3. Brandon Marshall, WR
Brandon Marshall must be ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick on this list. He’s a downright stud, even at age 32.
It’s possible to believe Marshall was the single best reason Fitzpatrick was in the position to demand so much money this offseason. His skillset changes everything.
Playing in such a matchup league, offensive coordinators know how frequently things change at the line of scrimmage and just how important a quarterback’s mind truly is.
We saw it routinely in 2015.
When Fitz walked up to the line of scrimmage and saw the defense in a loaded 8-man box, pressure look, or situation in which Marshall looked to be single covered, B-Marsh got the ball.
Here’s a perfect example. On this particular play the Washington Redskins provided an 8-man box with a single-high safety look. Immediately, Fitz looked to exploit the one-on-one coverage with Marshall. Although he threw it in the wrong spot – should’ve been on the outside shoulder – Marshall came up with the incredible catch:
Now take a look at the Jets most memorable play from a season ago. In a goalline spread situation, the New England Patriots felt forced to put their extra safety over-the-top on Marshall.
The result?
Well, the result came down to Eric Decker, the guy who benefits so much from Marshall’s abilities on the other side:
Brandon Marshall is that important to this offense.
