Aug. 20, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET
NFL preseason depth charts are out.
That does not mean we know what each team’s regular season starting lineups will look like. Veteran stars will fade.
Young prospects will rise. Some highly touted draft picks will stumble, giving way to a potential revival from the players further down the pecking order.
And that’s before we get to the chaos inflicted by a preseason dense with injuries. That makes preseason practices a vital forge for the tools needed to build a Super Bowl run. This August, all 32 teams are assessing their players and making important decisions. Some position battles will have negligible effects on the regular season. Others could define the difference between a playoff spot and staying home in January. Not every team has a huge decision to make at a key position, but each is sorting through its roster and shaping the foundation for its 2026 season.
Which of those choices could prove most pivotal? Let’s run through each franchise, in alphabetical order. Arizona Cardinals: QB Carson Beck vs.
Arizona’s journeyman cabal. There’s not much you can glean from the preseason opener, but Beck played about as well as could be expected — and significantly better than some doom-footage compilations that came out from Cardinals’ camp in early August.
The third round rookie nearly averaged 10 yards per attempt… even if Kevon Slovis was the more efficient quarterback in the Hall of Fame Game. Jacoby Brissett could be rusty after an offseason holdout.
Gardner Minshew II is working his way back from a torn ACL. Is it possible we see Beck sooner than expected? And, if so, will he be able to adjust to NFL defenses in time to avoid the bad habits that could derail his career?
Atlanta Falcons: The underwhelming race for WR2. Whomever is the top wideout target behind Drake London may wind up placing no higher than fourth in Atlanta’s target ranks thanks to the presence of Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts. That’s a good thing, because the top contenders for the role are Jahan Dotson (has never lived up to his first-round billing), Olamide Zaccheaus (a perfectly cromulent WR3 coming off his least efficient season as a pro) and Zachariah Branch (third round rookie and absolute burner who needs to expand his route tree and may be limited to slot duties thanks to his size). The opportunity will be there for one or more of these guys to exceed their modest preseason potential. We’ll see if Michael Penix Jr.
or Tua Tagovailoa are the right quarterbacks to put them to it. Baltimore Ravens: WR3. The Ravens have returned to a time-honored tradition of trying to groom high potential middle round draft picks into impact wide receivers. This year, rookies Ja’Kobi Lane (third round) and Elijah Sarratt (fourth round) will compete with Devontez Walker (2024, fourth round) and LaJohntay Webster (2025, sixth round) for snaps in Jesse Minter’s new offense. These players could see their role elevated thanks to Mark Andrews’ age-related decline and Rashod Bateman’s undulating tides of trustworthiness. It may take a breakout to elevate the Baltimore offense back to Super Bowl contender levels. Lane has looked the part in the preseason.
Asking him to keep it up is a massive responsibility for a first year player. Buffalo Bills: Dorian Williams vs. Kaleb Elarms-Orr at LB. Buffalo heads into the regular season without Matt Milano in the lineup for the first time since… well, 2024, but otherwise he’d been a part of the opening week defense every year since 2017.
Milano is 32 years old and unsigned for 2026, leaving a noticeable dent in the middle of the defense. Williams knows the drill; he filled in for Milano to start that 2024 season and made nine starts in 2025 despite seeing his snap count decline. Now he’s locked in a preseason fight with Elarms-Orr, a fourth round rookie who could add new blood to an off-ball linebacker rotation that rated as Buffalo’s weakest unit last fall, per PFF.
The Cal and TCU product has impressed with his ability to pick up the defense quickly in western New York; expect him to have a significant impact in year one. Carolina Panthers: The offensive tackle slots. OK, so this one isn’t quite a position battle as much as it is a chance for high value understudies to shine. Taylor Moton is Carolina’s top tackle, but he’s dealing with blood clots in his lungs that could force him to miss a good chunk of the season. His left tackle bookend, Ikem Ekwonu, has rounded into a solid enough starter but is in the last season of his rookie contract and working back from a knee injury suffered in his team’s Wild Card loss last winter. The Panthers didn’t rest this offseason, adding Packers starting left tackle Rasheed Walker and drafting fast-rising Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling in the first round of the draft. If healthy, that’s a lot of talent to divide snaps between.
