• This is Anthony Richardson’s year to prove his value: Two seasons into his NFL career, Richardson is on shaky ground and faces competition for the Colts’ starting quarterback job.

• The Eagles will look for their younger defensive linemen to step up: Nolan Smith enters a make-or-break year after the team lost veteran edge defenders Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason.

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Estimated Reading Time: 17 minutes

Every year, players throughout the NFL reach a crossroads in their careers and can single-handedly make or break the success of their team’s season.

Here is one make-or-break player for every NFL team for the 2025 season.

JUMP TO A TEAM:

ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

The Cardinals have spent the past couple of offseasons building a dynamic rushing attack and a respectable defense. Their quarterback, Kyler Murray, now just needs to find enough consistency to bring the team back into the playoff picture.

Arizona won five of its six games last season in which Murray posted at least a 70.0 PFF passing grade. The team lost eight of the 11 games in which he fell below that mark. Murray’s contract is tough to get out of until at least next offseason, but his performance this season could determine the future of the franchise.

Pitts seems to be on his last legs in Atlanta, with trade rumors floating around throughout the spring. He enters the 2025 season in the final year of his rookie contract after posting a career-low 63.9 PFF receiving grade last season.

Pitts needs to find his form as a receiver with Michael Penix Jr. now as his quarterback. If he doesn’t, the former fourth-overall pick could struggle to maintain a lengthy NFL career, especially because of his lack of blocking impact.

Kyle Pitts’ Career PFF Grades

Faalele is entering the final season of his rookie contract as the Ravens’ starting right guard. After transitioning there from offensive tackle last season, he posted a mediocre 61.8 PFF overall grade. His potential improvement will be crucial for his career and Baltimore’s chances to win the Super Bowl this season.

Buffalo Bills: LB Matt Milano

One reason the Bills’ defense has struggled to make stops in critical moments is Milano’s absence and ineffectiveness. At one point, he was one of the NFL’s best linebackers, particularly in coverage. Over the past two seasons, though, he has played a combined 544 snaps.

Milano struggled to a 45.1 PFF coverage grade in limited work last season. If he can stay healthy and find his previous form, the Bills’ defense stands a much better chance of surviving an entire postseason run.

Carolina’s defense was futile last season in many facets, but the unit played at a historically poor level against the run. Part of that stemmed from star defensive tackle Derrick Brown suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1.

Brown placed second among all interior defenders in 2023 with an elite 90.0 PFF run-defense grade. His presence in the middle makes the entire unit better. The Panthers acquired several pieces on the defensive line to improve their run defense, but Brown’s return to his 2023 form would make the biggest impact.

Armed with a new, offensive-minded head coach, a revamped offensive line and a plethora of young receiving weapons, Caleb Williams is in full control of his NFL fate. While his situation last year wasn’t ideal, Williams recorded a 63.5 PFF passing grade that ranked 29th out of 32 quarterbacks who took at least 300 dropbacks.

Significant improvement from Williams would open endless doors for Chicago’s offense. If he stumbles, there could be frustration surrounding the former first-overall pick, given his supporting cast.

If anyone on the Bengals’ defense can benefit from Al Golden’s arrival in Cincinnati, it’s Geno Stone. Stone has always been more comfortable as a single-high free safety, owning an 83.3 PFF coverage grade in his career when deployed in a single-high defense. Meanwhile, no FBS team ran more single-high defenses last season than national runner-up Notre Dame with Golden as its defensive coordinator.

Stone’s career is at a crossroads after he earned a career-low 53.7 PFF coverage grade last season, but Golden’s presence could present a bounce-back opportunity.

Four of the five projected starters on the Browns’ offensive line will be at least 30 years old when the 2025 season starts. The only exception is Dawand Jones, who could be the team’s starting left tackle.

Jones played three games at that spot last year before suffering a fractured fibula that ended his season. Unfortunately, he earned a subpar 44.1 PFF overall grade across those three outings. Veteran Cornelius Lucas could fill in if Jones is either injured or ineffective again, but the Browns desperately need young talent to emerge on their offensive line, and Jones is the most likely incumbent candidate.

Dallas Cowboys: DI Mazi Smith

Dallas’ run defense was a sieve last season, posting the second-worst PFF run-defense grade in the NFL. One reason for that has been the struggles of former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who has earned a lowly 30.0 PFF run-defense grade across his first two NFL seasons, which is the ninth-worst mark among defensive tackles who have played at least 200 run defense snaps in that span.

Perhaps new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can unlock something we have yet to see from Smith. If Smith can’t figure things out this season, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing elsewhere in 2026.

Denver’s linebackers were the Achilles’ heel of the team’s defense last season, particularly in coverage. That unit ranked 28th among all linebacker groups in PFF coverage grade. Former 49er Dre Greenlaw was brought in to fix that exact problem.

Greenlaw’s 90.0 PFF coverage grade since 2019 trails only Fred Warner, Lavonte David and Demario Davis for the highest mark among qualified linebackers. The Broncos are betting heavily on the idea that Greenlaw can regain that level of production, even though he played just 34 snaps last season after coming off a torn Achilles.

