Notable NFL Stars Poised for Bounce-Back Seasons in 2018

Professional boxer Mike Tyson once said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

It's as true in the NFL as it is in the ring.

NFL players enter every season with dreams of team success and individual glory. While a fortunate few realize them, many more get socked in the face by injuries or underwhelming play.

After a down year, players can only try to bounce back the following season. As Hall of Fame head coach Vince Lombardi once said, "It's not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up."

In that respect, the following players are all excellent bets to do just that in 2018.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

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If there was any doubt about Aaron Rodgers' value to the Green Bay Packers, it was settled shortly after he suffered a broken collarbone last October against the Minnesota Vikings.

With Rodgers at the helm over the first five weeks of last season, the Packers were 4-1 and appeared headed toward yet another NFC North title. But when he went down in a heap, so did the Packers. 

The team went 3-8 the rest of the way and missed the postseason for the first time since 2008.

Rodgers is healthy again and back at it in OTAs. He told ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky that he's feeling good and has no intention of playing more conservatively in 2018.

Assuming Rodgers remains upright, he's as close to a mortal lock for a bounce-back season as possible. While Jordy Nelson is gone, Rodgers still has plenty of skill position talent at his disposal, including Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and new arrival Jimmy Graham.

From 2014 through 2016, Rodgers averaged over 36 touchdown passes per year and topped 4,300 passing yards twice. That isn't his ceiling for 2018; it's his floor.

The NFL should just engrave Rodgers' name on the Comeback Player of the Year trophy now to save itself some time.

J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

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Over his first five NFL seasons, J.J. Watt was as dominant as any player in the history of the league.

However, the last two years have been a nightmare.

Watt missed 13 games in 2016 because of multiple back surgeries. Right as he appeared to be rounding back into shape last year, Watt suffered a season-ending tibial plateau fracture.

Texans defensive line coach Anthony Weaver still expects "to see the same J.J. Watt we've gotten used to seeing," per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

"Obviously, he's dedicated his time right now to rehab and getting his body right, but he's always the first one in and the last one to leave when it comes to that," Wilson added. "The expectations are always high, and I think the moment that they're not, you don't know J.J. Watt."

From all indications, Watt's rehab is progressing well, and he's in his best physical shape since he piled up 17.5 sacks and won his third Defensive Player of the Year award in 2015.

If that's the case, a fourth isn't out of the question.

David Johnson, RB, Arizona Cardinals

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Two years ago, Arizona Cardinals tailback David Johnson took the NFL by storm.

In his second NFL season, Johnson topped 1,200 yards on the ground, caught 80 passes and set an NFL record by topping 100 total yards in 15 straight contests to start the season.

However, any chance of a repeat performance ended almost before it began. In the 2017 season opener against the Detroit Lions, Johnson suffered a fractured wrist that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

The timing of the injury served as somewhat of a blessing in disguise. Johnson had plenty of time to train and is now "100 percent healthy" and "stronger than he's ever been," according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Johnson also has a lofty goal in mind for 2018, per Rapoport: becoming the third player in NFL history to tally 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.

Arizona's quarterback situation is unsettled, but whether veteran Sam Bradford or rookie Josh Rosen is under center, Johnson will see at least 350 touches this season if he's healthy.

With that kind of workload, Rodgers may have some competition for Comeback Player of the Year after all.

Richard Sherman, CB, San Francisco 49ers

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On Dec. 2, Richard Sherman will have one thing on his mind: revenge.

That's when the San Francisco 49ers will travel to face the Seattle Seahawks, marking the first time Sherman will see his old team since it unceremoniously released him in the offseason.

Sherman wasn't awful in 2017. But his level of play did slip relative to his heyday, and he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in a Thursday night game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Sherman is still working his way back from the injury, but 49ers defensive end DeForest Buckner said he's already made his presence felt in the locker room, per ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner.

"Our team is pretty young, and there's a couple veterans that we let go last year, so throughout the season we were pretty young, especially on defense. So having a veteran guy like that with the resume he has coming in, he's going to do a really good job with helping us lead this team and put us in the right direction."

It may not be fair to expect Sherman to again become one of the NFL's most formidable cover corners. But given how motivated the three-time first-team All Pro is, betting against it isn't wise, either.

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots made yet another run to the Super Bowl last season, but they did so without one of Tom Brady's favorite targets. Veteran wide receiver Julian Edelman sat out the entire 2017 season after tearing his ACL in the team's preseason dress rehearsal against the Detroit Lions.

The Patriots were able to weather Edelman's absence last year. But after shipping Brandin Cooks off to the Los Angeles Rams, the Pats badly need the receiver who caught 98 passes for 1,106 yards in 2016 to get back on the field.

Edelman told Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe that his knee is feeling good and he's confident he can return to form in 2018.

"Your confidence is built through your preparations and your fundamentals, so we've been working really hard at those things," Edelman said. "It's one of those things where each step you take, you're prepared for that step. That's how I feel."

Edelman turned 32 in May, and any time a player that age is coming off a serious injury, there's cause for concern.

