Buying or Selling Breakout NFL Week 1 Defensive Performers
The first week of the 2023 NFL season saw plenty of breakout performances from young and established NFL players alike. While standout offensive displays tend to draw more attention, there were plenty of defenders who made their mark on the season-openers as well.
Some of these talents came out of nowhere to dominate the opposition by racking up game-changing sacks, interceptions and other plays that helped notch a victory. Others have been in the league a while, but put on performances that were vastly improved over their usual offerings.
Let's highlight some of these breakout games and then do our best to sus out whether these were merely flash-in-the-pan outliers with a regression on the horizon or if they are indicative of more big-time performances to come.
Josh Allen Will Be 2023's Breakout Sack Artist
1 of 5
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a team on the rise thanks to the strong job that Doug Pederson has done developing players who weren't being utilized to their full potential prior to his arrival last season. The head coach is maximizing the talent of his roster and getting big performances out of guys who hadn't done much or were inconsistent during their initial years in the NFL.
One player who seems to have finally put it all together is Josh Allen, the fifth-year edge rusher who opened 2023 with a three-sack explosion. It was a fantastic performance for the 2019 first-round pick and a rather uncharacteristic one at that given Allen had never recorded more than two sacks in a single contest prior to Sunday. That showing puts the 26-year-old well on pace for a career year at the most opportune of times.
Allen is playing out the final season of his rookie deal after Jacksonville picked up the fifth-year option on his contract last April. While that initially seemed to be a no-brainer decision after he earned a Pro Bowl nod and had 10.5 sacks as a rookie, the Kentucky product came down to earth and struggled in the years that followed. He had just 2.5 sacks during an injury-shortened sophomore campaign and failed to get over the 7.5 sack mark despite being healthy for each of the last two seasons. Those are respectable numbers, but not exactly the expected production from an edge defender drafted No. 7 overall.
The Jags clearly had faith in Allen emerging as one of the league's better pass rushers. Despite garnering plenty of trade interest leading up to the deadline last year, Jacksonville's brass opted to stay the course with Allen and is now reaping the rewards of that decision. Not only was Allen a terror for the Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks to deal with during his side's 31-21 victory, but he also recorded plays all over the field and finished the day with 10 tackles—including three for a loss—on his 57 defensive snaps.
Having always possessed the physical traits to be an unstoppable pass rusher, Allen just needed to find consistency on the field. It seems he finally has accomplished that and should be in line for a monster 2023 season, as well as a big pay day this coming spring.
Verdict: Buy Josh Allen as a sack machine in 2023.
Jessie Bates III Takes a Leap With Atlanta Falcons
2 of 5
Jessie Bates III has been one of the top safeties in the NFL for the last half-decade, but he looked better than ever in his debut with the Atlanta Falcons. After wrapping up five solid years with the Cincinnati Bengals with a career-high four interceptions in 2022, Bates came out of the gate red-hot in 2023 and secured two interceptions to help guide his new team to a resounding 24-10 win in Week 1.
Bates did more than just snare a pair of picks, as he finished the game against the Carolina Panthers with an impressive 10 tackles and forced a fumble plus provided invaluable leadership on the field as well. It was as good of a debut as the Falcons could have hoped for after signing him to a four-year, $64 million deal in free agency.
While Bates' performance jumped off the page, it's going to be difficult for him to repeat that type of stat line on a regular basis. He's never been considered much of a ballhawk, as his 14 picks in Cincinnati were a good amount but not an eye-popping number. Both his Falcons interceptions came off a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start playing without some of his top receivers in the lineup.
The tackle numbers are also unsustainable. He's currently on pace for 170 tackles, but Bates is coming off a year in which he recorded a career-low 71 tackles and hasn't reached a triple-digit amount of them since 2020. He set his career high in that department with 111 as a rookie and has steadily declined since.
While Bates is unquestionably a great addition to the Atlanta defense and will be instrumental in the team's future successes, he's likely going to remain the consistently above-average defender he was during his time with the Bengals and not an All-Pro superstar. Don't expect the 26-year-old to make the type of leap his Week 1 stats may indicate and he'll regress to the mean in the coming weeks.
Verdict: Sell Bates becoming a superstar in Atlanta
Jalen Carter Looks Ready for Defensive Rookie of the Year Award Run
3 of 5
The Philadelphia Eagles may have gotten the steal of the 2023 draft when Jalen Carter fell to them at No. 9 overall. The team is already seeing returns on that investment after Carter played a big role in staving off a comeback attempt from the New England Patriots during Philadelphia's 25-20 victory in Week 1.
