Predicting the NFL's Biggest Turnaround Seasons

Call it a comeback? Not really.

More like a reversal of fortunes. Here is a look at a combination of teams and performers who will bounce back in a big way after not looking their best in 2015.

The discussion here doesn’t concern players such as Tony Romo, Jordy Nelson, Le’Veon Bell, Andrew Luck, Kelvin Benjamin, DeAndre Levy and numerous others who missed at least half of the season.

Up-and-coming teams like the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who made significant improvements in the win-loss column, are also discussions for another time.

You can look for the following (in team alphabetical order) to bounce back in a significant way after somewhat forgettable showings a year ago.

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Todd Kirkland/Associated Press

Self-evaluation is important but can be painful.

Following a less than stellar season under new head coach Dan Quinn and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has taken a closer look at himself this offseason. Literally.

When asked what he has done to get more comfortable with the team’s latest system, he had a revealing answer.

“Simple things like getting in front of a mirror, trying to get your feet into position to be able to drive the ball the way we want to and the timing of the play,” the 31-year-old signal-caller told Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official website.

That may sound strange from a player who completed 66.3 percent of his passes in 2015. Ryan threw for 4,591 yards—the fifth-highest total in the league—but it resulted in just 21 scores. The three-time Pro Bowler was picked off 16 times and lost five of his 12 fumbles.

The interception total was the second-highest of his eight-year career, and the dozen fumbles were a personal worst. After throwing nearly twice as many touchdown passes (12) as interceptions (seven) in the club’s first nine contests, Ryan had just as many scores as picks (nine) in his last seven games.

Look for a more consistent quarterback this fall. The Falcons will stress the ground attack even more with running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The addition of three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack from the Cleveland Browns ensures better play along the offensive line. Look for free-agent wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to give Ryan a fresher pair of legs to pair with All-Pro Julio Jones.

Will the Falcons improve on their 8-8 finish of 2015? That will largely depend on the defensive side of the football. But look for an improved showing from Atlanta’s veteran field general this year.

Baltimore Ravens

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

For the first time in eight seasons under head coach John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens lost more games than they won.

A team used to being in the thick of the playoff mix finished 5-11 in 2015. But thanks to a productive offseason from general manager and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, the club will be back in contention for a postseason berth as well as a division title this season.

The Ravens were busier than usual during free agency. They bolstered numerous areas of the club with the addition of tight end Benjamin Watson, three-time Pro Bowl free safety Eric Weddle and deep threat Mike Wallace. First-round pick Ronnie Stanley will be the team’s new left tackle, one of 11 draft choices by Newsome in April.

Just as significant, Harbaugh’s company hopefully will remain healthier than it did a year ago. For the first time in his eight-year career, quarterback Joe Flacco did not start every game. And he is still recovering from a knee injury that cost him the final six weeks of the season.

Ageless wide receiver Steve Smith is also on the mend following an Achilles injury suffered in November. Running back Justin Forsett, a Pro Bowler in 2014, was also not around for the stretch run, while six-time Pro Bowler Terrell Suggs went down in Week 1 and missed the remainder of the year.

This is far from a perfect team. But it’s one that has players and a coach who know how to play their best football late in the year. When it’s all said and done by season’s end, 2015 will prove to be an aberration.

Chicago Bears

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears rookie outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (94).

The Chicago Bears did make strides a year ago under new head coach John Fox. After a dismal start, this became a much more competitive football team by season’s end.

But the bottom line is that the club finished 6-10 in 2015, just a one-game improvement from their dismal 5-11 showing in 2014. The franchise has not been to the playoffs since 2010, a year in which Soldier Field played host to the NFC title game.

Don’t be surprised if the Bears reverse that win-loss record this fall. A team that was outscored by a combined 105-46 during an 0-3 start went 6-7 the rest of the season. Six of those seven setbacks were by six points or fewer.

Under Fox and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the team improved to 14th in the league in total defense after back-to-back years of ranking 30th in the same category in the NFL. Quarterback Jay Cutler cut back on his turnovers and increased his presence as a leader. Still, it resulted in only one more win than the previous season.

