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Cardinals WR John Brown
Brown broke out in 2015 with a 1,000-yard sophomore season, but he went MIA for much of last year while dealing with health issues. Franchise legend Larry Fitzgerald could be in his final season, so there's an opportunity to become the face of the receiving corps if Brown can rebound. If he struggles again, he'll likely have trouble finding a starter-level salary on the free agent market next offseason.
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Falcons DT Dontari Poe
The space-eating defensive tackle was unable to land a big deal this offseason, settling for a one-year pact with a team that just fell apart defensively in the Super Bowl. If they're going to make another run this year and have a chance at better, Poe will have to prove effective in the middle of the defense, and doing so could finally mean a big payday after his age-27 season.
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Ravens WR Jeremy Maclin
Shockingly cut by the Chiefs late in the offseason, Maclin landed in a great spot in Baltimore on a two-year deal. Maclin is still young enough that he can think about one more big-money contract should he rebound from an atrocious 2016 performance, and the Ravens can save $5 million on their 2018 cap by cutting him if he fails to produce.
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Bills WR Sammy Watkins
You could argue for Tyrod Taylor, but what else does he have to prove to earn a long-term deal in Buffalo? In Watkins' case, his fifth-year option was surprisingly declined, putting him on a path for the open market in 2018. He's proven he has the talent; playing 16 games this year would almost certainly set him up for a huge payday.
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Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin
A standout as a rookie, Benjamin returned from a lost season -- one in which the Panthers made the Super Bowl -- to fall short of 1,000 yards as the Carolina offense sputtered as a whole. He then started getting the Eddie Lacy treatment this offseason, as social media obsessed over the shape he was in. If he can silence the doubters with a return to form in 2017, the Panthers' title hopes will be much improved.
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Bears QB Mike Glennon
For the last few years, Glennon's name kept popping up when people discussed which backup could be a worthy starter if given a chance. He finally reached free agency and took his shot by signing with the Bears, who almost immediately traded up for a new QB of the future. Glennon figures to be the team's 2017 starter, but nothing is guaranteed beyond that. This could be his one chance to prove himself.
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Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict
One of the most divisive players in football, Burfict is an elite talent who has continuously dealt with unsportsmanlike conduct issues for the way he plays the game. A free agent at the end of this season, the linebacker would likely find a more receptive market should he clean up those questionable aspects of his game and still maintain the edge that makes him so effective.
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Browns QB Brock Osweiler
Osweiler was on top of the world last offseason following a Broncos Super Bowl run that saw him play in nine games and show enough ability that the Texans handed him a $72 million contract. Now he's been written off by almost everyone and finds himself locked in a QB battle for a rebuilding team. If he can emerge as the starter and actually put some positive play on tape, who knows what the future holds?
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Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Prescott's rookie season was better than any Cowboys fan could have realistically hoped for, and now sights are set on this team being a perennial Super Bowl contender. But we've seen incredible rookies fail to deliver in subsequent seasons. Surely the offense is going to ask more of Prescott after a full offseason as the starter. Can he live up to expectations? Doing so could lead to a championship.
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Broncos QB Paxton Lynch
The Broncos traded up to select Lynch in the 2016 draft after Peyton Manning retired and Brock Osweiler jumped ship for greener pastures. It's not a shock that he wasn't able to win the starting job in his first season considering how raw he was coming out, but if he fails to establish himself as the starter over seventh-rounder Trevor Siemian this year? It'll be time to start worrying, Broncos fans.
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Lions TE Eric Ebron
Ebron has come nowhere near meeting expectations after being a top-10 pick in the 2014 draft. His nearly 1,500 receiving yards and seven TDs would be impressive if those stats didn't come over a three-year span and 40 total games. There's a hole in the Lions' red-zone passing game with Anquan Boldin gone, and will need to do a good job filling it in order to escape "bust" territory.
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Packers RB Ty Montgomery
Montgomery was pressed into service as a running back last year due to injuries, and he did enough at the position that the Packers moved him there full-time and made him their starter heading into 2017. But the team also drafted significant competition, and a bulked-up Montgomery will be looking to prove he's worthy of being the feature back now and for the future in Green Bay.
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Texans DE J.J. Watt
When healthy, Watt is one of the best players in football, regardless of position, an accolade he's proven time and again. Now he just has to show he's 100 percent healthy and stay that way after a lost 2016 and multiple back surgeries. All we've heard this offseason is how great Watt's back feels, but who knows how things will shake out when it comes time to prove it on the field.
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Colts WR Donte Moncrief
This team doesn't function without Andrew Luck at quarterback, but he hasn't exactly been helped by his receiving corps outside of T.Y. Hilton. The tight end depth chart has lost two key figures in successive offseasons, so the pressures on the secondary receivers to step up and give Luck some help. Moncrief didn't fulfill his breakout potential last year, and if he flops again, it'll be time to look elsewhere.
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Jaguars QB Blake Bortles
Oh, Blake. Seemingly showing little progress with his development with each passing year, especially when it comes to turning the ball over, Bortles has one final shot to prove that he can be an effective starting quarterback, as his exercised option for 2018 is only guaranteed for injury. If Bortles delivers more of the same in 2017, he can kiss any chance of starting in 2018 goodbye.
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Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill
While Alex Smith seemingly has a lot on the line in 2017, it would be shocking to see him stay the Chiefs starter in 2018 after the trade-up for Patrick Mahomes, and potential FA suitors know what he is. Hill, on the other hand, is now being cast as the team's No. 1 receiver after Jeremy Maclin's release, and if he can deliver, it'll prove his long-term viability as more than a top-tier gadget player.
