Five Under the Radar NFL Players Who Could Breakout This Preseason

Week 1 of the NFL preseason begins Thursday with the New England Patriots facing the Carolina Panthers and the Detroit Lions taking on the New York Giants. The remaining 28 teams are all scheduled to be in action over the following three days.

Last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans was a great appetizer, even if it was incomplete due to weather.

Here are five players who are flying under the radar and could shine before the regular season kicks off. 

WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears

A lot of the attention on Chicago’s offense is centered around No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, and rightfully so, but Odunze came off the board at No. 7 and should be presented with plenty of opportunities to slip past opposing defenses. 

Stars DJ Moore and Keenan Allen will be headlining the Bears’ receiving corps, meaning Odunze should oftentimes end up being the open man.

Chances are Moore and Allen are going to be taking limited snaps during the preseason, so Odunze is going to have an opportunity to make a lot of noise.

LB Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions

Another first-round selection in this year’s draft (18th overall), Campbell did an amazing job of helping Iowa maintain its status as a top defensive program during his four years with the Hawkeyes.

The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, Campbell totaled 305 tackles during his Iowa career. He joins an enthusiastic Detroit team that will be contending for an NFC title, and he should thrive in the Lions’ system.

Campbell likely won’t be as dominant as he was in college right out of the gate, but he has all the potential in the world to develop into a star in the professional ranks.

WR Demario Douglas, New England Patriots

New England is clearly a shell of its former self, and someone is going to need to step up this season if the Patriots want to break into the column more than once or twice. 

Don’t be surprised if Douglas answers the call.

Douglas is entering his second season with New England after hauling in 49 catches for 561 yards in 2023. He’ll have Jacoby Brissett—and eventually, maybe, Drake Maye—throwing to him in Year 2 while serving as the No. 2 option behind Kendrick Bourne.

QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

It’s looking like Jarrett Stidham is going to be QB1 in Denver to start the season, but we feel like the starting job is still up for grabs.

And Nix could take it should he have an impressive preseason.

One of the best signal-callers to play at Oregon, Nix is certainly going to have more of a chip on his shoulder than Stidham and third-stringer Zach Wilson. There’s going to be plenty of growing pains during the post-Russell Wilson era. However, Nix could help the Broncos get back on track quicker than you’d think.

QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Let’s not forget just how good Richardson looked before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the season in 2023.

The 22-year-old played just four games last year, totaling seven touchdowns (three passing, four rushing) against just one interception. He went 2-2 in his starts with Indianapolis, and you have to wonder how the Offensive Rookie of the Year race would have looked had Richardson played an entire season.

Can he bounce back? Hopefully we get a partial answer before the regular season starts.