National Football League

Most valuable non-QB for each NFL team

Published May. 25, 2015 12:49 a.m. ET

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By Jesse Reed.

On every NFL team, there are always players who cannot be replaced, despite the best intentions of coaches who preach “next man up.”

For most teams, the quarterback is first on that list. However, for the sake of creativity, we’re going to focus on non-quarterbacks in this article.

These upcoming players are integral members of their respective teams and the least expendable. If they are lost, whether due to injury or off-field troubles, you can be sure their teams will be hurt in the standings.

These are the most valuable non-quarterbacks on every NFL team.

Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB

Offensively, everything the Cardinals do is predicated on quarterback play and pushing the ball up the field, so our focus turns to the defensive side of the ball.

Arizona loves to send linebackers from all angles to blitz opposing passers, meaning the cornerbacks must be able to play on an island. And there isn’t a defensive back on the roster more integral to this plan than Peterson.

Not only is Peterson one of the most physically gifted athletes in the NFL, but he is turning into an outstanding cover corner, despite a down year in 2014. Peterson’s size, speed, athleticism and skill allows him to stick with the league’s top receivers. He is the catalyst for Arizona’s defense.

Atlanta Falcons: Julio Jones, WR

The Falcons win through the air, and Jones is the key weapon in Atlanta’s arsenal.

In 48 career starts, Jones has been targeted by quarterback Matt Ryan 445 times, has caught 278 passes for 4,330 yards (15.6 yards per catch) and 26 touchdowns.

To understand his value to Atlanta, look no further than the 2013 season, when the Falcons went 4-12. Jones was injured for most of the season, and while the team did go 1-3 in games in which he played, the offense was anemic without him in the lineup.

Baltimore Ravens: Terrell Suggs, OLB

Looking at Pittsburgh’s roster, one thing is abundantly clear: The Steelers aren’t going to win games with defense in 2015. Pittsburgh is going to need to score a lot of points to win games, and while Le’Veon Bell will be a big part of the offense, everything revolves around Ben Roethlisberger and Brown.

When Mike Wallace left for Miami via free agency, many wondered if Brown would be able to pick up the slack in his absence. Brown answered that question with two ridiculous seasons, racking up 239 receptions for 3,197 yards and 21 touchdown catches.

Are you kidding me?

Those numbers are beyond outstanding, and all the more so when you consider Brown is only 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds. He abuses cornerbacks with quickness and slick route-running to gain separation and is exceptional after the catch.

San Diego Chargers: Eric Weddle, S

Safety play is so important in the NFL these days—especially in the AFC West. With Peyton Manning, Derek Carr and Alex Smith, to a lesser extent, to contend with, the Chargers rely on Weddle to keep the secondary in line and combat the aerial assaults they face on a regular basis.

Thankfully for San Diego, Weddle is one of the best in the business.

Though he is listed as a free safety, Weddle can play in the box as well. He isn’t the biggest guy, at 5-foot-11 and 203 pounds, but he racks up tackles every year in addition to his fine play on the back end. It is for this reason that Weddle continues to impress the folks at Pro Football Focus, earning the highest grade for all NFL safeties last year (via Pro Football Focus, subscription required).

San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis, TE

Polling 49ers fans, most seem to think Aldon Smith is the most valuable non-quarterback on San Francisco’s roster. After doing some soul-searching, however, it seems clear that Davis is the player that will influence San Francisco’s fate the most in 2015.

Davis was invisible in San Francisco’s offense last year. He held out of training camp for a new contract—a contract he never did receive—and then had the dropsies all season long. It was a tremendous regression for one of the game’s great tight ends. He ended with just 26 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns.

Remember, this is a guy who has caught 13 touchdowns in a season twice.

If he can return to form, then the 49ers will be much more effective on offense than they were a year ago, which appears to be a necessity given the team’s many defensive losses this offseason.

Seattle Seahawks: Richard Sherman, CB

Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Sherman sets the tone for the entire Legion of Boom.

There are more than a few stars on Seattle’s roster, but none of them impact every game like Sherman (no disrespect intended to Marshawn Lynch). Quarterbacks have learned through difficult lessons to avoid throwing at the defensive back almost entirely.

Sherman played in 989 snaps last year, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), allowing just 31 catches while being thrown at 65 times. That works out to a completion percentage of just 47.7 percent, and quarterbacks earned a passer rating of 48.4 throwing at Sherman.

Take him out of the lineup and Seattle’s defense won’t be nearly as effective against the pass, which is the biggest strength of the team that has made it to the Super Bowl the past two seasons.

St. Louis Rams: Chris Long, DE

Heart and soul gets tossed around an awful lot about NFL players, but Long truly embodies this moniker for the Rams. One of the most steady leaders in the league, Long has been a stalwart for St. Louis since joining the team in 2008 out of Virginia.

His value can be quantified by the simple fact that the Rams truly suffered without him in the lineup last year, when he missed most of the season with an ankle injury.

Nobody suffered more than fellow pass-rusher Robert Quinn, who saw his sack totals diminish by nearly half from the year before without Long playing opposite him on the line. And it would have been much worse if not for the three sacks Quinn logged against the hapless Raiders in Week 13.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy, DT

Though maybe not quite on the extraordinary level of Suh, McCoy is still one of the league’s top interior linemen. He is the premier pass-rushing defensive tackle in the NFL and is not a liability against the run. In the past three seasons with Tampa Bay, McCoy has logged 23 sacks, which is phenomenal for a 4-3 defensive tackle.

Where McCoy truly shines, however (and this separates him from Suh, who is a pure mercenary), is as a vocal leader for his team. He played with a broken hand before being placed in the IR with a knee injury, knowing full well the pain would be ridiculous.

“Being one of the leaders of the team and the defense, it’s obviously better if I’m out there,” he said after breaking his hand, via ESPN.com. “Me personally, anybody that knows me knows I’m going to fight until I can’t fight anymore.”

While dealing with a rash of injuries last season, McCoy continued providing an emotional spark for his team, despite the fact that the Buccaneers couldn’t buy a win. He ended the season with 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble, playing in 13 games.

Tennessee Titans: Brian Orakpo, OLB

The Titans hired Dick LeBeau to run their defense, and his 3-4 scheme is predicated on getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If that scheme is going to be effective this upcoming season, then Orakpo will need to come up big for Tennessee.

When healthy, Orakpo is an extremely effective pass-rusher. In his four healthy seasons, the former Texas Longhorn has averaged nearly 10 sacks and has also shown a propensity for creating turnovers with five forced fumbles and three recoveries.

His biggest issue since entering the league in 2009 is that he has suffered two season-ending injuries, both of which were torn pectoral muscles. If (and history suggests it is a big if), Orakpo can play all season for the Titans, then Tennessee will be in great shape to improve upon its abysmal record of a year ago.

Washington: Ryan Kerrigan, OLB

One of the best pass-rushers in the league, Kerrigan is highly under-appreciated by the national media.

The former Purdue Boilermaker is coming off a career year, when he sacked opposing quarterbacks 13.5 times to finish No. 7 overall in that department. Per Pro Football Focus, he was even more effective than that number indicates, finishing just behind Justin Houston with 51 total quarterback pressures (via Pro Football Focus, subscription required).

To put that in perspective, the next-best player on the list was Dwight Freeney, with 40.

Kerrigan will miss a portion of team OTAs after undergoing a minor arthroscopic procedure to relieve pain in his left knee, but he is expected to be ready for training camp.

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