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But if Walker, who languished in free agency and settled for a bargain, one-year $4 million prove-it deal or Freeling, who only has one season as a full-time starter in college to his name, struggle to adjust, the Panthers could crash right out of the gate in 2026. Chicago Bears: The middle of the defensive backfield. Free agent signee (and former Seahawks stud) Coby Bryant stands to miss a big chunk of the year. Kyler Gordon, slot corner, has yet to play a full season, was limited to three games last season and is nursing a calf injury in the preseason.
Dillon Thieneman was awesome at Purdue and then Oregon, but he’s a rookie first round pick. The other safeties on the team include Elijah Hicks (who played six percent of the team’s defensive snaps last year and, like Gordon, entered the preseason on the physically unable to perform list), Cam Lewis (couldn’t become a full-time starter despite the Bills’ defensive needs) and Xavier Woods (31 years old and posted an 18.8 percent missed tackle rate in 2025). The next nickel back up? Jaylon Jones, who played four percent of the team’s defensive snaps last year. Who’ll step up to fill those roles with opportunity knocking?
Cincinnati Bengals: Third cornerback. Daxton Hill and DJ Turner have emerged as a young, above-average foundation at cornerback (only a 56 percent completion rate allowed between them last season, with Turner primed for a potential Pro Bowl breakthrough this fall). Who’ll join them in the slot leaves a bit of mystery. Jalen Davis played well late in the season, but 2025 was the first season he’d started any games (three) and he’s 30 years old.
Ja’Sir Taylor gave up a 139.4 passer rating allowed in 2024 and played just 16 defensive snaps for the Chargers last season before being exiled to the rotting shell of the New York Jets. Bralyn Lux played his way up from the practice squad, but the former undrafted free agent will turn 26 before the season starts, so asking for a breakthrough may be a bit much. Cleveland Browns: Who’ll be the top target for (looks at quarterback depth chart, pinches bridge of nose between the eyes, exhales). Jerry Jeudy had his worst season as a pro in 2025, which was alarming considering how good he’d been in 2024 with a similarly grim quarterback situation (his receiving yards fell by more than half, from 1,229 to 602). That could have been an anomaly, but his catch rate over expected (CROE) and expected points added (EPA) when targeted were among the worst in the NFL and his 2.5 yards of separation per target were a career low. There’s a chance that doesn’t bounce back, especially with a Deshaun Watson (formerly accused of more than 20 count of sexual misconduct and what an NFL investigation labeled “predatory behavior”) and Shedeur Sanders combination behind center. Reinforcements arrived in top-40 draft picks KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, two players with different skill sets (short range/run after catch and downfield deep threat, respectively).
Can they fulfill those roles as a rookie and free up Jeudy for a bounceback campaign? Or will they be tasked with carrying the passing offense (along with Harold Fannin Jr.) is Jeudy is one of the league’s least valuable starters again this fall? Dallas Cowboys: Who’ll emerge from a dense, but iffy, pass rush?
Dallas ranked 11th in pressure rate last season but only got 35 sacks out of it, contributing to one of the league’s worst passing defenses. Major efforts have been made to plug the Micah Parsons-sized hole at edge rusher, but the each comes with his own set of questions. Can Donovan Ezeiruaku make a leap in his second season? Will first round rookie Malachi Lawrence live up to his draft pedigree or be limited to only passing down duties?
What do Rashan Gary and Von Miller still have in the tank? If two members of that cohort can rise to the challenge, it will work wonders for the Cowboys’ undermanned defense. Denver Broncos: WR3. Denver has a defined top two targets for Bo Nix in Courtland Sutton and new arrival Jaylen Waddle. But they’ve also invested in the position in the draft in recent seasons, leaving younger prospects Marvin Mims, Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin to fight for playing time this preseason.
Each of them has shined in stretches and disappeared in others. Franklin likely has the edge as emerging as a downfield threat in a 709-yard 2025, but a good chunk of what he does well also happens to be where Waddle can shine. Nix suddenly has a logjam of talent on his wish list. It’s a good problem to have.
Detroit Lions: Center. Cade Mays’ preseason injury throws a line that’s been hammered by attrition the past two seasons into deeper disarray. The candidates to replace him aren’t ideal. Juice Scruggs failed to live up to his second round billing for a needy Texans team. Michael Niese and Seth McLaughlin have 37 offensive NFL snaps between them. Second-year guard Tate Ratledge has been taking snaps there in the preseason and could be an option should things go entirely pear-shaped, likely elevating Ben Bartch to a starting role.