Kevin Zeitler’s departure in free agency and Frank Ragnow’s sudden retirement leave Graham Glasgow as the only veteran presence on Detroit’s interior offensive line. Whether he plays guard or center this season, Glasgow needs to perform better than he did last season. His 57.2 PFF overall grade was his lowest figure since his rookie season in 2016.

Glasgow will likely be starting alongside Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge, who have two career NFL starts between them. Glasgow needs to be the glue that holds the interior together in Detroit.

Former 13th-overall pick Lukas Van Ness has yet to prove he is a capable NFL starter. Through his first two seasons, he has posted a 58.4 PFF overall grade and compiled just 42 total pressures. Green Bay ranked just 28th in the NFL in PFF pass-rush grade without blitzing last season.

If Van Ness and the rest of the defensive line can’t win their matchups up front, then the Packers could be looking for new options for that unit next offseason.

Howard is the Texans’ highest-graded offensive lineman returning from last season. He is also their most important lineman heading into the 2025 campaign, given his versatility and the unit’s currently fluid situation.

Howard could be asked to play guard, but he has earned just a 46.3 PFF overall grade across more than 1,500 snaps there in his career. That pales in comparison to his more respectable 73.2 PFF overall grade when asked to play tackle. The Texans’ offensive line will likely play a big part in whether the team finds success this season, and Howard is a critical part of that equation.

Heading into just his third NFL season, Richardson is already at a crossroads in Indianapolis. Injuries and accuracy issues have plagued his first two seasons, as he’s played less than 800 snaps and has earned just a 58.7 PFF passing grade in that time.

This offseason has been just as tumultuous for him, as Daniel Jones was brought in to compete for the starting quarterback job. Richardson is also having his shoulder evaluated for a potential injury. Unless he can make a rapid ascent within the next few months, his time in Indianapolis could be coming to a close far sooner than he expected.

Campbell is entering the first season of a four-year contract extension that pays him an annual average of more than $19 million. However, Campbell needs to return to the 2022 form that led to an excellent 80.7 PFF coverage grade in order to justify it.

Over the past two seasons, he has recorded a far more mediocre 60.3 PFF coverage grade. Campbell isn’t leaving Jacksonville anytime soon, but the defense needs him to play like a star this year after ranking 25th in the NFL in team PFF coverage grade last season.

Kansas City’s offensive line will be in the spotlight again this season. 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia could be a critical part of the improvement efforts moving forward. In limited work last season, mostly at left tackle, Suamataia recorded an ugly 37.9 PFF overall grade while struggling mightily in pass protection. This year, he could be the starting left guard after the team traded Joe Thuney to Chicago.

If the Chiefs continue to struggle to protect Patrick Mahomes, they will have a tough time returning to the Super Bowl for a fourth straight season.

The Raiders have long been looking for an effective pass rush partner for Maxx Crosby. Down the stretch of the 2023 season, it looked like they may have found that player in Malcolm Koonce. From Weeks 10 through 18, he earned an outstanding 84.9 PFF pass-rush grade. Unfortunately, he didn’t play a single snap in 2024 due to injury, but he signed a new one-year contract with the hope of regaining that level of play in 2025. If he does, the Raiders could have a potentially lethal pass rush.

Johnston has underwhelmed through his first two seasons in Los Angeles. He’s accrued at least 60 receiving yards in just three of his 33 career games. Though his 68.2 PFF receiving grade in 2024 was an improvement from his dreadful rookie season, it still falls short of expectations for a former first-round pick. The team has a top option in Ladd McConkey and continues to search for complementary options, such as 2025 second-rounder Tre Harris, so Johnston needs to avoid further struggles to stay in the starting lineup.

No current starting quarterback needs proficient pass protection as much as Matthew Stafford. That’s a huge reason why the Rams re-signed left tackle Alaric Jackson to a three-year contract worth roughly $19 million per year. Unfortunately, Jackson is now dealing with a blood clot issue that puts his status in doubt, at least for the beginning of the 2025 season. The Rams ranked 30th in the NFL in PFF pass-blocking grade last season, and Jackson is arguably the most important part of a turnaround in the department.

Similar to Kyler Murray in Arizona, Tua Tagovailoa’s contract will keep him in Miami as the starter in 2025 and most likely in 2026, as well. Tagovailoa’s injury history is an issue, as he’s played only 17 games in a season once in his career. That year, 2023, he recorded a terrific 88.6 PFF passing grade while leading Miami to the playoffs.

If he is healthy and protected, Tagovailoa is a viable starter. However, the Dolphins ranked 20th in PFF pass-blocking grade last season and lost their best offensive lineman, Terron Armstead, to retirement.

Tua Tagovailoa’s Career PFF Grades

Last season, Minnesota’s interior defensive linemen ranked 28th in the NFL in PFF pass-rush grade as a unit. The team signed former 49er Javon Hargrave in free agency with the hope of improving upon that. Hargrave’s 2024 season was cut short due to injury, but if he gives the Vikings an elite pass-rush presence, he could change the outlook of their defense.

