Most improved player on every NFL team

This season will likely end with Steve Wilks becoming the first Cardinals one-and-done coach in more than 65 years, but one of his pupils has stood out. Bynes went from afterthought (three-year, $5.8 million contract in March) to three-down linebacker, outplaying former Arizona first-rounders Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick. Bynes played in only 11 games before suffering a season-ending injury. He still leads all Cards linebackers (after 15 games) with 75 tackles. Pro Football Focus tabs the journeyman as a top-15 'backer. Bynes may be a long-term cog at a low price.

The Falcons will have to authorize a major pay raise for Jarrett soon if they intend to keep him in the fold after 2018. The former fifth-round pick has shown steady growth as a pro. Peaking with a dominant showing in Super Bowl LI, Jarrett remains the Falcons' top interior pass-rush threat. He has collected a career-high six sacks this season and is one of Pro Football Focus' premier run-defending inside presences. Jarrett may be a franchise tag candidate come March and will cost well north of $10M per year to retain on a long-term deal.

The Ravens have seen a few outside linebackers break out during contract years en route to big money. Smith may be the latest. Following in the footsteps of Paul Kruger and Pernell McPhee, Smith has emerged as a key sack artist in Baltimore as his rookie contract winds down. The former fourth-round pick has a Ravens-best 8.5 sacks — three more than he collected in any previous season — and despite being a part-time starter, Smith has a team-high 25 quarterback hits. With the Ravens often opting for compensatory picks rather than re-ups for role players, Smith could be a hot commodity in March. 

Given the starting weak-side linebacker job late last season, Milano is one of many Bills defenders who has played well for the NFL's No. 2-ranked defense. The second-year player out of Boston College is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg. Despite playing in only 13 games, Milano intercepted three passes — second among all linebackers — and recovered three fumbles. This season, the fifth-round pick grew from a part-time player to a cornerstone talent for Sean McDermott's promising defense. 

He may not really be a Pro Bowl snub, with the NFC's running back group featuring an elite trio, but this is certainly an interesting omission. McCaffrey is one of the NFL's most improved players, morphing from borderline gadget performer as a rookie to a three-down dynamo in his second year. The Stanford alumnus will likely end this season with twice as many yards from scrimmage as he totaled as a rookie. With 1,925, McCaffrey sits second in the NFL. He averages more yards per carry (5.0, up from 3.7 in 2017) than each NFC Pro Bowl back and on Sunday set a single-season record for receptions by a running back (106). 

After an intriguing rookie season that crested with a rare (for a defender) two-touchdown game, Jackson has become one of the NFL's best safeties. He has intercepted six passes, forced two fumbles and scored two more defensive TDs. The Bears sent four defenders to the Pro Bowl; Jackson is the youngest of those talents. Counting his final two years at Alabama, Jackson has scored seven defensive touchdowns since 2015. Things are going quite well for Chicago's defense, which leads the NFL in rush- and pass-defense DVOA. No team has done that since the 2012 Bears.

The Bengals invested another top-10 draft choice in a wide receiver last year, and John Ross does randomly have seven touchdowns this season (on just 209 receiving yards). But Boyd broke through to become the Bengals' top sidekick wideout in the A.J. Green era. The former second-round pick worked the slot often and finished his abbreviated season with 76 catches, 1,028 yards and seven touchdown grabs. That yardage total (in less than 14 full games, many with Green injured and unable to draw double teams) easily surpasses every other Green complementary cog. 

Occasionally the subject of memes for being often aligned more than 25 yards off the ball in the Browns' scheme as a rookie, Peppers now looks like the player Cleveland coveted. He shifted to strong safety, his more natural position after a college career spent mostly as a box defender, and has been one of the NFL's best safeties — both as a run defender and cover man. Peppers came through with an acrobatic interception and a game-ending sack in a nationally televised spot in Denver and looks like a long-term starter for the rising Browns.

