There isn’t a shortage of explosive offensive players in the NFL, but which players provide the most fireworks on the field?
In the spirit of the fourth of July holiday, USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon provides his take for the four most explosive offensive players in the NFL this upcoming season.
Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is an obvious answer but is he the lone quarterback on the list? Does Tyreek Hill make the cut after a down year by his standards. How many wide receivers and running backs make the list?
Here are the four most explosive offensive players in the NFL:
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said this offseason that Jackson will be the highest-paid player in football when he signs his next contract. There’s no doubt the two-time MVP deserves that distinction.
Jackson is coming off a season in which he led NFL in passer rating (119.6), set career highs in passing yards (4,172) and touchdown passes (41), and became the first quarterback in league history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards (915).
The Ravens are once again on the short list of contenders this year. And Jackson and company are motivated after a disappointing showing this past postseason.
“We’re going to bounce back,” Jackson told reporters this offseason. “We’ll come back and I feel like we’re gonna have vengeance on our mind.’
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley
The Eagles rewarded Barkley with a two-year, $41.2 million contract extension after his superb year in Philly. He’s the first running back in NFL history to earn more than $20 million per year.
Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards were the eighth most in a regular season in NFL history. And to top it off, he became the league’s all-time single-season, including playoffs, rushing leader during the Eagles Super Bowl 59 win.
Barkley compiled an NFL-high 46 runs of 10-plus yards.
The Eagles core offensive players are all set to return, including four returning starters along the O-line, so expect Barkley to have another stellar season in Philadelphia.
‘It’s very obvious when you watch the tape how good of a player he is, right. But the things that he has that he brings to our football team as far as his leadership, his work ethic. He’s an awesome teammate. Those are the things that make him very special,’ Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, via the team’s official website.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs
Good things tend to happen when the Lions give Gibbs the football.
Gibbs had a Lions single-season record and NFL-high 20 touchdowns from scrimmage last season. He became only the fourth player in league history to produce a season with at least 1,900 yards from scrimmage, 16 rushing TDs and four receiving TDs in 2024. Entering 2025, the versatile running back is tied-for-first in total touchdowns (31) and ranked third in scrimmage yards (3,190) and rushing yards (2,357) in Lions history through two-career seasons.
Gibbs has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. He’s the first Lions running back to do that since Barry Sanders. He’s averaged 5.5 yards per carry to begin his career.
“I feel like last year was more of a breakout season for (Gibbs),” Sanders said of Gibbs this offseason. “He eclipsed 1,000 yards. Just the type of exciting, dynamic plays that he’s able to make. His speed and his vision.”
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase
Chase earned the receiving triple crown last season. He was rewarded when the Bengals re-signed him to a massive extension this offseason, making him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver.
Joe Burrow and Chase have one of the league’s most potent connections. Chase has 395 catches for 5,425 receiving yards and 46 TDs in four seasons. His total receiving yards and receiving TDs are each the third-most in a player’s first four seasons in NFL history. The wideout leads the NFL in touchdown receptions of 40 or more yards (18), 50 or more yards (13) and 60 or more yards (12) since the start of his 2021 rookie season, per the Bengals.
There’s no sign of Burrow and Chase slowing down. The Bengals have both signed through the 2029 season.
“(Chase) is a special player,” Burrow said to reporters last season. “Any way that you can get him the ball, he makes plays.”
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