dual-threat quarterback averages 7.95 yards per attempt, which ranks fifth in the league, and he only trails Cam Newton and Russell Wilson with 371 rushing yards. Taylor also has 18 touchdowns to just five interceptions. More importantly, the former sixth-round pick developed into a vocal leader in the Bills locker room. "It kind of takes the pressure off me, of being the first-round pick and being a leader,” wide receiver Sammy Watkins said, per Vrentas. "Now we’ve got a quarterback who speaks up and talks in meetings, who is leading this team."Taylor and Watkins have formed a dynamic duo in recent weeks. Over the last three contests, the two have connected 14 times for 348 yards and four touchdowns. This is exactly what the Bills envisioned when they traded up to acquire Watkins with the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. "I’m going to try to make every play," Watkins said, per the Buffalo News' Tyler Dunne. "Just the nature of the business, you want to do the best for not only yourself but for your teammates, your organization and basically the person that put his job on the line for you. The one who moved up in the draft to get you."While Watkins hasn't always made every play, his recent success is encouraging. When he's paired with a healthy LeSean McCoy, reliable Charles Clay and impressive rookie Karlos Williams, the Bills potentially own one of the league's most dynamic offenses.Similar concerns extend to the defense. Both defensive tackle Kyle Williams and cornerback Stephon Gilmore can be found on injured reserve. Ryan's defense has underwhelmed this season considering the amount of talent found on that side of the ball. The unit is ranked 19th overall in total defense. A healthier roster with an improving quarterback and a defense playing to expectations will make the Bills a difficult team to compete against next season, even if they still can't dethrone the New England Patriots in the AFC East. 3. Jacksonville JaguarsWinning seasons in last five years: 0Playoff appearances in last five years: 0Overall record (2011 to 15): 19-58The patience of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan with head coach Gus Bradley is starting to pay dividends. Very few could have argued against the coach's dismissal after last season if the owner chose to go that route. He didn't, even though the team only mustered seven wins over the previous two seasons. The Jaguars' situation was more than a typical turnaround. It became a complete rebuild. Like any major project, Bradley had to lay the foundation before he could erect anything else. Even though Bradley is a defensive coach by nature, Jacksonville has found an identity among its skill positions. The 2014 NFL draft proved to be a boon for the franchise. General manager David Caldwell looks like he hit a home run during his second draft. Jacksonville surprised many when it selected quarterback Blake Bortles with the third overall pick. In his second season, he is living up to the hype. The Central Florida product has already thrown for 30 touchdowns through 14 weeks of play. He only produced 11 touchdown passes a year ago. He has also drastically improved upon his passing yardage and yards per attempt and has even decreased his interception total. In order for a young quarterback to be successful, he needs the right pieces around him. Caldwell selected another potential superstar in the second round when he decided to use the 61st overall pick on Penn State's Allen Robinson. Robinson quickly developed into one of the league's best receivers. This season, Bortles' favorite target ranks eighth overall with 1,084 receiving yards and is tied for the league lead with 12 touchdown receptions. Along with Robinson, Caldwell signed undrafted free agent Allen Hurns after the 2014 draft. The Miami product is now one of the game's premier deep threats. Hurns averages 16.9 yards per catch and serves as the perfect complement to Robinson. At one point this season, the speedy wide receiver caught a touchdown pass in seven straight games. The franchise also acquired three other starters during last year's draft. Linebacker Telvin Smith leads the team with 122 total tackles. Aaron Colvin is a physical presence at cornerback. And right guard Brandon Linder will return to the lineup next year after suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder.Due to Jacksonville's youth movement, the Jaguars entered this season as the league's second-youngest team, according to PhillyVoice.com's Jimmy Kempski. Bradley's defense still needs work, but the unit has been slightly better in total defense this season. Plus, the team will finally get this year's third overall pick, Dante Fowler Jr., on the field next year after he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered during rookie minicamp. However, the Jaguars are clearly built around the offense. They're a young and explosive group that will continue to grow together in the coming years. 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports Winning seasons in last five years: 0Playoff appearances in last five years: 0Overall record (2011 to 2015): 23-55What a difference a franchise quarterback makes. A year ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "earned" the No. 1 overall pick as the NFL's worst team. With this year's top pick, the organization chose Florida State's Jameis Winston, and his presence has already made the team infinitely better than it was a year with Mike Glennon or Josh McCown behind center. Winston became the youngest player in NFL history to throw for more than 3,000 yards. His rookie campaign has been impressive. Most impressive. Through his first 14 games, the former two-sport star has already thrown for 3,422 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The quarterback has also run for 189 yards and five more scores. Yes, the Buccaneers lost their last two games, but Winston has already helped lead the team to four more wins than last season. "We knew