It’s a mess at the moment, but the Lions have figured out their line issues in the past under Dan Campbell. Green Bay Packers: Who’ll fill Micah Parsons shoes while he’s hurt? Lukas Van Ness benefitted from the extra blocking focus Parsons filled, but his production waned late in the season due to Parsons’ absence and his own injury woes. He finished the season with only 1.5 sacks and a 10.2 percent pressure rate. But he’ll be the most accomplished pass rusher in Green Bay’s rotation at the start of the season. Behind him is Brenton Cox (a 14.3 percent pressure rate last year, but only 12 career NFL games in three seasons) and recent Day 3 draft picks Dani Dennis-Sutton (2026) and Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver (2025).
There’s room for an overachiever to shine. There’s also a chance the Packers struggle to harass quarterbacks for the first month-plus of the season. Houston Texans: Right tackle. Houston has a pair of veterans attempting to sink their anchor in front of C.J. Stroud. Trent Brown gave the Texans seven mostly average starts last fall and is 33 years old. Braden Smith was a bit better in pass protection with the Colts and recently turned 30.
The odds are both these guys will wind up starting — neither has played a full season since 2022. Whomever emerges will be tasked with reviving both a young franchise quarterback AND one of the league’s least efficient run games in 2026. Indianapolis Colts: Edge rusher behind Laiatu Latu. Latu has one defensive end slot locked down.
The other is up for grabs between Arden Key, 2025 second-round pick Jaylahn Tuimoloau and Micheal Clemons (rookie sixth round picks George Gumbs and Caden Curry are also in the mix). Key has the edge as a productive (but not terribly productive) veteran, especially after Tuimoloau underwhelmed in his preseason debut. That’s not the only key defensive battle in Indy; the starting off-ball linebacker slots will come down to veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither and rookies C.J.
Allen and Bryce Boettcher. Jacksonville Jaguars: What will the Week 1 offensive line look like? The Jaguars invested a pair of recent third round picks to upgrade their guard positions, but a rash of injuries will put that depth to the test. Tackles Cole Van Lanen and Walker Little have both missed extended time this preseason. So has Patrick Mekari, which opened a lane for 2025 draftee Wyatt Milum to step up and claim his place… only he’s failed to consistently perform against the team’s starters in practice. Healthy veterans may be all it takes to fix this problem.
It could also shed some light on frustrating development from the team’s young blocking prospects. Kansas City Chiefs: Right tackle. Jaylon Moore signed with the Chiefs for two years and $30 million in 2025 despite serving a rotational/occasional starter role with the 49ers his first four seasons. He’s in danger of being shunted back to that spot by undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson, who has shined in practices, earned pretty similar splits with the veteran in the team’s preseason opener and looks like a lock to make the 53-man roster. Will Benson be an incredible success story for a franchise that’s had plenty recently? Or will this be an indictment of Moore’s seaworthiness as a full-time starter?
Las Vegas Raiders: Quarterback. No surprise here; the job is Kirk Cousins’ until it isn’t. The Cousins we saw in 2025 was the worst version we’ve seen since he emerged as a full-time starter. His -0.06 expected points added (EPA) per dropback were 26th best among 33 qualified quarterbacks… right behind Jacoby Brissett. First overall pick Fernando Mendoza looked strong in his preseason debut. He won’t be rushed into the starting lineup, but if Cousins plays in 2026 like he did last fall, we could see the rookie earn snaps before most of America figures out its Halloween costumes.
Los Angeles Chargers: Left guard. Jim Harbaugh has shifted the Chargers toward a more balanced offense that runs the ball more often — after ranking 24th and 28th in total carries the final two years of the Brandon Staley era, his group has ranked 11th, then 15th the last two seasons. He’s announced his intentions to pump that number up, not only by investing in tailbacks but revamping the middle of his offensive line, which should have new starters at every interior position this fall. Tyler Biadasz and Cole Strange are likely locked in at center and right guard, respectively.
Or, at least they were before Biadasz left practice before his second preseason game with an apparent leg injury. But veteran signee Kayode Awosika, Jake Slaughter, Trevor Penning and Branson Taylor are all in the mix to claim the top spot at left guard. Los Angeles Rams: Who’s gonna rise up at wideout behind the team’s two stars? Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are the unquestioned 1-2 Bioreports atop Matthew Stafford’s wish list. After that, mild confusion sets in.
