No one is immune to decline in the NFL, and the 2023 regular season was no different as we saw several high-profile players fail to live up to their potential. Here are 10 offensive linemen who either started the season with high expectations or started strong but finished poorly.
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
All the momentum Lawrence and the Jaguars built last season and a surprise run to the AFC Divisional Round is now gone as they go 1-5 and stifle their chances for another playoff run. Despite dealing with multiple season-ending injuries, Lawrence didn’t make the three-year jump many expected after a Pro Bowl-caliber 2022 season. In 16 games, Lawrence completed 65.6% of his passes for 4,016 yards and 21 touchdowns, worse than last season and number 039; 21 carries, third most in the NFL.
WR Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
Despite having five 100-yard receptions in his first six games, it can’t be forgotten that Diggs hasn’t been the same receiver since his brother Trevon posted this andquot; 14 Must go out” Buffalo. Over the last seven games, Diggs has averaged 45 yards per contest and found the end zone just once in that span. His 87-yard performance in Week 18 offers some optimism, but if the Bills don’t make a deep playoff run, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Diggs request a trade this offseason.
QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
While Young couldn’t be in a worse situation, he showed little promise of justifying his status last April and as the No. 1 overall pick. Young went 2-15 for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Panthers, ranking 29th among passers in QBR (33.3). By comparison, at midseason, Browns QB Joe Flacco threw 13 touchdown passes and had three more 300-yard passing games than Young despite playing in just five games.
RB Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
The former first-round pick broke out last season, leading the league in rushing yards (1,653) at a very efficient rate (4.9 yards per carry) and scoring 12 touchdowns. However, the heavy workload has clearly taken its toll on Jacobs, who has rushed for 805 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games this season, a career-worst 3.5 yards per attempt. In Week 2, Jacobs earned the rough honor of becoming the first reigning champion to rush for negative yards in a game since the AFL-NFL merger (-2).
QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
The 2022 MVP runner-up had a nice start to the first season of his five-year, $255 million extension, but second-half struggles and a disastrous 1-5 record in Philadelphia got him down. doubts about the franchise and his subjugation. While Hurts threw for 3,858 yards and 23 touchdowns, he was much more sloppy with the ball and finished third in interceptions (15). Despite becoming the first quarterback to rush for 15 touchdowns in a season, Hurts isn’t the same threat he was last year, averaging 15.1 fewer yards in 2023.
RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers’
After finishing first in receiving of touchdowns (38) and fourth in scrimmage yards (3,195) in 2021-22, Ekeler has struggled this season, a big reason why The Charger passed. Ekeler averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, finishing with 628 rushing yards and six touchdowns and 51 receptions for 436 yards. As an upcoming free agent, it seems likely that Ekeler will play his 29th season elsewhere, and it’s hard to envision him in primary responsibility.
RB Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers compounded their disastrous situation by spending big on mediocre talent in free agency last season, though no deal went worse than Sanders. The former Philadelphia Eagle signed a four-year, $25.4 million deal in 2022, setting career highs in rushing yards (1,269), touchdowns (11) and yards per carry (4.9) in 2022. Sanders started just five games this season and posted career lows in rushing yards (432) and yards per carry (3.3) while scoring just one touchdown.
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Although a neck injury and a season-ending ACL tear limited Jones to six games this season, his performance when healthy showed why some considered him unfit for a four-year, $160 million extension. signed last out of season Jones threw for 909 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions this season, while his guards outplayed him despite the same weak quarterback. With New York holding the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, it will be interesting to see if the team selects Jones’ successor and cuts ties with the fifth-year signal caller after next season.
TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
It’s not easy to find someone who will enjoy more personal success in 2023 than Kelce, but there’s no denying that his production on the field this season has fallen short of expectations. Father time appears to be approaching for the 34-year-old, who has finished 16 of eight straight seasons with fewer than 1,000 yards and just five touchdowns. Additionally, Kelce averaged his fewest yards per game since 2015 (65.6) and failed to catch a touchdown in his last six games..