But by the time Week 1 rolls around, Edelman will have had a full calendar year to get right. There's no questioning his rapport with the Golden Boy, and with Cooks gone, the Patriots have to replace 114 targets in one of the NFL's most potent offenses.

All the ingredients are there for a big bounce-back season from Edelman.

Or at least they were. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates, Edelman is facing (and appealing) a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.

That torn ACL may not be the only thing Edelman tries to bounce back from in 2018.

Robert Quinn, DE, Miami Dolphins

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From 2012 to 2014, Robert Quinn tallied double-digit sacks in three straight seasons, including an eye-popping 19 in 2013. He was named a Pro Bowler twice and was in the hunt to be the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.

But from there, injuries started to pile up. Quinn missed half of the 2015 season and then seven more games the following year. He had only nine sacks in those two years combined.

Last year was better: Quinn played in 15 games and posted 8.5 sacks as an outside linebacker in Los Angeles. But the Rams moved on from Quinn in the offseason, trading him to Miami for a fourth-round pick.

Quinn told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post that the Rams' casting him aside didn't sit well, but he's glad for the opportunity at a fresh start:

"You commit yourself to someone and then you have a family member turn their back on you. Then you realize they appreciate you around here and you commit yourself to them. All it takes is for someone to rub you the wrong way one time and you keep moving. I've got a new family down here in Miami, and that's all I'm concerned about."

A healthy, ticked-off Quinn back at his natural position is a dream come true for the Dolphins and a nightmare for AFC East quarterbacks.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

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What Deshaun Watson accomplished in his first seven NFL games was historic.

Never in the history of the league had a quarterback thrown 19 touchdown passes in his first seven games. Watson averaged more than 240 passing yards and nearly 40 rushing yards a game, and he made highlight-reel play after highlight-reel play.

But days after an electric duel against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, Watson suffered a torn ACL during practice, bringing his rookie season to a premature end.

Watson is expected to be ready for training camp, and Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told reporters that he has been working hard toward building on last year's success:

"He's in the building every morning at 6:00 a.m. He's taking care of his body. He's eating correctly. He's in the meetings. He's focused in the meetings. He's ready to go. He has good ideas. There's good interaction in the meetings, and he's come out here on the field and been able to do what he can do. Obviously, training camp will be a big period of time for all of us, especially for he and I moving forward through getting into 11-on-11, full pads, but he's had a good spring."

Getting a healthy Watson and a healthy Watt back? That's borderline unfair.

Eric Berry, S, Kansas City Chiefs

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Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry knows a thing or two about comebacks.

In 2014, Berry missed 10 games while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. Not only did he show incredible toughness by making it back onto the field for the 2015 season, but he played at such a high level that he was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time and brought home Comeback Player of the Year honors.

Berry made his fifth Pro Bowl in 2016, but the 2017 campaign brought with it yet another setback. He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the season opener against the New England Patriots, ending his season after only one game.

Per BJ Kissel of the Chiefs website, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid was glad to see his star safety back on the field in OTAs.

"It's great to have him out here," Reid said. "He's one of our leaders. It's great to have him healthy. He's flying around, doing a great job."

Considering Berry has been named to the Pro Bowl every season he's played more than six games, expecting him to return to an elite level isn't much of a reach.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants

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The 2017 season was a catastrophe for the New York Giants. 

Of all the things that went sideways for the Giants, the biggest was a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers during which the entire receiving corps got hurt—chief among them superstar Odell Beckham Jr.

Beckham is healthy again in 2018, and new Giants coach Pat Shurmur made his expectations for Beckham clear while speaking to reporters.

"We expect him to be one of the best receivers in the game," Shurmur said. "One thing I know about OBJ—this young man loves to play football, and he loves being a Giant."

Unless Beckham reaches an agreement on a contract extension, he'll be heading into the final year of his deal. And if he returns to the form that saw him average 96 catches for 1,374 yards and nearly 12 scores per year over his first three NFL seasons, he'll land a long-term contract that pays well over $15 million annually.

Suffice it to say, there are millions of reasons to expect big things from him in 2018.

Vic Beasley, DE, Atlanta Falcons

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Two seasons ago, Atlanta Falcons edge-rusher Vic Beasley exploded into stardom. He paced the NFL with 15.5 sacks and helped spearhead Atlanta's run to Super Bowl LI.

Tasked with playing more strong-side linebacker and asked to drop into coverage more in 2017, Beasley's numbers fell off a cliff. He finished with only 29 tackles and five sacks, and the Falcons bowed out to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.

In 2018, the Falcons are switching Beasley back to end full time. Defensive line coach Bryant Young told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he believes the move will free up Beasley to do what he does best.

"It frees him up to play more first- or second-down nickel and be available in that way and be fresher during the course of the game. Not that he couldn't handle it because I thought he did a good job of handling the (strong side) and playing defensive end. Just having him available to play more reps at defensive end will be good for us."

Now that he's back at his natural position in 2018, Beasley is bound to double up last year's meager sack total and then some.

And in the modern NFL, sacks and stardom go hand in hand.