New York Jets: Could Calvin Pryor breakout in 2015?

Needless to say, safety Calvin Pryor hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype he generated when he was drafted in the 1st Round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Entering his sophomore season, Pryor is hoping to turn things around in a better direction and play to his true potential. Around this past April, news surfaced that with a new leadership and coaching regime in town, Pryor would most likely be given the green light to return to his natural position of strong safety.

Well, new head coach Todd Bowles has already chimed in on the apparent change Pryor thought was coming. Here’s what he had to say from an article written by Randy Lange over at NewYorkJets.com:

"“He’s going to have to play free and strong in this one, too,” Bowles said of Pryor’s role in last year’s defense as a rookie. “He did a lot of things that he did in college. Last year was his first year. You’re going to have some growing pains. He made some good plays last year, he made some bad plays last year. Hopefully with the growth of the second year and studying and everything like that, he gets better.”"

Even though new defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers will install his style of a 3-4 defense, Pryor will still have to be able to hold down assignments from either safety position depending on what is being called. Bowles was totally right in his comments since the majority of rookies have a tough time transitioning from the college scene into the pros.

Nov 24, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Jets free safety Calvin Pryor (25) against the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless what position he ends up contributing at, Pryor should definitely be much-improved heading into next season. He definitely has the talent to breakout now that the Jets’ defensive secondary was infused with top talent in Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Marcus Gilchrist.

With the best of the best now on the Jets’ secondary, Pryor can simply focus on what he needs to do to succeed and not have to pick up the slack of those around him like last season. He also had some time and attendance issues last year but with a fresh new regime in place, one can tell he’s all in to not only produce some nice stats but also be committed to success.

Overall, expect to see Pryor step up his game and thrive since a new era is upon the Jets. One that will feature a more than likely top-5 defense of the NFL and hopefully a return to the NFL Playoffs in what many believe should be a turnaround season for the Jets. If Pryor truly has a breakout season in 2015, there is no telling just how far the Jets can go this upcoming season.

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