The biggest holes still remaining on NFL rosters
9 min read
Although teams did plenty to fill holes in free agency and the draft, several noticeable deficiencies remain amid offseason workouts. Here are the most notable NFL roster holes as teams head into on-field activities.
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Arriving during the John Elway-Vic Fangio regime, Lloyd Cushenberry has managed to hang onto his starting spot despite two years of sub-average play and an injury-limited 2022 slate. Denver may well give the former third-round pick another chance, having invested heavily at two other O-line spots — right tackle (Mike McGlinchey) and left guard ( Ben Powers) — and not taking a center until Round 7. Pro Football Focus has never rated Cushenberry as a top-20 center, slotting him last in 2020 and outside the top 30 last season. But the Broncos cut veteran option Graham Glasgow for cap relief, leaving Cushenberry with the inside track yet again.
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One of the Packers’ six defensive first-round picks since 2019, Darnell Savage, will head into a contract year after being moved away from his safety role to close 2022. But the Packers, who have not re-signed veteran Adrian Amos, have little choice but to give Savage — Pro Football Focus’ second-worst safety last season — another shot at his primary position. Green Bay received interesting returns from veteran special-teamer Rudy Ford, but he made six starts in five seasons before last year. Though Simone Biles looks set to spend some time in Green Bay ( via the Jonathan Owens signing), the Pack looks to be a man down here.
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Billy Turner’s latest Nathaniel Hackett reunion (from Green Bay to Denver to New York) makes this a slightly less glaring deficiency, but as the Jets give Mekhi Becton (33 missed games since 2021) yet another shot, even Turner is coming off an injury-limited season (nine 2022 absences). So is Duane Brown, the NFL’s oldest active tackle — at 37. The Patriots savvily handed the Steelers draft real estate one spot in front of the Jets — for tackle Broderick Jones — and Gang Green heads into the meat of its offseason program with big questions surrounding Aaron Rodgers’ edge protectors.
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The 49ers gambled on an unseasoned interior offensive line trio last season, and it did not cost them. Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel and Spencer Burford combined to miss just two games. San Francisco also received a 17-game season from five-year right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who bounced back from a 2021 injury to earn a monster Broncos deal. The 49ers re-signed swing tackle Colton McKivitz to a two-year, $4.6 million contract. The former fifth-round pick has made five career starts. As All-Pro left-sider Trent Williams enters his age-35 season, the 49ers continue to bet on inexperience around him.
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Although the Dolphins considered tight ends on Day 2 of the draft, Durham Smythe and journeyman Tyler Kroft headline Mike McDaniel’s depth chart here. McDaniel’s offense may not miss Mike Gesicki too much, with the Dolphins scaling back the franchise-tagged tight end’s role in 2022. Smythe has topped out at 357 receiving yards (2021) in his five-year career; Kroft has one 200-yard year in eight seasons. Miami’s attack will funnel through its dynamic receivers again, but Kyle Shanahan’s offense has featured George Kittle. Interestingly, the Dolphins have treated this like a niche role in McDaniel’s tenure.
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Odafe Oweh has not justified — to this point, at least — the Ravens’ first-round draft investment and the team has not re-signed either of its veteran outside linebackers (Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul) from last season. The Ravens will bank on Oweh (three sacks in 17 games last year), showing third-year improvement and 2022 second-rounder David Ojabo emerging after an Achilles injury restrained him as a rookie. But Baltimore has struggled to staff this spot post- Matt Judon. With Lamar Jackson locked in, the Ravens need to better address their second-most important position.
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Brett Maher’s metamorphosis from a 60-yard striker to a kicker who missed four extra points in a wild-card game made a substantial impact on the Cowboys’ playoff capabilities. Maher is now off the roster, leaving Tristan Vizcaino — who has maxed out at a six-game season since entering the league in 2020 — as the top option. Kickers are readily available, with Robbie Gould atop that list, so this can be an easily addressed issue. For a Cowboys franchise hoping to finally snap its NFC championship game drought, no kicker matters need to be left to chance.