From 2021 to 2023, Hargrave ranked among the top four qualified defensive tackles in PFF pass-rush grade, pressure rate and pass-rush win rate.

Much of the focus on the Patriots’ offensive line this season will be on left tackle Will Campbell and center Jared Wilson. However, they need another young player, left guard Cole Strange, to step up after a troublesome 2024.

Strange played in just two games last season, both at center, and earned a meager 48.6 PFF overall grade. He earned a more respectable 64.6 PFF overall grade in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury. Strange is just as important to the Patriots’ success as the other young members of their offensive line.

Perhaps Penning’s time in New Orleans is nearing a close, as the team declined his fifth-year option this offseason. However, he’ll play for the Saints in 2025 and get a chance to win a starting job at guard, where he has yet to take an NFL snap.

Improvement in pass protection will be key for a team that finished dead last in PFF pass-blocking grade last season. The same goes for Penning, who allowed 54 pressures last season at right tackle, the second most in the NFL.

The Giants decided to pick up Thibodeaux’s fifth-year option, which keeps him with the team through 2026. However, New York also just selected edge defender Abdul Carter with the third-overall pick in this year’s draft.

Though he earned a career-high 72.0 PFF pass-rush grade last season, Thibodeaux played in just 12 games and has yet to live up to the hype of his fifth-overall selection. While the Giants can get creative with Carter’s versatility, Thibodeaux still needs to prove he can be a foundational piece of their defense.

Hall has been the subject of criticism and trade rumors this offseason. Head coach Aaron Glenn recently shot the latter down, but Hall still needs a bounce-back campaign to secure a long-term future in New York.

He earned a career-low 62.0 PFF overall grade last season, though much of that seemed to stem from a lack of focus. Hall fumbled six times and dropped eight passes. There is a chance that he is a dynamic playmaker in a new offense, but there may be an equal chance that 2025 is his last season in New York.

Smith’s make-or-break candidacy isn’t an indictment of his NFL resumé as much as it is an indication of the Eagles’ need for him to be a star. The team lost veteran edge defenders Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason, making Smith a sure-fire starter for the first time in his career.

He began to take on an expanded role late last season, recording a terrific 78.9 PFF overall grade across his final seven games. If that continues over the duration of the 2025 season, Philadelphia’s defensive line will once again be an elite unit.

The Steelers desperately need production and continuity at offensive tackle, especially with Aaron Rodgers lined up to be their starting quarterback. Former first-round pick Broderick Jones spent the vast majority of his first two seasons at right tackle and struggled to a 58.5 PFF overall grade.

This season, Jones will move to left tackle, where he played in college. If he and fellow youngster Troy Fautanu struggle to protect Rodgers, Pittsburgh could have serious issues scoring points.

Just one year removed from being arguably the best running back in football, McCaffrey endured a disaster of a 2024 season. He appeared in just four games due to injury and earned a career-low 71.3 PFF overall grade.

If McCaffrey performs like the player who was the highest-graded qualified running back in the NFL across 2022 and 2023, then San Francisco has a playoff-caliber offense. If the injuries persist or have sapped his explosiveness, there will be serious questions about McCaffrey’s future.

It appeared that Seattle had struck gold with former third-round pick Abraham Lucas after he posted a solid 68.4 PFF overall grade as a rookie in 2022. Over the past two seasons, though, Lucas has played just 679 snaps while earning a 59.5 PFF overall grade.

Much has been said this offseason about the struggles of Seattle’s interior offensive line, but they desperately need a healthy and productive season from their right tackle.

Similar to fellow 2023 first-rounder Mazi Smith, Kancey hasn’t lived up to his billing for Tampa Bay through two seasons in the NFL. To his credit, the undersized Kancey has racked up 85 pressures since the start of 2023, a top-20 mark among defensive tackles. However, that’s not enough to offset his dreadful 28.7 PFF run-defense grade in that span.

Tampa Bay didn’t select Kancey 19th overall to be a situational player. He needs to prove this season that he can hold up reasonably well in run defense.

Sneed’s first season in Tennessee certainly didn’t go as planned. He appeared in just five games and recorded a paltry 36.8 PFF coverage grade. However, his track record suggests that he is a far better player.

If he replicates the level of production he gave the Kansas City Chiefs in prior seasons, he will be a huge boon to a Titans cornerback unit that ranked 27th in PFF coverage grade last season. Otherwise, 2025 could be Sneed’s last season in Tennessee.

Washington’s cornerbacks ranked dead last in the NFL in PFF coverage grade last season. The team traded for Marshon Lattimore during the year to help the cause, but he appeared in just five games for the Commanders due to a hamstring injury and earned a poor 40.7 PFF coverage grade.

The team needs Lattimore to return to a high level, and he needs to play better to extend his career, as he has no guaranteed money left on his contract after this season.