We are only a few months away from the 2019 NFL season but it's never too early to begin talking about football. There are tons of players who are going into a “prove-it” season in 2019.
A “prove-it” season is when a player needs to step up like they were expected to or are in a contract-year with their current team. Quarterbacks are usually the ones who have the pressure of performing at a high level every season.
Therefore, there are quarterbacks who likely will need to prove themselves in the upcoming season. If not, they'll likely be fighting for a role on another team in the following seasons.
Teams are looking for their franchise guy under center and if you prove you can't be, you'll be rid of like leftovers from three days ago. The NFL is a league where if you can't step up where you're needed, you'll be out of the league very quickly.
Of course, players love performing tremendously when they know that it could earn them a hefty contract. Who wouldn't want to earn millions of dollars because of playing a sport you love?
There are a large number of players who will need to prove themselves in 2019 but we'll narrow it down to just three.
Here are the three players who absolutely need to prove themselves in the 2019 season.
3. Marcus Peters (Los Angeles Rams)
Marcus Peters is heading into a contract year with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. This comes after he was traded to the Rams last offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs.
The fiery cornerback is in the last year of his rookie contract and is looking to get paid. Although, with how he played last season, he will need to earn a new deal with improved play.
At the beginning of the 2018 season, everything seemed to be going flawlessly for the Rams secondary. Peters and Aqib Talib were shutting down everything that came their way through the first couple of weeks.
Then, Talib went down with injury and Peters was asked to step into a larger role with Los Angeles. He struggled, for the most part, covering the other team's best wideout week in and week out.
The 26-year old cornerback had his worst year in terms of interceptions in 2018—getting only three.
The cornerback market was reset with Xavien Howard's new deal—leaving Peters to be next in line for corners if he plays well in 2019.
2. Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago Bears)
The Chicago Bears are getting ready to have a very important season for their team. No player has more pressure on the team than the guy under center—Mitchell Trubisky.
Trubisky is heading into his third season with Chicago but he has still yet to put it all together consistently. Some weeks he looks like he has the potential to be a franchise quarterback and others he looks like an NFL backup.
Matt Nagy and his offense are poised for a fantastic season, as long as Trubisky can improve. In two seasons, Trubisky has had turnover and accuracy issues that have hindered his development.
Last season, he was able to complete 66.6% of his passes but in three games he completed 55% or less of his passes. In an offense where Nagy is calling the shots, he's going to have to be more precise with the ball.
Ball security is another problem that has plagued the young quarterback. Over the last two seasons, Trubisky has fumbled the ball 16 times and has thrown 19 interceptions.
If he hopes to remain the franchise quarterback in Chicago for the foreseeable future, he'll need to prove himself in 2019.
1. Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay Bucs)
There is a ton of pressure on Jameis Winston to have his best season in the NFL in the upcoming season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in quarterback guru, Bruce Arians as their head coach.
In addition, Winston is throwing to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate so that leaves him with no excuses to struggle. Winston is heading into a contract-year after the Buccaneers picked up his fifth-year option for 2019.
If Winston fails to showcase why he was the first pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, he'll be looking for a new team in 2020. The fifth-year quarterback could earn himself a new contract though if he impresses Arians and company.
Through four seasons, Winston has had turnover issues with 58 interceptions and 38 fumbles in his career.
Those numbers have to go down if Winston hopes to remain Tampa Bay's signal caller for years to come.
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