Moved from safety back to cornerback, where he finished his college career, Jones is one of the key reasons fans can purchase 2018 NFC East division champion T-shirts with a Cowboys logo on them. Jones, Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch have helped revitalize Rod Marinelli's defense. A physical corner displaying elite press-coverage skills, Jones has earned himself a major payday with his breakout season in DB coach Kris Richard's scheme. He has hovered at or near the top of Pro Football Focus' corner hierarchy all season. 

Big-picture problems are plaguing the Broncos, but they have seen plenty of new contributors emerge. Out of football for all of the 2016 season, Harris caught on with Denver in '17 and showcased potential in spurts. This year, his work gives the Broncos a glimpse at a possible long-term defensive line cog. Although the sack numbers aren't there (1.5), the backup nose tackle has been a handful as an inside defender all season. Harris' best moment came when his end zone interception sealed an upset win for the Broncos over the Steelers. He will be a restricted free agent at season's end.

The Lions' passing game included Golden Tate for four-and-a-half years and Marvin Jones for two-and-a-half. Neither has been playing for Detroit for several weeks, leaving Golladay as Matthew Stafford's primary weapon. Golladay showed potential as a longtime starter. Twelfth in Football Outsiders' defense-adjusted yards above replacement metric, Golladay has propped up a depleted passing attack. The second-year wideout has posted 1,063 receiving yards — nearly 600 more than he amassed in 11 games as Detroit's No. 4 aerial option in 2017 — and figures to be a critical component of future Lion arsenals.

Prior to an elbow injury stalling Clark's momentum, the third-year Packer began to justify the franchise's lofty investment. A 2016 first-round pick, the defensive lineman came through with six sacks — more than he'd accumulated in his first two seasons. Clark appears a lock to see the Packers pick up his fifth-year option in May. Although Clark did not make the NFC Pro Bowl roster, he is an alternate and had a good excuse. Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox and Akiem Hicks beat him out.

Serving as the movable chess piece in the Texans' secondary, Jackson has roamed the field and excelled to the point that he can qualify for this young-man category in his ninth season. Houston's longest-tenured defender has flashed before but has not played too well in recent years. The Texans moved Jackson to safety this offseason, but after Andre Hal's return from a cancer diagnosis, he slid back to his original position. Despite eight years at corner, Jackson proved adept at both spots this year. He has a career-high 84 tackles and forced two fumbles. 

Marlon Mack, Mark Glowinski and Denico Autry warranted consideration, but Ebron has been essential for a Colts team that does not have much in the way of aerial weaponry beyond T.Y. Hilton. Ebron's yardage numbers (62 receptions, 690 yards) are not a drastic improvement from his Lions days, but the fifth-year tight end has 13 touchdowns — tied for second-most by a tight end or wide receiver this season. His 12 TD receptions this season surpassed Dallas Clark's Colts tight end record. Andrew Luck's re-emergence would not be where it is without Indianapolis' Ebron addition. 

The Jaguars' defenders have, for the most part, not been as good as their 2017 versions — understandable given the team's lower-stakes backdrop compared to last season. Moncrief came to Jacksonville after back-to-back underwhelming seasons in Indianapolis, and despite arguably the NFL's worst quarterback situation, he has bounced back. His 647 receiving yards are nearly 300 more than his 2017 Colts season. He made good money for his stay with the struggling Jags, with the team giving the former third-rounder $9M, and he may hit the market again.

With all due respect to the soon-to-be wealthy Chris Jones, he is not the NFL's MVP front-runner. Mahomes may well have been a phenom last year, but practice work behind Alex Smith does not count. The Chiefs' sophomore superstar is the easy choice here. Viewed as a raw talent out of Texas Tech, Mahomes (48 touchdown passes, 4,816 passing yards, No. 1 in QBR) has been stunningly brilliant out of the blocks. He is all set to be the Chiefs' first NFL MVP. The long-moribund Royals win a World Series and the Chiefs land a franchise quarterback in an 18-month span? Talk about rarefied air for Kansas City sports. 

