It seems every year in the NFL season that second-year player has a big breakout leading to his team’s success.
Last year, second-year quarterbacks Drake Maye and Caleb Williams led their respective teams to the Super Bowl and a strong run in the NFC playoffs.
I’m going to take a look at five players who can greatly improve on their rookie seasons
Second-year QB
Cam Ward, Tennessee
Ward’s success starts with if he can stay off his back less in 2026 as he was sacked a league-high 55 times in 2025.
But there were bright spots in the second half of the season for the rookie QB out of Miami, Fla.
In his final eight games, he was only sacked 17 times as the offensive line found some cohesiveness and Ward held onto the ball less.
He also threw 10 of his 15 touchdown passes during this stretch and only threw 1 interception during the same time period.
The Titans went out and added some more receiving playmakers for him in the offseason. They signed wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and drafted WR Carnell Tate with the fourth pick in the NFL Draft.
Tennessee also added former NY Giants coach Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator. Daboll was Buffalo’s OC from 2018-21, helping to develop QB Josh Allen.
Second-year RB
Bhaysul Tuten, Jacksonville
Tuten may be in a backfield by committee situation since the Jaguars signed Chris Rodriguez in the offseason after Travis Etienne left for New Orleans as a free agent.
But Tuten has two advantages over Rodriguez – Tuten is a better receiver out of the backfield and has a nose for end zone.
Tuten finished with 10 catches for 79 yards and two TDs last season, while Rodriguez has only 6 catches in three seasons.
And Tuten also had 5 rushing TDs to go along with his two receiving scores in 2025.
The duo may split time in the backfield but Tuten should get the more valuable receiving stats at RB.
Second-year WR
Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay
I know a lot may say Egbuka broke out last season, but he left a lot of the table.
Yes, he led the Buccaneers in receptions (63), receiving yards (938) and TD receptions (6), but he didn’t score a touchdown in his last 8 games of the season while battling a lingering hamstring injury. During the final 8-game stretch, he only had 23 receptions and 251 receiving yards.
He was dud for fantasy teams in the playoffs, and fantasy managers will remember what have you done for me lately instead of his stellar first half of the season.
And this season, WR Mike Evans and RB Rachaad White both moved on in free agency during the offseason, opening up more targets (97) in an offense that threw the ball 568 times last season.
Egbuka should start the season as the Bucs’ No. 1 WR as veteran Chris Godwin and third-year Jalen McMillan return this season after battling injuries for most of the 2025 season.
Luther Burden III, Chicago
Burden III was not much of factor during the first half of last season as the rookie was relegated to returns and gadget plays.
During the second half, he became a vital part of the offense. In his last 7 games, he saw 5 or more targets in 6 of those games. He then added 6 catches for 66 yards in the Bears’ two playoff games.
This season DJ Moore moved on to Buffalo in free agency, opening up a starting spot for Burden III. Moore had 50 catches for 682 yards and 6 TDs last season.
Plus, Burden III should continue to handle the team’s jet sweep plays. He added 37 rushing yards on 6 carries after running for 234 yards and 4 TDs in three years at Missouri.
Second-year TE
Colston Loveland, Chicago
While Burden III was still trying to find his place in the Bears’ passing offense last year, Loveland became the focal point during the second half of the season.
Loveland, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had 47 catches for 597 yards and all 6 of his TDs in the final 10 games of the regular season.
He then exploded in the playoffs with 12 catches for 193 yards. In the Bears’ Wild Card playoff win against NFC North rival Green Bay, Loveland became the first rookie TE to record 8 or more catches and more than 100 receiving yards in a game (8 catches on 15 targets for 137 yards).
Loveland should benefit from DJ Moore’s departure as well, but coach Ben Johnson’s offense have used tight ends in big roles in his game plans after his successful run in Detroit using TE Sam LaPorta. Loveland should remain a focal point of the passing game to start the 2026 season.
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