2009 NFL Preview Part Two: The 40 Most Intriguing Players

Last year's list proved rather prophetic, so it's back in plus size.

40. Matt Schaub
The Texans’ season is riding on this brittle man, who has never started more than eleven games in a season.

39. Beanie Wells
Is Beanie the missing piece of the puzzle for a contending team? Will he be able to squeeze or power through the holes that Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James couldn’t? Or will he be sitting on the bench with an injury?

38. Jeff Garcia
37. JaMarcus Russell
An obvious QB controversy in the making – that few non-gamblers outside the Black Hole will care about.

36. Matt Hasselbeck
35. Osi Umenyiora
Pro-Bowlers returning from injury, looking to get their teams back to the Super Bowl.

34. Domenik Hixon
33. Hakeem Nicks
Wide receiver is the only position of weakness for the Giants. A former Broncos cast-off and a first round pick will try to fill the void left by Plaxico Burress.

32. Marcus Trufant
31. Patrick Kerney
30. Lofa Tatupu
29. Aaron Curry
Many are predicting a Seattle resurgence. In order for that to happen, Trufant will have to overcome a back injury, rookie Curry will have to live up to his billing as the most complete and NFL-ready player in the draft, Kerney – coming off injury – will have to return to form as a dominant pash rusher, and Tatupu will have to shake off a shaky 2008.

28. Derek Anderson
27. Brady Quinn
Another QB controversy that few are likely to care about because the team will be so bad…or will it…?

26. Carson Palmer
25. Chad Ochocinco
Ochocinco, always in the news for one reason or another, hopes to return to newsworthy numbers. His quarterback, who has battled injuries all his career, will likely be running for his life behind a patchwork offensive line.

24. Matt Cassel
This will be the first year since high-school Cassel will be in a team’s opening day starting lineup…unless an MCL strain holds him out.

23. Vernon Gholston
22. Glenn Dorsey
21. Chris Long
Three second-year defensive players taken in the first six of the 2008 draft who failed to live up to expectations in their first year. Long showed flashes while starting every game; Dorsey’s first season was unproductive but not enough to classify him as a bust; Gholston is a ghost.

20. LaDainian Tomlinson
A robust, healthy LDT is generating a lot of excitement amongst Charger fans and fantasy owners…but the fact remains very few backs have big seasons after they turn thirty.

19. Pat White
The one player entering the NFL with the potential to show us things we’ve never seen before.

18. Michael Crabtree
17. Roy E. Williams
16. Terrell Owens
15. Brandon Marshall
I don’t want to talk about these guys, but I am interested to see what happens with them.

14. Tony Romo
13. Tom Brady
12. Brett Favre
11. Trent Edwards
10. Mark Sanchez
Five quarterbacks in different stages of their careers – all with unrealistic expectations attached.

9. Devin Hester
8. Orlando Pace
Jay Cutler downgrades from Ryan Clady and Brandon Marshall to the elderly, recently-cut Pace (defending his blindside) and miniscule, converted special teams lightning rod Hester (top wideout). Does Pace have anything left? Can Hester be a #1 wideout?

7. Albert Haynesworth
Now the highest-paid defender in the world, Fat Albert joins a Washington defense that was already fairly stout.

6. Julius Peppers
Few players have ever had so much riding on one season, and few teams have ever had so much riding on one defensive player.

5. Shawne Merriman
Expected to singlehandedly repair San Diego’s lousy defense, playing a role akin to and even more difficult than Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction.

4. Michael Vick
Not only does America’s favorite dog electrocutor come back to the NFL, but he lands on a competitive, high-profile team with ferocious fans and a history of discontent.

3. Jason Campbell
During or after the season, Campbell will become a superstar and sign a gargantuan contract to become one of the highest-paid players in the league, or he will become a second-stringer with a small contract and little hope of playing in meaningful games. There is little middle ground.

2. Kyle Orton
1. Jay Cutler
This year’s wildest offseason soap opera puts both players in awkward positions: Cutler is expected to play like he did in Denver, where he had a stalwart line, receiving corps, and scheme. Meanwhile, Bronco fans have seen what this offense is capable of; Orton and his head coach will be deemed failures if they don’t match the production of Cutler & Shanahan.