That changes in 2016. The free-agent additions of defensive lineman Akiem Hicks and inside linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan elevate the defense even more. Rookie outside linebacker Leonard Floyd will eventually emerge as a pass-rushing force. You can look for Chicago to improve on those 35 sacks and 17 takeaways of a year ago.

Cutler will have to adjust to life without offensive coordinator Adam Gase (now the head coach of the Miami Dolphins), running back Matt Forte (New York Jets) and tight end Martellus Bennett (New England Patriots). But he still has wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, while speedy wideout Kevin White hopes to erase the memory of a lost rookie season.

Climbing above the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions won’t be easy, as evidenced by the Bears’ 1-5 divisional record each of the past two seasons.

However, could the NFC North have three teams with 10 or more victories this season? Stay tuned.

WR Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Following a rookie season in which he looked like a player on the rise, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams suffered through a rough follow-up campaign.

The 2014 second-round pick from Fresno State totaled 38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns in his debut campaign. Add in seven catches for 117 yards and a score in the club’s NFC divisional playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys, and the future looked promising.

But Adams was plagued by an ankle injury suffered in Week 2 last season—one that caused him to miss three games. While he upped his catch total to 50 in 2015, he averaged just 9.7 yards per reception and added only one touchdown. 

In the NFC Wild Card Playoffs, he was targeted four times and caught four passes for 48 yards and a score. But he suffered a knee injury in the game and was inactive one week later against the Arizona Cardinals.

Now he’s determined to put 2015 behind him.

“It’s a new year,” Adams recently told  Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official website. “My thing is just control what you can control. That’s my work and what I put in and how I go about this offseason and go about this upcoming season. I hurt my ankle. I hurt my knee. I can’t do anything about that. What I can do is bounce back from it. That’s all I can do.”

He’s on course to do just that this fall.

“He looks stronger this year than in the past and he’s healthy,” said head coach Mike McCarthy. “We’ve talked about this a bunch throughout the season and I think he definitely demonstrated that on the catch. He can go up and high-point the football. I think you’re seeing a stronger Davante Adams.”

A healthier receiving corps (Jordy Nelson missed all of 2015 with a knee injury) will do wonders for quarterback Aaron Rodgers as well. Adams will be a big-time factor in the offense this season.

DE Mario Williams, Miami Dolphins

Michael Adamucci/Getty Images

Four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Mario Williams has enjoyed quite a run over 10 NFL campaigns.

Following a highly disappointing final season with the Buffalo Bills, the 31-year-old pro will begin his second decade in the league with the Miami Dolphins.

A total of 15 games under new head coach Rex Ryan’s system in Orchard Park last year added up to five sacks. Williams was coming off a 2014 showing in which he amassed a career-best 14.5 sacks. In his first three seasons with the Bills, the 6’6”, 292-pound defender had racked up an impressive 38 sacks.

Now it’s onto South Florida and Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, whom Williams believes will put him and his new teammates into position to succeed.

“He’s really relying on the guys up front to turn it loose and get after it, which is what most of us are accustomed to doing,” Williams said to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald in late May. “It’s exciting for us knowing [we can] cut it loose. We take it on our shoulders as D-linemen—and most of us are vets—we’re going to go as far as the D-line goes.”

And as far as impetus in 2016, Williams is pretty focused:

"

The most motivation I have, that I want to show, is to this organization. Vance believes in me. The biggest thing is showing them that, "you’re right," and I am definitely going to do everything I can to impact [the game]. I believe in his word and what he’s putting together for us to be able to cut it loose and play to our abilities.

"

With a defensive front that includes Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake, Williams won’t have any problem making amends for a dismal 2015. He’ll be especially anxious to show Ryan and the Bills what he’s still capable of on two occasions this season.

New York Giants

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

We have seen our share of worst-to-first turnarounds over the years in the NFL. That won’t be the case when it comes to the New York Giants and the league’s 32nd-ranked defense of a season ago. But thanks to an aggressive offseason by the franchise, it won’t be a shock when the team reaches double-digits in wins this fall following a second straight 6-10 finish.

