Players with Most to Prove as Cowboys, Teams with New HC Start NFL Offseason Programs

Week 1 may still be a ways off, but the 2025 NFL season is inching closer to starting with the onset of offseason programs.

These are the first steps in a series of prep work leading up to the new campaign and mark an important milestone for any team, especially those under the guidance of new head coaches.

Seven organizations made a head coaching hire following the conclusion of the 2024 season. With over 20 percent of the league's players experiencing a shift in who they report to, there will be plenty of jobs up for grabs as they look to carve out a meaningful role in team systems.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the players who have the most prove to their new head coaches this offseason.

RB Breece Hall, New York Jets

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Aaron Glenn isn’t pulling any punches to start his tenure as head coach of the New York Jets.

Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the 52-year-old hinted that star running back Breece Hall has been underperforming and plans to get the team's other backs more involved if the starter doesn't improve.

Glenn—a longtime NFL cornerback who spent his first eight seasons with Gang Green—believes the 2022 second-rounder is "in a good place" mentally, but noted the roster features two other backs who can contribute.

When describing the trio of Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, Glenn said: "They're all big men, they can run, they're violent, they're physical."

Cimini went on to speculate that the Jets could even trade Hall—who is going into the final season of his rookie deal—and draft Ashton Jeanty (the No. 1 overall RB prospect on the B/R Scouting Department's big board) as a replacement at No. 7 overall.

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Hall is being challenged by the incoming coaching staff. He started his career red-hot, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and appeared to be on his way to winning 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors before a torn ACL cut short his first season after seven games.

The 23-year-old hasn't been the same player since returning. Although he has stayed healthy and participated in 33 games over the last two years, he has seen his YPC drop to 4.5 in 2023 and 4.2 last year. His efficiency in the passing game has also waned, going from 11.5 yards per reception as a rookie to 8.1 YPR over the last two seasons combined.

Still oozing potential, there's plenty of reason to believe Hall can get back into form and become a Pro Bowler in 2025. He's going to need to step up and prove it to the new coaching staff, though, as he risks losing touches and playing time with a poor offseason and a slow start to the new campaign.

LB Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

Devin Lloyd has been one of the few consistent contributors for the Jacksonville Jaguars since he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Despite this, the team has yet to pick up his fifth-year option and could wait to see if he continues to play at a high level before making that decision.

New Jags head coach Liam Coen told reporters the team has no immediate plans to do so and wants to "get used to him a little bit and get to know him a little bit" before committing to the linebacker beyond the upcoming campaign.

Coen added: "We're excited about him, a guy that we see we can do some things with. Like, we do feel excited about some of his versatility and experience, so some of those conversations will be open and honest, and communicated."

It’s telling that the Jaguars are waffling on Lloyd, especially after they quickly picked up fellow 2022 first-round draftee Travon Walker's option. It seems they are content to take a wait-and-see approach ahead of the May 1 deadline for exercising options.

The nature of NFL business may also be playing a role in this decision. Off-ball linebackers have generally been undervalued, although a recent run of expensive deals for the position could make Lloyd's $14.7 million price tag a bit more palatable.

His on-field contributions seem to be worthy of the costs. He has established himself as a world-class tackler, amassing 355 over his first 48 career games. He's also contributed 19 pass defenses, four interceptions, two sacks and a forced fumble over that span.

If Lloyd can make a strong impression on Coen and Co. early in offseason programs, it should be enough to seal his option. If he doesn't seem to be a fit within new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile's scheme, he could become a free agent after the season.

WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Duane Burleson

The Chicago Bears went into the 2024 season with hopes of making major offensive improvements after drafting a pair of prized prospects in Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.

Chicago failed to live up to its potential last year, a trying season in which both rookies largely underwhelmed as the team finished dead-last in total offense.

While the quarterback and wideout don't deserve the lion's share of the blame for these shortcomings, the Bears retooled this offseason to fix the protection woes in the offensive trenches.

They also brought in former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson—arguably the most coveted coaching candidate of the last two hiring cycles—to jump-start a unit that previous head coach Matt Eberflus and a slew of offensive coordinators mismanaged.

It's easy to envision Williams taking a leap with the creative Johnson scheming up ways for last year's No. 1 overall pick to thrive.

Odunze is more of a wild card, though, especially after his much-anticipated first season ended with him catching only 54 balls on 101 targets for 734 yards and three touchdowns.

Although he was the No. 9 overall pick and the third wideout off the board in the 2024 draft, he finished sixth in receiving yardage and seventh in receptions among first-year players.

A positional logjam didn't help his cause. He was well behind No. 1 option D.J. Moore in the pecking order and had to contend with veteran Keenan Allen for looks. With Allen out of the picture, Odunze should be the clear-cut No. 2 option in Johnson's offense.

The Bears coach did warn Odunze and several other players at a January press conference that they should "get comfortable being uncomfortable." He will be setting a high bar and expects his players to put in the effort during the spring to win in the fall.

If Odunze can hit the ground running and make a good early impression on Johnson, he will be poised for a breakout campaign. Anything less and he could be in line for another disappointing season in 2025.

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

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The Dallas Cowboys made arguably the most stunning head coaching change this offseason when they parted ways with Mike McCarthy and promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer into the role after a disappointing 7-10 campaign.

The Cowboys are now facing an uphill battle to prove Schottenheimer was the correct choice to replace a Super Bowl-winning coach who had gone 12-5 with playoff appearances in three consecutive seasons between 2021-23.

In 14 total years as an OC across four different franchises, Schottenheimer has only overseen a single offense that has ranked in the top five. While that occurred in 2023 (his first season in Dallas), his offense regressed to No. 17 last year—the 10th time he's overseen an offense that ranked in the bottom half of the league.

A big reason for this regression was Dak Prescott's poor quarterback play and eventual season-ending injury.

The three-time Pro Bowler was coming off one of the finest seasons of his career, completing 69.5 percent of his passes and throwing for 4,516 yards and 36 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

After being rewarded for his 2023 efforts with a record-breaking contract extension, Prescott's completion rate dipped to 64.7 percent and he amassed a meager 1,978 yards and 11 touchdowns with eight interceptions in eight games before a Week 9 hamstring injury shut him down for the year.

It remains to be seen which version of Prescott will show up in 2025. If he can get back to the level he displayed during his first season working with Schottenheimer, the Cowboys will have a shot to contend for the NFC East title and potentially even make their first conference championship game appearance since their mid-1990s heyday.

If Prescott continues to struggle, Dallas may have to consider options to replace the 31-year-old as early as the 2026 season.