Bradley Locker

From household stars to rookies, watching any player return to practice at camp conjures happy feelings for fans. But for those who missed all of last season due to injury, even stepping onto the field is that much sweeter.

, who all earned hardware for their campaigns. Although individual trophies often celebrate the best performances in any given year, it's tougher to contextualize the foremost season of a larger sample size spanning multiple seasons.

It can be easy to want to forget especially difficult seasons, but some are particularly ignominious. Differentiating between bad years is an innately tough task, but PFF's more holistic grades and advanced data can help.

Penalty patterns can change every season, or even weekly, but a broad stroke is useful in understanding which franchises have been the best and worst at avoiding yellow markers. Over the last five years, PFF charting offers a thoroughly insightful look into the most- and least-penalized teams in the NFL, including on what side of the ball and for what call.

Osa Odighizuwa could dramatically help the 49ers San Francisco's interior defenders were the worst in the NFL last year, but the team now sports an elite pass-rusher up the middle.

If these 10 players turn in strong 2026 campaigns, it could take their team from one fighting for a playoff spot to a Super Bowl contender. On the other hand, an underwhelming season could legitimately derail contending hopes altogether.

Jawaan Taylor stands alone: The new Falcon leads the pack with 74 fouls since 2021, with holds and illegal formations being problematic.

Puka Nacua is especially lethal late: The Rams star leads the league with 3.22 yards per route run in games played at night.

Ashton Jeanty ‘s 2024 season won't be forgotten: Although Jeanty just missed out on the trophy, he established numerous single-season PFF running back records.

The rate of good rookies with high prior snap counts is growing: In 2025, 62.5% of high-graded rookies had played at least 1,750 snaps in college.