The Chargers found something in the Iowa-developed cornerback. In addition to serving as Los Angeles' return man, King has become a quality slot corner in just his second season. Rating as one of the best corners in the game, the 2017 fifth-round pick has scored two varieties of touchdowns this season. Both his interception return and punt return proved massive in narrow wins — over the Seahawks and Steelers, respectively. King looks like one of the recently relocated team's players who will still be a Charger by the time the franchise moves into its state-of-the-art L.A. stadium in three years.

A random May 2017 waiver claim has played like one of the NFL's best guards a year later. Blythe took over for a suspended Jamon Brown to start this season; the Rams did not give Brown his job back upon return and eventually waived their multiyear starter. Instead, Blythe — a 2016 seventh-round Colts pick — has played a key role in Todd Gurley's dominant season. The Rams loaded up on veteran talent to pair with Jared Goff's rookie contract, and cost-controlled players like Blythe have helped general manager Les Snead use this strategy. 

In 1998, Dolphins cornerbacks Terrell Buckley and Sam Madison each recorded eight interceptions. They played in all 16 games that season. Howard, who has an NFL-best seven, has suited up for only 12 thus far. Howard's septet of picks — most in Miami since Buckley and Madison — have come in bunches, with the third-year corner recording three two-INT games. After a breakout game muzzling Brandin Cooks in a two-INT December 2017 Dolphins win over the Patriots, Howard has strung together similar showings and become one of the NFL's best ball hawks en route to Pro Bowl acclaim. 

The Vikings have kept several defenders from hitting the free-agent market in recent years, and the franchise's decision to lock up Hunter prior to his contract year looks prescient. Despite being in his fourth season, Hunter is only 24. He is already one of the NFL's best edge rushers, earning Pro Bowl recognition for the first time. Hunter registered 12.5 sacks in 2016 but did so as a backup. He is now the Vikings' top pass rusher, with his 14.5 sacks (and 21 tackles for loss — by far a career high) securing a Pro Bowl invite.

Justifying the Patriots' rare long-term, high-dollar, free-agency expense, Gilmore earned his second Pro Bowl nod. The seventh-year cornerback has been the best Patriots player this year and a bright spot for an inconsistent team. Pro Football Focus' No. 1 overall corner, Gilmore rebounded from a less consistent 2017 into a player worthy of his five-year, $65 million contract — one that essentially sent Malcolm Butler out of New England. A leaky Patriots team can at least rely on Gilmore come January. 

Long an embarrassment, the Saints defense has come alive this season. New Orleans' run defense is the league's best. Part of the reason: the team's 2016 first-rounder's breakthrough season. Rankins has dominated in spurts up front, which has been mostly noticeable against the pass. The Saints' three-technique tackle has eight sacks — second-most on the team and two more than Rankins registered in two prior seasons — and can make guards look silly with his short-area quickness. He even dropped back in coverage to force JuJu Smith-Schuster's monumental fumble. 

After a rookie season featuring a 72 percent field-goal accuracy rate, Rosas is the NFC's Pro Bowl kicker — despite kicking for a 5-10 team. Rosas has made 96 percent of his field goals and extra points this season. He has connected on four 50-plus-yard tries — including a career-long 57-yarder — and drilled a 44-yard game-winner in the Giants' top 2018 showing, their 30-27 overtime victory over the Bears. While it remains to be seen if Saquon Barkley will hang out with him at the Pro Bowl, Rosas appears to have stabilized the Giants' kicker job. 

The Jets are set to hold more than $106 million in 2019 cap space — second-most in the league. They need it. Their roster has holes at nearly every position, but one place embattled general manager Mike Maccagnan does not need to address is safety. Adams already showed signs of dominance as a rookie, but the former No. 6 overall pick (104 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles) has become the Jets' best player in 2018. Used all over the field — at safety, in the slot, at linebacker, etc. — the LSU-honed hybrid standout made the Pro Bowl despite the Jets having only two prime-time games.