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We are at 20 years and counting since the last time the Raiders fielded a top-half-scoring defense. Patrick Graham’s first try yielded a 26th-place ranking. In Graham’s base 3-4 look, Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones and first-rounder Tyree Wilson are slotted as outside linebackers. Up front, the Raiders do not have much invested. Pro Football Focus rated no Raider inside the top 80 on the D-line interior last season. The team did use a third-round pick on a D-tackle (Byron Young, one of two Byron Youngs drafted this year’s third round), but the team may need more help to complement its high-cost OLB corps.
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Surprising many by selecting C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall — after weeks of reported QB skepticism — the Texans have not put the Ohio State product in position to develop. Robert Woods, the formerly productive Ram who displayed decline in a miserable Titans passing attack, is positioned as the Texans’ top target. John Metchie’s comeback from leukemia should help, but asking the Alabama product to be full-time player after that battle and a December 2021 ACL tear seems like a lot. Third-round pick Tank Dell is 5-foot-8. After Brandin Cooks was part of a fourth career trade, his former position group is too light.
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Trent Brown bounced back to play 17 games last season, but the mammoth tackle missed 24 from 2019-21. He sits as New England’s top tackle. The team, which has a solid interior O-line makeup, has Brown and journeyman Riley Reiff as its top tackles. Reiff will turn 35 later this year and signed a one-year, $5 million pact. Reiff is set to compete with ex-Broncos backup Calvin Anderson. The Patriots should be a team to monitor regarding the Bengals’ stacked right tackle competition, which features displaced blindsider Jonah Williams and La’el Collins, who would be an expensive and overqualified backup.
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After trading Jalen Ramsey and cutting Leonard Floyd, the Rams stripped their pass defense down to the studs. The suddenly cost-conscious team has lost Ramsey, Darious Williams and David Long at corner over the past two years. A spate of former Day 3 picks (Cobie Durant, Robert Rochell, Derion Kendrick, rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson) reside atop the figurative offseason depth chart. Ramsey’s presence allowed the Rams to get away with trotting out late-round supplementary corners. With the All-Pro gone, coverage — seeing as the edge rush is short on surefire options — will probably be an issue.
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GM Jon Robinson pulling the trigger on the A.J. Brown trade harpooned a Titans passing attack that had seen Ryan Tannehill orchestrate a revival effort. Everything cratered post-Brown, with the Titans fielding no above-average wide receivers. With Robert Woods out of the picture, no one who topped 500 receiving yards in 2022 resides on Tennessee’s roster. The Titans will count on Brown replacement Treylon Burks making a big leap, but the first-rounder submitted an uneven rookie year. The Titans erred with their Julio Jones trade, but they might need to swing another deal to salvage what looks like Tannehill’s Nashville finale.
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Patrick Peterson showed decline in his final Cardinals season, but the team has missed the likely Hall of Famer since his 2021 exit. The Cards have since lost their top post-Peterson corner — Byron Murphy — to the Vikings. Arizona’s goal this year does not appear to be contending. After the mistakes of the late Steve Keim era, tearing it down (presumably around Kyler Murray?) and hoarding 2024 draft picks makes sense. Coverage will be a Cards problem. Veteran Antonio Hamilton, a 30-year-old career backup until last season, is the team’s top corner. Arizona will need third-rounder Garrett Williams to be a quick study. Even that likely will not stop opposing aerial displays.
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The Eagles did not trade for C.J. Gardner-Johnson until roster-cutdown day last August; GM Howie Roseman traded for cornerback Ronald Darby in August 2017. Philly still has time to fill this spot, which may be the only weakness in the defending NFC champions’ lineup. But Gardner-Johnson and 2022 starter Marcus Epps did depart (for Detroit and Las Vegas, respectively). The Eagles have a host of backup types, including 2022 undrafted free agent Reed Blankenship and third-rounder Sydney Brown in place. It would be stunning if they entered the season with this back-line setup.
