Three weeks into the season, opinions are beginning to coalesce, but we’re still far too early in the campaign to start calling out busts.
An NFL season is a roller coaster. A team that didn’t score a first-quarter touchdown for seven games can streak to a Super Bowl. Players left for dead by the public can turn around campaigns and become pivotal parts of playoff teams.
It’s a 17-game season. Opinions we have in September will look vastly different come Thanksgiving, particularly when it comes to talented players who have struggled out of the gate. Whether it’s because of surrounding play or bad luck, it’s foolhardy to write them off so soon.
Here are nine players that I believe can turn things around in 2025 after getting off to slow starts.
What a brutal start to the season for the Bengals' workhorse running back. Brown has generated 93 yards on 47 carries (2 yards per) with a singular score.
The big issue for Brown is the complete lack of blocking. Brown has -54 yards before contact, per Next Gen Stats. Negative 54! That does not happen. The next-closest player is Dylan Sampson with -22. Brown averages -1.2 yards before contact per carry. The dude can’t sniff the line of scrimmage before getting hit. His 147 yards after contact rank 12th among running backs.
With just six missed tackles forced, Brown needs to be better at bouncing off defenders, as he did a year ago when he ranked 15th in the league with 54. Given the state of the Bengals' offense, it’s easy to give up on the running game, but with Jake Browning under center, Cincy can’t afford to abandon Brown. Neither should we.
For obvious reasons, most of the players on this list are young and still finding their way in the NFL. Henry’s struggles are of a different variety.
For transparency, I should mention that Henry wasn’t even on my radar for this list until the Monday night debacle, when he fumbled for the third time in three games. For such a sure-handed runner, the issue is stark. He only fumbled three times in 325 carries last season. So, the fork-in-the-road question is whether we believe the 31-year-old back’s downward spiral starts with fumble issues. I won’t go there.
Henry is still averaging 3.73 yards after contact and still has speed to run away in space. His five runs of 15-plus yards are tied for first through three games, per PFF. I’m more concerned with the Ravens forgetting about Henry for stretches, like Monday’s two-carry third quarter.
The King has been questioned in the past. Remember last year, when he opened the season a bit slowly, and many were fretting about his age and carry history, then he romped over defenses for 1,921 yards? I still believe the maniacal competitor is closer to that than washed because of a few fumbles.
Irving burst onto the scene last year, averaging 5.4 yards per carry en route to 1,122 yards rushing. Through three games this season, the shifty back has seen his average sink to 3.1 YPC, tied for 23rd of 28 backs with at least 30 carries.
I’m going to chalk up Irving’s downturn more to a shuffled Buccaneers offensive line that has been riddled with injuries. The running back is averaging 0.6 yards before contact, per NGS. The shiftiness and tackle-breaking ability remain. Through three weeks, Irving has 17 missed tackles forced, fourth-most in the league. The talent didn’t dissipate; it’s just been bottled up behind the line.
As the Bucs get healthier, with the eventual return of Tristan Wirfs, Irving’s rushing numbers will perk back up.
If you’ve only box score-watched or stuck to NFL RedZone during Raiders games, the consternation surrounding Jeanty is understandable. The first-round pick has generated 144 rushing yards and one TD through three games. Five RBs have rushed for 140 yards in a single game this season. Jeanty’s career-high 63-yard outing on Sunday is tied for the 42nd-most rushing yards by a running back in a game this season.
It hasn’t been pretty, but it’s not for lack of talent. If you’ve watched the Raiders closely, you understand that, so far, the rookie is getting little help from his offensive line. He’s averaging 0.1 yards before contact, per PFF. He can’t take a handoff without almost immediately being hit. That’s no way to live. Despite getting smothered, Jeanty ranks tied for fourth with 13 missed tackles forced and has five jaunts of 10-plus yards. On his two best runs of Week 3 -- 18-yarder and 16-yarder -- Jeanty finally got decent blocking and showed his ability to teleport to the second level.
If he can get even a modicum of better blocking and Chip Kelly puts him in better situations, Jeanty should break through in a big way.
The Broncos offense has stumbled out of the gate, with Nix and Co. struggling to find consistency. In three tilts, Nix has totaled 535 passing yards and 5.6 yards per attempt, with five TD tosses to three interceptions. It’s a far cry from what was expected in Year 2 under Sean Payton.
Nix has been efficient on short, quick throws, but he has struggled mightily stretching the field. In Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, he completed just 3 of 9 passes on attempts of 10-plus air yards (-18.1 completion percentage over expectation, per NGS). Nix has missed open deep shots that could have flipped games for the 1-2 Broncos.