An initial glance at Carter's stats on the box score aren't too telling—the defensive tackle had one sack and one tackle for a loss—but it was clear to anyone watching the game that he was manhandling the Patriots in the trenches. Eagles analyst Fran Duffy found that Carter created more pressures (via PFF data) than any other defensive tackle in the league this week.
Carter's lone sack had a tangible impact on the outcome too, as he took down New England quarterback Mac Jones with less than one minute left in the contest and helped stymie what could have been a go-ahead touchdown drive.
Carter may have played just 50 percent of the defensive snaps, but it's a testament to his sheer talent that he's already able to log that much playing time in his first career game. Considering the litany of skilled, experienced defenders on Philadelphia's veteran-laden roster—a unit that had led the team all the way to the Super Bowl last season—it's quite telling that Carter is already starting to separate as one of the best players in their lineup.
While Carter may not put up gaudy stats as part of a rotation that also includes Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox and Milton Williams, he's clearly a game-changer when he is on the field. That kind of impact will get noticed by award voters, who should make the Georgia product the first interior defensive lineman to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award since Aaron Donald took home the hardware in 2014.
Verdict: Buy Carter as the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Drake Jackson Emerges as Elite Edge Rusher
4 of 5
The San Francisco 49ers have been churning out outstanding players on the defensive edge in recent years. Drake Jackson could be the next in the franchise's growing line of star edge rushers after he helped decimate the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 by recording three sacks on quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Jackson's breakout performance should come as a bit of a surprise after he fell out of the rotation last year. While he logged a good amount of playing time for most of his rookie campaign, he was phased out of the rotation over the final three games of the regular season and wasn't seen at all during the playoffs. He finished the 2022 campaign with a meager 14 tackles and three sacks (all of which came in his first five contests) across 15 appearances.
The 22-year-old has now matched his total sacks from that season with 16 more games to build upon it. While it's almost certain he'll get a few more, it may be time to pump the breaks on this hype train. Jackson benefitted heavily from the ridiculous amount of attention given to his more established teammates like reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa.
The Steelers did manage to keep Bosa in check—holding him to just two tackles and a QB hit in the contest—while daring Jackson to beat the reduced coverage. He did so this week, but he may find it difficult to do that against better offensive linemen he'll come up against in the future.
Jackson may be naturally improving in his second season and drew some strong praise for his work in training camp after bulking up, but he still has a long way to go before he can be considered an elite edge rusher. The athleticism and raw talent are certainly there, but his skillset needs to be refined for him to be more consistent in the NFL.
Verdict: Sell Jackson becoming an elite edge rusher this season.
Osa Odighizuwa Blossoming On Dallas Cowboys Defensive Line
5 of 5
The Dallas Cowboys turned the season's first Sunday Night Football affair into a boring one by virtue of being downright dominant on both sides of the ball. The team thoroughly routed the rival New York Giants by a 40-0 margin, a game that saw not only their usual suspects shine, but also some relatively obscure players make a real impact.
One of the lesser-known talents to step up was Osa Odighizuwa, the third-year defensive tackle who recorded a pair of sacks to go along with four tackles—two for a loss—and a trio of quarterback hits.
The 25-year-old may have wreaked havoc in Big Blue's backfield, but much of his production can be credited to the stars lining up next to him. Micah Parsons has proven time and time again that he's a unique and generational talent capable of doing everything well for Dallas' defense.
Parsons was his usual unstoppable self in Week 1 and contributed far more than his two-tackle, one-sack stat line might indicate. On one play the linebacker commanded complete attention from two different Giant offensive linemen, opening the door for Odighizuwa to secure a layup sack on Daniel Jones.
Odighizuwa also benefits from DeMarcus Lawrence's presence. Lawrence, who also had a sack of his own against the G-Men, is another edge rusher who can command double teams that less skilled defenders like Odighizuwa can take advantage of.
While Odighizuwa certainly seems to have taken a leap in Year 3—he had just six total sacks coming into 2023 despite playing with the aforementioned players since his rookie season—it's likely he'll come down to earth a bit against more stable offensive lines in the coming weeks. Expect him to have a decent year, but it's unlikely he'll evolve into yet another star on this Cowboys defensive front.
Verdict: Sell Odighizuwa as Dallas' next defensive star.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