we were going to struggle at times this year, but as long as that guy's future was bright, there was a lot of hope for us," general manager Jason Licht told NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "And he's come along a lot quicker than I expected, to be honest with you."I wouldn't trade him for another quarterback in the league."The organization didn't simply acquire a talented young quarterback—it also gained a legitimate leader in the locker room. After Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, Winston took the blame for the loss. His head coach didn't agree. "[It's] very seldom after we viewed the tape that we have not liked what Jameis Winston has done," Lovie Smith said Monday, per ESPN.com's Rick Brown. "It was the same thing [Sunday]. There were a few balls that were off. ... But Jameis made good plays right up until the last pass he threw to get us back in it, or have a chance to get us back in it."Even after a terrible first career start, Winston's advancement throughout the season has been astonishing. "That was one of the things [Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher] told me, 'You're going to be amazed by this guy,' and I'm kind of thinking to myself, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard this before,'" offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said earlier this month, per Brown. "Jameis is unbelievable in how quick he can look at a game plan, take it out on the field and just [go through it] on a walkthrough—it really is impressive."If you have a good quarterback, you have a chance. The Buccaneers now have a chance to legitimately threaten the rest of the NFL starting next season. While Winston dominates the headlines, a little secret about the Buccaneers is they're a talented team overall. Running back Doug Martin has experienced a career revival this season. He leads the league with 1,305 rushing yards. At wide receiver, Tampa Bay benefits from massive targets, who also happen to be quite talented. Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson both stand 6'5" and present constant mismatches. On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and weak-side linebacker Lavonte David are two of the very best at their respective positions. McCoy has already been named first-team All-Pro three times, while David earned the same honor in 2013. Other than Jackson, all of these talents are 27 years old or younger. With Winston in place and growing into an elite quarterback, the Buccaneers have a team capable of being more than just a threat in the NFC during the coming years.1. Oakland Raiders Winning seasons in last five years: 0Playoff appearances in last five years: 0Overall record (2011 to 2015): 25-52No team benefited more from good drafting in recent years than the Oakland Raiders. After an underwhelming first draft, general manager Reggie McKenzie turned around the franchise by making shrewd decisions during his next two attempts.The organization didn't need to make any type of grandstanding roster moves. It simply needed to remain patient and acquire legitimate talent capable of competing and winning at the NFL level. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack and quarterback Derek Carr have become the foundation Oakland needed, and McKenzie selected them with successive picks in the 2014 NFL draft. In the first round with the fifth overall pick, Mack became the obvious choice. Sure, the Buffalo product wasn't the most heralded prospect and certainly not the biggest name, but he quickly proved why he was worthy of his lofty draft status. Even as a rookie, Mack was the game's best run defender, according to Pro Football Focus. But he only registered four sacks during his initial campaign. The edge defender added to his repertoire this season and became the NFL's best pass-rusher too. "He's developing that awareness on the angles and how to finish on the quarterback that will allow him to continue to have tremendous production," head coach Jack Del Rio said this past weekend, per ESPN.com's Bill Williamson. Mack leads the league with 14 sacks after his five-sack performance Sunday against the Denver Broncos. "I see why they took you before me," Carr told Mack after the outstanding effort, per NFL.com. With a difference-maker on defense, the Raiders acquired one for the offense a round later. In a much ballyhooed quarterback class, Carr may have emerged as the best of the bunch even though he was the fourth signal-caller selected. In his second season, the Fresno State product has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 3,313 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He's also averaging 7.28 yards per attempt. All four of these categories are improvements over his rookie totals. To put this year's performance into perspective, his 28 touchdowns passes (and counting) are two more than Rich Gannon threw when he became the league's MVP after the 2002 season. McKenzie wasn't done even with these two cornerstones in place. In the same draft class, the franchise also added guard Gabe Jackson, defensive tackle Justin Ellis and cornerback Travis Carrie. Five starters out of the same draft is simply a fantastic haul. The Raiders only added to last year's impressive class by acquiring even more talent during this year's draft. Wide receiver Amari Cooper was one of the early favorites to become this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year. Second-round pick Mario Edwards Jr. continues to improve in a starting role. Tight end Clive Walford and linebacker Ben Heeney are also contributing more as the season progresses. The draft is where teams are built to achieve long-term success. The Raiders no longer need to sign other teams' castoffs or long-in-the-tooth veterans. With Del Rio now at the helm, the ship is sailing in the right direction, and the flag is waving high. The Raiders will be ready to plunder the rest of the league next season, even in the difficult AFC West.link
