NFL players who just missed in 2016

The NFL is such an all-or-nothing league that around the end of the regular season, there’s not much assessment over which players had a good season, only which are possibly carrying their team to a championship or need to be replaced immediately.

There are a bevy of players that proved themselves to be solid contributors who, for one reason or another, failed to reach a milestone that would bring national acclaim.

Robert Alford: The fourth-year corner had some early-season struggles but became one of the better parts of Atlanta’s defense as the season wore on. He finished 2016 tied for sixth in the NFL in passes defended. With Matt Ryan having an MVP-worthy season, he needs just a little help from the Falcons’ defense to get over the hump.  

Rishard Matthews: The Titans leading receiver had easily his best statistical year in 2016 in his fifth season and first in Tennessee. Aside from quarterback Marcus Mariota, few players on the Titans receive much national spotlight, and failing to win the AFC South title isn’t going to help that. Still, Matthews had a fine season, with 945 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. If the Titans can continue to improve that could easily change in 2017, though some of that is still contingent on the recovery and continued development of Mariota.

Sam Bradford: Lost in the Vikings free fall in the standings and what the team gave up to acquire him, Bradford had a pretty good year for Minnesota, especially given the problems the team had with blocking as the season went on. The fact that he sent a new single-season record for completion percentage has a lot to do with the team needing to switch to quick passes to compensate for a lack of time to throw, it’s still impressive. Bradford did a good job limiting mistakes, throwing for 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Only five quarterbacks who threw more than 100 passes had a better rating than his 99.3.

Jadeveon Clowney: Like Bradford, people are plenty familiar with Clowney as a former no. 1 pick, though this was the season that he finally was able to put it together and contribute. While Clowney certainly played well and was occasionally very disruptive, he didn’t quite have the numbers that jump out at you. Still, he ended up with six sacks and a forced fumble in a mostly healthy season as he helped the Texans defense stay sound even after losing J.J. Watt for the year.

Carlos Hyde: It was difficult to put up any impressive numbers in the parlous San Francisco offense, but Hyde came the closest. He gained 988 rushing yards on a respectable 4.6 per carry average. The 26-year-old Ohio State product is likely one of the few whose job is secure in San Francisco after this season. Should they cobble an offense together with a new coach, Hyde might just be a star in 2017.

Kony Ealy: The defensive lineman garnered a lot of attention from a breakout performance in a losing effort in Super Bowl 50. That didn’t quite translate to dominance as some forecast, though he still had a pretty good season in 2016, posting five sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles in the 2016 campaign.

Chandler Jones: The Cards gambled on a trade to acquire the Patriots linebacker a year before he hit free agency thinking they were one piece away from 2016 being their year. That was a slight miscalculation on Arizona’s part, but they can’t say it was Jones’ fault. He was just starting to make a name for himself when he left New England. Had Arizona stayed in contention, his 11 sacks might have gotten a little more due. Alas, maybe with a new team next season.