Unlike the usual list of expected breakout players this is a look at players that their teams need to break out this season. It's the NFC West's turn.
Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson, RB
When the Cardinals selected Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft they put all of their future hopes in the itty bitty thrower. David Johnson was one of the best, most versatile backs in the league in 2016. A wrist injury forced him to miss all but one game of the 2017 season. A dreadful 2018 season by nearly everyone involved with the Cardinals earned the team the first pick in last spring's draft. The Cardinals need David Johnson to be the player that he was in 2016 to help Murray adjust to the NFL as a rookie.
Los Angeles Rams
Dante Fowler, Jr., DE
The "need" player had to be a defensive player for this time. The offense could really use a healthy Todd Gurley but there's still enough on the offense to continue keeping opposing defenses on their heels. The Rams defense has some solid players in the secondary. They have Aaron Donald up front. They need a pass rushing threat on the edge. Dante Fowler, Jr. was the third pick of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL on the first day of his first mini-camp. It feels like he's been fighting to come back ever since. The Rams acquired Fowler at last season's trade deadline to be their edge rusher. Despite five years in the NFL, he only turns 25 in August. The Rams need Dante Fowler, Jr. to be the pass rusher that the Jaguars selected him at third overall to be.
San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB
It's no surprise that the 49ers need Jimmy Garoppolo to break out. There's a little more to this particular team-quarterback situation. This will be the third season of the vaunted Kyle Shanahan/Jimmy Garoppolo pairing. During that time the quarterback has started only eight games. A midseason trade in 2017 and a season-ending knee injury early last season are the reasons for that modest number. It feels like the two have been the team's quarterback and coach for a while now yet they have so little actual game action. It's not like Garoppolo's injury-prone. A torn ACL is one of those injuries that can strike down a player at any time. It tapped the 49ers' franchise quarterback in last season's third game. The 49ers need Garoppolo on the field for the entire season.
Seattle Seahawks
Ziggy Ansah, DE
This one's easy enough. The Seahawks traded Frank Clark, one of the best young pass rushers in the league, to the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason. Instead of making Clark one of the highest paid defensive ends in the league the Seahawks are paying Ziggy Ansah a decent amount for a single season. Ansah is loaded with raw, athletic, pass rushing talent. When he's on the field for extended periods of time that talent often flashes. 14.5 sacks in 2015. 12 sacks in 2017. Through six seasons, Ansah has played in all 16 games twice. The last time he started all 16 games was in 2015. It feels like he's always trying to get healthy or stay healthy. The Seahawks need Ziggy Ansah to stay healthy. They need him to be the pass rusher that he has the talent to be and that they didn't want to pay Frank Clark to be.
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