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Chargers WR Keenan Allen
Coming back from his second serious injury in as many years, Allen hasn't done much to impress since his outstanding rookie season in 2013. Much of that comes from not being able to stay on the field, as the fifth-year player has played just nine games over the last two seasons. With first-round pick Mike Williams now in the fold, Allen faces a battle at the top of the depth chart as well as in staying healthy.
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Rams OLB Robert Quinn
Look, you could pick just about anyone on the Rams offense as needing to prove himself, and that would be completely accurate. But Quinn is a one-time double-digit sack lock coming off two injury-filled seasons where he managed just 9.5 total sacks in 17 games. The Rams can cut him after 2017 and take virtually no hit on their cap. That won't happen if he's healthy and thriving in Wade Phillips' defense.
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Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill
Recovering from a partial ACL tear late last season, Tannehill is certainly entering a prove-it season with the Dolphins, as the team could save more than $15 million on their 2018 cap by cutting ties at the end of the year. Surrounded by an excellent receiving corps, a breakout running back and a quality offensive line, Tannehill will have no excuse if he fails to produce in 2017.
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Vikings WR Laquon Treadwell
Treadwell was one of four receivers taken in the first round of last year's draft, and he did absolutely nothing to earn that distinction on the field in 2016, catching just one pass. He'll need to show plenty of progress to get in the mix to start, and even a role as an effective No. 3 receiver could make this a playoff-caliber offense. If he can't manage that, Treadwell will be heading toward "bust" status.
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Patriots CB Malcolm Butler
It seemed Butler would be heading out of town via trade after the Patriots signed Stephon Gilmore to a massive contract, but the Super Bowl XLIX hero remains. He's showing the ability to put the team first moving forward, and if he continues to play at a high level, he'll surely impress free agent suitors next offseason with both his positive attitude and elite talent.
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Saints CB Delvin Breaux
With a last name built for greatness in New Orleans, Breaux had a breakout rookie campaign in 2015, followed by an injury-riddled sophomore slump last season. The Saints made noise about trading for Malcolm Butler and ultimately drafted Marshon Lattimore in the first round. If Breaux can return to his 2015 form, the Saints could have a pair of excellent corners and a prayer of defensive success.
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Giants OT Ereck Flowers
Flowers has failed to live up to the expectations that made him a top-10 pick in 2015, plain and simple. Most though the team would find a new left tackle this offseason, but that never happened. Now the effectiveness of an upgraded Giants passing game will depend on Eli Manning staying upright, and that'll only happen if Flowers reaches a level of play he's yet to find in his first two years.
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Jets DE Sheldon Richardson
It seems like he's been on the trade block forever, but the Jets have yet to pull a trigger on a deal they like. Richardson has a Rookie of the Year award and a Pro Bowl berth to his credit, but for a guy that's been fined five times and suspended twice during his career, per Spotrac, keeping his nose clean might be just as important as the stats he puts up heading into free agency.
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Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch
Unretiring to play for your hometown team before it packs up and heads to Las Vegas is a great story. But the Raiders are more than just playing out the string; this is a team with legitimate hopes at winning a Super Bowl in 2017. After a year off, Lynch has to prove he can spearhead this rushing attack and make the Raiders offense into one capable of beating anyone in January.
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Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery
Considering his age (27) and his resume (a two-season stretch with 2,554 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2013-14), it's shocking that Jeffery couldn't find a better deal than the one-year pact he signed with the Eagles this offseason. As the top receiving weapon with a developing franchise QB, Jeffery has the opportunity to deliver huge numbers this year and earned his delayed massive payday.
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Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
The Steelers had no answer for losing Bryant for a full season, as the passing-game options behind Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell proved lacking. Now Bryant's back in the fold looking to build on a 2015 where he showed flashes of game-changing ability. If he can be a better version of the player he was in his first two years while staying out of trouble, a Steelers Super Bowl run could be in the cards.
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49ers RB Carlos Hyde
There's a lot of moving parts on the 49ers' defense, and several guys need to step up on that side of the ball to prove their long-term viability. Hyde supposedly isn't a fit for Kyle Shanahan's offense, and the team has brought it young competition to potentially replace Hyde is he isn't healthy and effective. After three years in the league Hyde has yet to deliver a 1,000-yard season; will that change in 2017?
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Seahawks OL coach Tom Cable
The whole offensive line deserves to be here after nearly getting Russell Wilson killed in 2016, so let's use the coach responsible for getting the most out of the unit as the representation of this team's Achilles heel. Cable didn't get a whole lot of help this offseason, with the team passing on using key picks to fortify the line and only bringing in Luke Joeckel as a potential savior. Good luck, Tom.
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Buccaneers RB Doug Martin
You could certainly make a case for Jameis Winston here, as he seemingly has everything he needs to succeed. But while he's going to be Tampa Bay's long-term starter regardless if he takes the next step, Martin could be on his way out of the league if he doesn't put everything together following last year's struggles. Fortunately, things have been nothing but positive from the Bucs on Martin this offseason.
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Titans WR Eric Decker
After the Jets started clearing house, most figured Decker wouldn't survive the chopping block. That he landed in such an excellent spot, with a young franchise QB on the rise and a team with hopes of contending, sets him up for a big year statistically if he can stay healthy. Decker has a chance of parlaying his one-year deal in Tennessee into another big payday if things break right.
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Redskins WR Josh Doctson
Kirk Cousins is still waiting on a long-term contract, but what does he have left to prove? Doctson figured to be the future of the Redskins' receiving corps when he was drafted in the first round in 2016. He did virtually nothing on the field in his rookie year, and with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon moving on, he now must prove worthy of starting or be labeled a "bust."
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