The issue, as Payton noted this week, isn’t simply the missed bombs. Denver has been in rough down-and-distances. Through three games, the Broncos are 12-of-37 on third down. Going 32% on key downs will get you beat. The inability to stay out of third-and-longs has been a killer.
The positive: Nix looked much worse to start his rookie campaign and was able to turn things around, finishing strong and helping the Broncos reach their first postseason in eight years.
If the Broncos cut out the avoidable penalties, start becoming more efficient on early downs and move the chains, Nix’s production will pick up. Hitting those splash plays he’s missed will then become a bonus. Payton has earned the benefit of the doubt that he can turn around his young QB’s play as the season wears on.
Robinson is representative of a highly disappointing Dolphins front to open the season. Despite the big names, Miami’s front has struggled to mask a porous secondary. Miami is tied with New Orleans for a league-low 22 QB pressures through three games.
Robinson showed high upside down the stretch last season, posting 56 QB pressures, six sacks and a 17.2% pressure rate (fifth-highest among rookies since 2018, per NGS). The first-round pick showed a quick burst and an ability to disrupt.
We’ve seen little of that through three games. Robinson has just two QB pressures with one sack and a 5.7% pressure rate this season. The Dolphins' inability to get offenses into obvious passing situations hurts the process, but we need to see more in the few opportunities he gets.
I’m betting on the talent here. Robinson started slow last year before surging down the stretch of his rookie season. With a quick get-off, he can turn it around again in Year 2.
The fickleness of the corner position has reared its head early in 2025. The past two weeks, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has allowed 10 catches for 114 yards on 14 targets, per PFF. In 16 games in 2024, Surtain allowed a total of 37 catches for 317 yards on 52 targets.
The sticky corner didn’t just forget how to cover. He’s still allowing just 1.3 yards of separation, per NGS. In a young season, the 37-yard catch allowed to Quentin Johnston on Sunday has skewed some of the stats.
Corner is the most difficult position in terms of year-to-year sustainability. Surtain became the second defensive back to win DPOY in the past 14 years despite similar questions to open last season. As 2025 wears on, he’ll be fine in the Broncos' studly defense.
Like a hitter who starts out the baseball season in a slump, BTJ has looked rough through three games. There have been drops, an apparent lack of concentration at times, and some complete miscommunications with Trevor Lawrence. I don’t fault the wideout for not succumbing to a couple of Lawrence hospital balls, but he hasn’t been the force expected in Year 2. Thomas has turned 25 targets into seven catches for 115 yards. He should have at least twice as many yards.
Thomas has a league low -116 receiving yards over expected (RYOE), per NGS. The -116 RYOE is the second-fewest by any player through Week 3 of a season in the NGS era (since 2016), trailing only Antonio Brown’s -142 in 2018. Thomas’ catch rate of 28% and catch rate over expected of -33.4% are the lowest since 2016 among players with 20-plus targets through three weeks.
Thomas finally showed some life late in the win over Houston, catching a pass over the middle and scampering 46 yards to set up the game-deciding score. It’s the type of play we’d become used to seeing during his fantastic rookie campaign when he recorded 187 RYOE, 13th-most in the league.
The talent will eventually win out, and the slump will end. Thomas is generating separation at a similar rate to his rookie season and is receiving enough targets to see his way through the haze of the first three weeks. Remember that Antonio Brown stat above? AB still put up 104 catches for 1,297 yards and 15 TDs in 2018 (in 15 games).
Young’s brutal start to the season made it look like he’d reverted to his pre-benched 2024 ways, with some panicked throws and missed layups. But the past six quarters have offered a glimpse of positivity. He put up the second 300-yard performance of his career in Week 2 while tossing three TDs. In Week 3, he didn’t stack numbers, but he got the ball out quickly to negate the Falcons' blitz. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 72 yards against the blitz and was sacked only once. His play showed an understanding of what the defense was attempting, and he frequently found answers. Those are building blocks.
It’s overly simplistic, but Young avoiding the bad turnovers we saw early will immediately change his fortunes.
I don’t expect Young to suddenly become Josh Allen, but the development he’s shown under Dave Canales is significant. He’s no longer befuddled. He’s elusive enough in the pocket and can smartly use his legs when required. The next step is developing a deep attack.
The other reason I’m optimistic about Young’s chances of continuing his career turnaround is the rapport with Tetairoa McMillan. The first-round receiver has been excellent through his first three games. Young desperately needed a playmaking weapon. He found it. The QB already trusts T-Mac to make plays in big spots. As their efficiency grows, the Panthers' offense will improve.