Thanks to the free-agent additions of defensive end Olivier Vernon, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive tackle Damon Harrison and linebacker Keenan Robinson, a club that allowed the most total yards and most passing yards in the NFL in 2015 will be significantly better.

The arrival of Vernon aids a pass rush that produced a mere 23 sacks, while Jenkins—as well as 2016 first-round cornerback Eli Apple—bolsters a secondary that allowed a disappointing 31 scores through the air. And both Harrison and Robinson should help the team improve its play against the run (24th in 2015).

There are fewer issues on the other side of the football. That’s one reason Ben McAdoo was the choice to replace head coach Tom Coughlin. Quarterback Eli Manning has thrived under the former offensive coordinator’s system the past two seasons, throwing more than twice as many touchdown passes (65) as interceptions (28) over that span.

In 2013, the veteran signal-caller totaled 18 scores and was picked off an NFL-high 27 times. He has a bevy of weapons in wideouts Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and rookie Sterling Shepard as well as backfield option Shane Vereen.

Add in a little more balance via the ground attack and this will be a better football team overall than the up-and-down club we have seen in recent seasons.

RB Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon certainly hopes to do a lot more than he did in his first NFL season. One of those goals has to be scoring a touchdown, which he failed to do in 14 games.

“I have something to prove more than ever before, and I like that way right now,” Gordon told Ricky Henne of the Chargers' official website in mid-June at mandatory minicamp. “I do feel like an underdog, and I think our whole team feels like an underdog. At the end of the day I’ve got to strap on my helmet and go work. I’ve felt more comfortable the past two weeks. I have a better understanding of the playbook.”

The Chargers finished 4-12 last season, their worst record since 2003. As for Gordon, he ran for a team-high 641 yards on 184 carries and added 33 receptions for 192 yards. But there was no trip to the end zone, while the Wisconsin product lost four of his six fumbles. It was a disappointing showing for the 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft, and Gordon plans on making amends:

"

I have a lot of people doubting me, and they want to see that I am every bit of the player they thought they were getting. I’m out here trying to prove to my teammates most of all that I can play. I have to earn their trust first, and after a whole year with those guys and that tough season, I think it brought us all together. This offseason brought us together too, and we’ve built camaraderie over the offseason. I don’t want to let my teammates down.

"

The return of Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator will be a boon to Gordon. This is a coach who likes to give his quarterback as much support as possible. A revitalized ground game (31st in the league last season) will make life easier for Philip Rivers. As the passing attack thrives, the running lanes become bigger.

There will be a lot more carries and yards for Gordon this fall as well as that first visit to the end zone.

CB Brandon Browner, Seattle Seahawks

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

We found out this past April via his Instagram account one reason that then-New Orleans Saints cornerback Brandon Browner graded out as the league’s worst player at his position in 2015 in Pro Football Focus' rankings:

"

How my season started last year, tore my MCL in the first preseason game. But I kept positive minds set trying to get back for week 1 of regular season. Anyone who has (torn) something in the knee knows the little muscles around the knee go dead. So your recovery is things to strengthen that area and get the muscles to firing again.

Anyways I come back wearing a knee brace because my injury wasn't completely held. I never wanted to make an excuse, so I played thru it. And when I got beat on a play I gave credit where credits do. You'll never catch me say I didn't play well because my knee. Because I don't believe that, but I was restricted at times.

Last year was the most frustrating year for me, those who know me knew I was affected by it. I didn't want to leave the house, and all I was thinking about is playing better each week. But that never happened for me. And this is a BIG part of what drives me everyday.

"

A founding member of the Legion of Boom, Browner is back with the Seattle Seahawks after one-year stints with both the New England Patriots (2014) and the Saints (2015). The 31-year-old defender will have a special role in Pete Carroll’s secondary, as discussed by Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com.

Surrounded again by the likes of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, coming home will prove to be a great move by the determined Browner.