5 NFL players who have taken a huge step back in 2020

A year after the NFL saw a handful of record-setting performances, some of the biggest names in football are crashing back down to earth.

From a multi-million-dollar quarterback fast on the decline, to an all-time great placekicker losing his footing, here are five NFL players who have taken a huge step back in 2020.    

5. Austin Hooper (Cleveland Browns)

After enjoying a career-best year in Atlanta in 2019, Austin Hooper signed with the Cleveland Browns, where his performance has been a shadow of last season’s.

The fifth-year tight end inked a four-year, $44 million contract in free agency, one year after he caught 75 passes for 787 yards and six touchdowns through 13 games.

With a new quarterback and system in Cleveland, Hooper’s numbers are down. Across 10 games, he has recorded 30 receptions for 286 yards and two scores. With just four games remaining in the regular season, he is on pace for 400 receiving yards, his second-lowest total since his rookie season.

His season-high in receiving was a 57-yard outing against Indianapolis in Week 5. Last year, Hooper had at least that many yards in six different games, including two where he hauled in more than 100 yards.

4. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys)

It hasn’t been a good year for anyone on the Dallas Cowboys, particularly star running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Last season, Elliott held out during training camp while demanding a contract extension. The front office responded by making Elliott the highest-paid running back in the NFL, with a record six-year, $90 million deal, with $50 million guaranteed.

This season, Elliott’s production has tailed off drastically for such a high-priced player. The two-time NFL rushing leader is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, his lowest average of his five-year career. He is also on pace to barely hit 1,000 rushing yards.

The only time Elliott failed to breach the 1,000-yard mark was in 2017, when he played just 10 games, but still tallied 983 yards.

Elliott has notched just one 100-yard rushing game this season. He recorded seven 100-yard games in his three other full seasons, and five 100-yard games in his shortened 2017 season.

On top of his statistical decline, Elliott has also lost a career-high four fumbles.

3. Stephen Gostkowski (Tennessee Titans)

Three-time Super Bowl winner Stephen Gostkowski left the Patriots last season with a list of NFL records. Among them, Gostkowski set the mark for highest average points per game scored over a career, and achieved the record for most consecutive extra points (479 in the regular season and 523 through the postseason). He also became the Patriots’ all-time leading scorer in 2014, surpassing Adam Vinatieri.

At the end of 2019, Gostkowski had an 87.4% career field-goal percentage average, which landed him sixth all time. Since joining Tennessee in 2020, Gostkowski’s career average has dropped to 86.28%, as he’s struggled mightily in his 15th NFL season.

In the season opener, he missed three field goals and an extra-point attempt. He also botched a 45-yard game-tying field goal with 19 seconds left in a 27-24 loss to Pittsburgh.

For the year, Gostkowski has hit 16-of-24 of his field-goal tries (66.7%), and has missed two extra-point attempts.

2. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

It would be a bit unfair to expect Lamar Jackson to replicate last year’s MVP season.

After breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record, on top of setting a slew of other milestones, Jackson was destined to regress some in 2020. Few people expected him to take this large of a step back, though.

His completion percentage has dropped from 66.1% a year ago to 63.8%, and he’s on pace to pass for just 2,802 yards and 23 touchdowns. In 2019, he threw for 3,127 yards and 36 scores, which marked a league-high and a Ravens franchise record.

In the ground game, where Jackson is usually even more dangerous, he has put up 669 yards through 11 games. Through four more games, he is likely to hit around 900 rushing yards for the season, compared to last year’s 1,206.

The greatest concern this season has been Jackson’s ball security. He has fumbled the ball seven times, tied for fifth most in the NFL, and lost two fumbles in a 28-24 loss to Pittsburgh. In that game, Jackson also had an interception returned for a touchdown on the first play. The pick was one of seven for Jackson on the season.

1. Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles)

No player has been discussed more than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz lately. The fifth-year starter is on the cusp of permanently losing his job to rookie Jalen Hurts, despite the veteran being under contract through 2024.

Last year, Philly signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract with $107 million guaranteed — the most guaranteed money ever given to an NFL player.

So far this season, Wentz has tossed a league-high and career-high 15 interceptions, which almost matches his total touchdown passes (16) on the year.

He has chucked up two interceptions in six different games this season, and his 57.4% completion rate is his worst ever.

His 10 fumbles rank second in the league, behind only Derek Carr (11), and no player has been sacked more this season than Wentz. Through 12 games, he has been taken down 50 times for 326 sack yards lost.  

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