At 31, Cook should have shown the football-following world his best stuff by now. However, it may have come in a nightmare Raiders season. The ninth-year tight end delivered for Derek Carr before and after the Amari Cooper trade. With three 100-yard games on his 2018 resume, Cook has surpassed his career-high yardage total with 868 yards in 15 games. One of the few Raider bright spots, Cook has a chance to notch the franchise's first 1,000-yard season by a tight end since Todd Christensen in 1986. He figures to be a sought-after free agent for a third time.

The Super Bowl-winning touchdown scorer, Ertz has been one of the league's better tight ends for a bit now. He elevated his game to a new level in 2018. The Eagles have disappointed in their title-defense season but remain in contention and largely have Ertz to thank. The sixth-year tight end is second in the NFL with 113 receptions, a single-season record for tight ends. Ertz has produced with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles, with his latest showing — a 12-catch, 110-yard, two-touchdown day against the Texans — helping the Eagles stay alive in their playoff pursuit. 

Since the late 1990s, the Steelers have committed long term to two wide receivers — Hines Ward and Antonio Brown — and let the rest of their string of qualified supporting-casters walk after their rookie contracts expired. Although Brown made the Pro Bowl and is arguably this era's best wideout, Smith-Schuster leads the Steelers (and sits fourth in the NFL) with 1,389 yards. After a 917-yard rookie season with Martavis Bryant in the fold, Smith-Schuster has become an electric sidekick. With Brown set to turn 31 next year, JuJu may be next in line to anchor Pittsburgh's wideout corps.

Kyle Shanahan denied Kittle a chance at an NFL record, but the 49ers struck gold (pun intended, I suppose) with a fifth-round pick. Kittle torched the Broncos for 210 yards, four away from Shannon Sharpe's single-game tight end record, and did it in one half. He smashed Vernon Davis' 49ers record for single-season tight end yards and with 1,228 through 15 games and is 99 away from Rob Gronkowski's all-time single-season record. Considering Kittle did not total 1,000 yards in four years at Iowa, barely surpassed 500 last year and has seen backup QBs mostly target him, this is a staggering ascent.

Last season, Russell Wilson's 586 rushing yards led the Seahawks — by 346 . Designed Seahawk running plays last season went historically poorly. Enter Carson, a 2017 seventh-round pick who saw an injury cut his rookie year short before a strong offseason earned him the starting job. Although he has split time with Mike Davis and first-round pick Rashaad Penny, Carson is without a doubt this backfield's lead dog. The powerful runner has amassed 1,029 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, scoring pivotal fourth-quarter TDs in this playoff journey's nationally televised showcases. 

Despite using a first-round pick on Howard last year, the Buccaneers gave Cameron Brate a five-year, $40M-plus contract. Howard was the secondary tight end option behind Brate as a rookie, but the well-rounded Alabama product reorganized the Tampa Bay tight end hierarchy this season. Prior to going down with a season-ending injury, Howard totaled 565 receiving yards — passing his rookie-year mark by the eighth game of his second slate — and snared five touchdowns. He ended his season as Pro Football Focus' top-graded tight end and will be a key component of future Bucs aerial attacks.

Like his two other 2017 first-round wide receiver peers, Mike Williams and John Ross, Davis was slow to acclimate to the NFL as a rookie. He finished with just 375 receiving yards. This season, he has been by far the Titans' top target. While this passing game still needs plenty of work, ranking 29th, Davis is a bright spot. The Western Michigan product has amassed 843 yards this year, doing so as Tennessee's only dangerous pass-catching option. With a presumably deeper set of sidekicks in 2019, Davis should push for his first 1,000-yard season. 

This is allowed. While Peterson was a lock Hall of Famer before he showed up in Washington, he added a unique chapter to his legacy this season. Peterson averaged 3.5 or fewer yards per carry in 2016 and '17, with the Vikings cutting him, the Saints trading him and the Cardinals letting him walk in free agency in that span. Peterson joined the Redskins in late August and has gained 1,042 yards (4.2 per carry). Perhaps more impressive, the 33-year-old modern-era great has done so for a team that has lost numerous linemen to injury and is using its fourth starting quarterback.