Beyond the quarterback position, a select group of players across the NFL have a unique ability to tilt the outcome of games and redefine expectations and production for how their positions are played. These athletes—whether they are consistent pass-catchers, game-wrecking pass rushers, or in between, are just as essential to their team’s success on Sundays as the athlete calling the plays.
Below, we’ll talk about a few of the most important non-QBs in the NFL today. Players that don't just excel individually; they elevate their side of the football with their presence and production, command attention on each snap, and remain integral cogs for their respective franchises as the playoffs near.
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans
It goes without saying how important Evans is to Tampa Bay. While he missed time this fall battling injury, his presence will and has always remained of the utmost importance for the Buccaneers’ aerial attack. It remains to be seen if Evans will reach the 1,000-yard plateau this year in what would be his 11th consecutive season, but if Tampa Bay eyes a playoff spot in 2024, feeding Evans target after target after ta… you get the point, will remain the way in which the Buccaneers reach their performance ceiling this fall.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt
When it comes to Watt, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ he will make a game-changing play but ‘when.’ The favorite for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Watt is an absolute game wrecker at 5-tech with the ability to take over a football game in an instant should offenses fail to allocate the necessary protection detail.
Watt has more than 30 pressures and 10 sacks already under his belt this fall and will remain the straw that stirs the hefty drink for the Steelers’ defense as long as he’s in uniform. His presence alone forces offenses to adjust their gameplans, and is one of the select few players in football where all 11 offensive players have to be aware of his alignment prior to the snap.
Eagles DL Jalen Carter & RB Saquon Barkley
Carter has evolved into one of the premier players regardless of position in the NFL with the ability to defeat double teams while further opening rush lanes for other Eagles along the defensive front. He makes life easier on LBs Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean on run downs and is a nightmare to counter on long down-and-distances due to his power and explosion at 310 pounds.
For Barkley, what else can you say? I don’t know where the Eagles would be this fall if it weren’t for their new ball-carrier, considering the amount of weight Barkley has to carry in the Kellen Moore attack. Philadelphia isn’t beating anyone through the air (Jalen Hurts ranks 24th in passing yards per game with 208), and if Barkley continues his MVP-like production as the regular season concludes, the Eagles have as good a shot as anyone to come out of the NFC. Barkley has been simply sensational in his first year in Philadelphia, and the offense will continue to stem from his success on the ground game as long as the Eagles have games to play. He’s everything for Philadelphia.
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
Jefferson’s presence alone, away from his herculean production, forces defenses into unique coverage looks in situations where they’d like to align differently. Minnesota did a nice job of adding Jordan Addison, TE TJ Hockenson, and RB Aaron Jones to round out the skill group over the last few seasons, but seeing No. 18 on the outside is a unique type of ballplayer at the wide receiver spot that can take over a ballgame in the blink of an eye.
Commanders TE Zach Ertz
Terry McLaurin also deserves a nod here as well, but it’s Ertz who remains an underrated reason why Washington has had so much success in year one of Jayden Daniels under center. While some would consider Ertz’s best football to be behind him, he’s filled the exact role Washington GM Adam Peters idealized for the veteran TE before his signing in the spring. He’s not only been a competitive blocker to boost the Commanders' third-ranked rushing offense (156.9 YPG) but he’s been a friendly face for Daniels on high-leverage downs, with a little bit of get-up-and-go still in his frame in red zone situations.
Ertz isn’t the most explosive or athletic flex weapon in football, but he remains one of the most intelligent, experienced, and physical veteran pieces for Washington who will remain a key target for Daniels down the homestretch of the season, and likely, into the playoffs.
Broncos WR Courtland Sutton
Bo Nix has been a revelation for Denver and looks like the guy for the future, but Sutton’s veteran presence has been huge for the Broncos. Although Sutton, a former second-round selection back in 2018, has only gone over 100 yards in three of his 10 starts this fall, he’s been a constant source of volume for Nix, with more than 100 targets already under his belt through 13 weeks. For context, Sutton’s career high in targets came back in 2019, when he totaled 115 in 14 starts.
Denver’s big-bodied target in Sutton will continue to remain a vital part of Denver’s aerial attack as they look to punch their ticket to the playoffs. And considering the depth chart around him, his availability remains paramount.
Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montgomery
It’s been a historic campaign for Gibbs and Montgomery. The duo has set the record for the most times (11) an RB tandem had each scored a touchdown in the same game (including the playoffs), while also becoming the first duo in NFL history to score 10 rushing touchdowns each in consecutive seasons.
Gibbs’ speed compliments Montgomery’s physicality unlike anything the league has seen in some time, and while Detroit’s passing attack isn’t too shabby, either, Gibbs and Montgomery’s ability to churn clock and congruently, yards, sets an immense floor for who the Lions could be in 2024. Now 12-1, Detroit has proven they can not only win but dominate games in a variety of ways, led by the NFL’s premier backfield tandem.