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6. Los Angeles Rams, outside linebacker
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Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was able to throw Von Miller and Leonard Floyd at Joe Burrow in Super Bowl LVI. After losing Miller to the Bills, the Rams released Floyd — their runaway 2022 sack leader. Aaron Donald consistently elevates this group, but the team has not sported one this thin during the legendary defensive tackle’s career. The Rams drafted the other third-round, Byron Young; he and a host of Day 3 picks — in a blueprint resembling the team’s cornerback plan — comprise the edge contingent. The Rams’ pivot from the Super Bowl (and a host of post-Super Bowl extensions) to rebuild will ask a lot of Morris.
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The Bears passed on this position throughout the draft, keeping it as one of the NFL’s top need areas. Chicago is in rebuilding mode, but the team certainly needs to add here. Fortunately, a few starter-level edge rushers are available . The team that traded Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn in 2022 now needs a veteran to give Matt Eberflus’ defense some punch after a last-place sack ranking last year. Trevis Gipson, who struggled after a promising 2021, and recent Texans depth piece Rasheem Green represent the Bears’ top edges. That likely will not be the case come Week 1. If it is, the Bears’ linebacker upgrades will matter less.
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4. Las Vegas Raiders, cornerback
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In defense of Patrick Graham, the Raiders stuck him with Maxx Crosby and little else in his first year in Las Vegas. Although the Raiders are deeper on the edge this year, they have gotten worse at cornerback. Rock Ya-Sin departed in free agency, and a host of veteran fliers (David Long, Duke Shelley, multi-stint Raider Brandon Facyson) are in place. No No. 1 corner is here, and labeling any of the team’s options a CB2-caliber presence is a reach as well. The Raiders did not draft a corner until Day 3. A few starter-level veterans are available, including recent visitor Marcus Peters. Outside help will be a must before Week 1.
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3. Arizona Cardinals, defensive line
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The Cardinals have tested their fanbase since moving to Arizona, but this year could be particularly tough. This is probably the NFL’s worst roster. The Cards’ defensive line lost all-time great J.J. Watt to retirement and saw Watt wingman Zach Allen follow Vance Joseph to Denver. Not taking a D-lineman until Round 6, Arizona has little of note here. Again, rookie GM Monti Ossenfort might not be too eager to devote what is left of the team’s resources to older vets for mere 2023 improvement. That would work against the team potentially having — thanks to Houston’s risky decision to trade its 2024 first-rounder — two top-five picks next year.
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Attempting to mask his team’s full-fledged interest in Deshaun Watson last year, Arthur Blank threw more support behind Desmond Ridder. Blank said Atlanta’s staff — after the team stood on the precipice of landing Watson before the Browns’ shocking guarantee offer — briefly considered a Lamar Jackson pursuit before deciding to stick with Ridder. Arthur Smith has two sub-.500 seasons on his resume and, despite the Falcons beginning a rebuild upon his arrival, he should not be considered a lock to be back in 2024 if a third occurs. Entrusting this effort to Ridder will demand plenty from the third-year HC.
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On a much hotter seat than Smith, Ron Rivera has followed through with his stated intention not to do much at quarterback. The Commanders pursued just about every big name on the 2022 market, before settling for Carson Wentz, but stood down as Rivera sits on the league’s hottest seat. The response: giving fifth-rounder Sam Howell the keys — unless the well-traveled Jacoby Brissett unseats the ex-North Carolina starter — after one rookie-year appearance. Howell did go off the 2022 draft board much later than expected, but Rivera going into a make-or-break year with this plan — with a new owner coming — points to a 2024 staff overhaul in Washington.
Sam Robinson is a Kansas City, Mo.-based writer who mostly writes about the NFL. He has covered sports for nearly 10 years. Boxing, the Royals and Pandora stations featuring female rock protagonists are some of his go-tos. Occasionally interesting tweets @SRobinson25.
