Star players returning from injury could alter the NFL Landscape in 2016

So much has been made about the Baltimore Ravens extremely unfortunate injury situation in 2015 that not much more can be said.  Injuries are a big part of football and the best teams have the depth to overcome a few injury issues.  Much of it ultimately is determined by luck, some teams stay miraculously healthy throughout a full season and others are simply decimated by a huge volume of injuries.

The 2015 season seems to have had more injuries to top players than recent seasons.  Which teams, besides the Ravens, have the most to gain from players getting healthy this offseason?

A quick analysis of the perceived contender's injury outlooks:

AFC North

- The Cincinnati Bengals remained remarkably healthy until quarterback Andy Dalton broke his thumb in December.  Linebacker Vontaze Burfict also missed eight games with a knee ailment.  It is unlikely they would have gone much further in the playoffs considering Marvin Lewis' playoff record

- The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered some major losses last season.  Ben Roethlisberger was in and out of the lineup which has become expected.  Le'Veon Bell had a gruesome knee injury and missed the second half of the season, he has had enough issues in his short career to be considered injury prone.  The leader of the offensive line, center Maurkice Pouncey also missed the entire season and second round cornerback Senquez Golson was an underrated loss.

AFC East

- The New England Patriots were banged up all season, even though many of their better players avoided injured reserve.  The loss of dynamic scatback Dion Lewis at midseason was probably the most impactful injury.  Rob Gronkowski missed time again, Julian Edelman only played in nine regular-season games before returning for the playoffs while linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower both missed a month of the regular season nursing injury.  Losing left tackle Nate Solder for 12 games was also significant.

- The Miami Dolphins dealt with their own injury problems with star pass rusher Cameron Wake missing nine games with a torn ACL.  Safety Lou Delmas missed the whole season with an ACL and first round receiver DeVante Parker took a long time to become involved in the offense after foot surgery.

- The New York Jets were relatively healthy in 2015.  Tight end Jace Amaro, deep threat receiver Devin Smith and corner Dee Milliner were their most detrimental injuries.

AFC South

- The Houston Texans rode a healthy season to the playoffs.  Arian Foster missed a majority of the season and is no longer with the team.  Former #1 pick Jadeveon Clowney missed a few games but consider himself 100% healthy this offseason

- The Jacksonville Jaguars lost first round pick Dante Fowler for the season last year and now face another injury to this year's top pick Jalen Ramsey, who could miss a good chunk of the season or more depending on the severity of his knee injury.  Defensive tackle Sen'Derrick Marks, one of their best lineman, also missed twelve games.

AFC West

- The reigning Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos were pretty fortunate injury wise in 2015.  Outside of the offensive line and five midseason games missed from DeMarcus Ware, they overcame their injuries to win the Lombardi trophy.

- The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a major setback when Jamaal Charles went down for the season after Week 5.  Former Raven Ben Grubbs was their only other notable player to be placed on the injured reserve list.

- The up and coming Oakland Raiders were another young squad that dodged a lot of injuries.  Starting tackle Menelik Watson missed the season and promising defensive lineman Mario Edwards was put on the shelf late in the year with a possibly career-threatening neck problem.

NFC North

- The Green Bay Packers were hit hard by the loss of receiver Jordy Nelson, which changed the complexion of their passing game.  A rash of injuries on the offensive line left Aaron Rodgers without time in the pocket down the stretch.

- The Minnesota Vikings followed the trend of younger teams remaining healthy overall.  They incurred some dings on the lines on both sides of the ball, but nothing that really held them back.

NFC East

- The Dallas Cowboys had some crippling injuries, namely Tony Romo who had another collarbone fracture and Dez Bryant who missed most of the season with a broken foot.  Sean Lee only missed two games for a change but fellow linebacker Rolando McClain missed five total games including suspension.

- The New York Giants suffered a litany of injuries, including Will Beatty and Victor Cruz who each missed the season, Jon Beason who missed nine games and Johnathan Hankins who missed the second half of the season.

NFC South

- The Carolina Panthers made it to the Super Bowl in spite of a lost season from star wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin.  They also dealt with some injuries in the secondary that tested depth in the playoffs.

NFC West

- The Arizona Cardinals were quite healthy until ball-hawking safety Tyrann Mathieu went down with a late-season ACL tear that may have altered the outcome of the playoffs.  Chris Johnson also went on injured reserve which may have been a blessing in disguise since it gave David Johnson the opportunity to take over the workhorse back role.

- The Seattle Seahawks watched Marshawn Lynch play in only seven contests, but Thomas Rawls filled in admirably.  Cornerback Jeremy Lane missed extensive time while fragile tight end Jimmy Graham was out for the last quarter of the season and playoffs.

It is safe to say that the 2015 Ravens were negatively affected by injuries more than any other contender.  The chart below, courtesy of Pro Football Reference, details the games missed by the 2015 Ravens:

Player	09/13 vs. DEN	09/20 vs. OAK	09/27 vs. CIN	10/01 vs. PIT	10/11 vs. CLE	10/18 vs. SFO	10/26 vs. ARI	11/01 vs. SDG	11/15 vs. JAX	11/22 vs. STL	11/30 vs. CLE	12/06 vs. MIA	12/13 vs. SEA	12/20 vs. KAN	12/27 vs. PIT	01/03 vs. CIN
Kyle Arrington														D
Nick Boyle										D	P
Terrence Brooks						O	O	P
Marlon Brown											IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Michael Campanaro					IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Chris Canty	P	P	O	O	O	O	P		P	P		P	P	IR	IR	IR
Will Davis						IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Elvis Dumervil						Q	P			P			P	P		P
Matt Elam	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Chase Ford											D	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Justin Forsett		P				Q					IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Crockett Gillmore				O	O	Q			P				IR	IR	IR	IR
Chris Givens						Q
Will Hill			P
Asa Jackson							Q
Timmy Jernigan	D	P
Kyle Juszczyk																P
Kendrick Lewis							Q	Q
Albert McClellan					P									D	D	Q
Rashaan Melvin	D	Q
Eugene Monroe		O		O	P			D	P		IR	IR	O	IR	IR	IR
C.J. Mosley			P
Kelechi Osemele								Q		Q	D	P		P
Breshad Perriman	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Dennis Pitta	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP	PUP
Allen Reisner	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Matt Schaub													Q	P
Daryl Smith	P	P			P	P	P		P	P		P	P	P	P	P
Jimmy Smith													P		P
Steve Smith					D	Q		P	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Terrell Suggs		IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Lorenzo Taliaferro	O	P	Q		IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Brent Urban	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Ricky Wagner												P	P		P
Tray Walker			Q					O	P
Darren Waller		Q				O	P	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Lardarius Webb						D	Q
Terrance West														Q
Brandon Williams													P
Maxx Williams							O	Q				O	P
Julian Wilson	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR
Shareece Wright											Q
Marshal Yanda					P	Q	P							P
Jeremy Zuttah									Q	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR

But it is fair to say that some of the other teams did better in overcoming their injuries than the Ravens did.  Let's hope that the Ravens have some good luck next season from an injury standpoint...