The NFC West didn’t just look strong in 2025 - it looked stacked. Three teams won at least 12 games, the Seahawks and Rams met in the NFC title game, and Seattle finished the run by winning the Super Bowl. Add in the reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Christian McCaffrey taking home NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and this division already has more star power than most of the league can match.
But the headliners aren’t the whole story. There’s still room for new names to break through in 2026, and each NFC West team has one player who looks ready to take a big step.
For the Rams, that name is Terrance Ferguson. The second-year tight end out of Oregon didn’t see a huge volume of targets as a rookie, finishing with just 11 catches.
Still, he made those opportunities count, turning them into 231 yards and three touchdowns. With Los Angeles finding real rhythm when it leaned into 12 and 13 personnel last season, Ferguson could be headed for a much bigger role.
That’s true even with Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and second-round rookie Max Klare also in the tight end room.
Seattle’s breakout candidate is Jadarian Price, and the setup around him is impossible to ignore. The Seahawks let Kenneth Walker walk to the Chiefs in free agency, and Price now steps into that opening with the pressure that comes with being a first-round pick.
He’s also taking on the role of a player who helped deliver major hardware. To make things even tougher, Zach Charbonnet is not expected to be ready at the start of the season while he recovers from a knee injury suffered in the playoffs.
That means Price could be thrown right into a heavy workload. Even with Klint Kubiak gone to the Raiders, Seattle is expected to stay balanced on offense, and Price will have to produce early.
In San Francisco, the breakout watch centers on De'Zhaun Stribling. The 49ers used their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on the receiver, a move that drew plenty of scrutiny given the team’s recent struggles drafting and the constant turnover at wideout after the days of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings.
Even with veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk added this offseason, Stribling has been making steady progress during the 49ers’ offseason program and could be in line for a major role as a rookie. There have also been recent reports that other NFL teams viewed him as the top receiver in the entire draft class.
Arizona’s pick is Walter Nolen, and the logic starts on the defensive side. While Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiyah Love are among the more popular breakout choices for the Cardinals, the offense comes with more skepticism because Nathaniel Hackett is the offensive coordinator.
That pushes the focus toward a defense that needs young building blocks. Nolen, a first-round pick out of Ole Miss last year, already flashed in limited action.
In just 6 games and 169 snaps, he posted 5 TFL, 5 QB hits, and 2 sacks. With a full workload in 2026, he has a chance to become one of the league’s best young defensive linemen.
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