That duo combined for 55 percent of the team’s receiving yards last season. The next receiver up was Xavier Smith, with 303 yards. Jordan Whittington failed to build on a useful 2024 rookie season and Konata Mumpfield underwhelmed in his pro debut. Rookie sixth-round pick CJ Daniels will also get his chance to prove himself — he had five targets but only two catches for 18 yards in the team’s preseason opener.
Miami Dolphins: Linebacker, edge rusher, safety, cornerback, wideout… Yeah, it’s a reset year for Miami, which means plenty of camp battles to figure out who’ll be foundational pieces for Jeff Hafley’s rebuild and who’ll be discarded, either to the waiver wire or for late-round draft picks. The most interesting battle may be at receiver, where rookie third round pick Caleb Douglas could be Malik Willis’ top target, kinda/sorta by default. Minnesota Vikings: The running back rotation. Minnesota may be blessed with three talented runners best suited for a platoon — but the order in which they’ll be deployed remains fluid. Jordan Mason has been one of the game’s most efficient running backs in his four years as a pro, but has never topped 160 carries in a season. Jones is a veteran leader and run/catch dynamo, but he’s 31 years old and coming off the first season of his career in which he had a negative rush yards over expected (RYOE). Rookie Demond Claiborne has big play bonafides, but needs to adjust to pick up protections and up his receiving potential (five yards per catch last season).
New England Patriots: Edge rusher. The Patriots got strong returns from K’Lavon Chaisson last season, then let him walk in free agency at a modest price to sign Dre’Mont Jones instead. Jones and Harold Landry III make up an aging veteran tandem at the edge. New England has some young guns to replace them, but they’ve got plenty to prove. Second round rookie Gabe Jacas missed most of the offseason due to knee surgery and a contract dispute.
Elijah Ponder had just a 9.4 percent pressure rate last season, though he’s only 23 years old. Bradyn Swinson has some upside, but his development was sidetracked by injury in a rookie season in which he played only 27 defensive snaps. New Orleans Saints: The WR2 behind Chris Olave. The Saints have been proactive in stocking their receiving room, using draft capital to land Jordyn Tyson, Bryce Lance, Barion Brown and, via trade, Devaughn Vele over the last 13 months. Tyson should be the headliner, but his injury plagued college career has given way to a hamstring injury that threatens to delay his NFL debut into the middle of the season. Lance didn’t even play in New Orleans’ preseason opener.
Vele played only 13 games in his first year as a Saint and had 202 yards his final three appearances and 91 across the other 11. Brown shined in his first preseason game (four catches, four targets, 53 yards) and might sneak his way into the starting lineup if he continues to thrive. New York Giants: WR1. With Malik Nabers still rehabbing a knee injury and Wan’Dale Robinson a Tennessee Titan, who’s going to be Jaxson Dart’s huckleberry?
Third round rookie Malachi Fields has acquitted himself well in practice and could be the team’s top target while Nabers gets back to full strength. Darius Slayton remains a viable veteran target, but after that you wind up with also-rans like Calvin Austin, Braxton Berrios, Darnell Mooney, Jalin Hyatt, JuJu Smith-Schuster and (deep sigh) a 33-year-old Odell Beckham Jr. That’s a remarkable and deep lineup to remember some guys, but not a great one to lift up a rising young quarterback. New York Jets: About 60 percent of the secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick and Brandon Stephens are pretty well set at safety and boundary corner, respectively.
After that, things get a bit blurry. New York added an influx of veteran talent as well as young prospects in hopes of boosting 2025’s worst passing defense. Nahshon Wright will bring some feast-or-famine upside to a unit that had zero interceptions last season. Jarvis Brownlee allowed 71 percent of his targets to be caught in seven games last season and has to fend off rookie D’Angelo Ponds for slot corner snaps. Dane Belton is pushing Andre Cisco and Malachi Moore for the second safety job. There are a lot of moving parts here, as well as the capacity to surprise.
Philadelphia Eagles: Non-Andrew Mukuba safety. The 2025 second-round pick was uneven as a rookie but is locked in to a center field role. That leaves room next to him, where Marcus Epps and Michael Carter will play alongside Cooper DeJean, who splits time in the slot and set wide. Epps made four starts for Philly last season but gave up receptions on all seven of the targets where he was the closest defender. Carter has been better in coverage but worse as a tackler (a 17.2 percent missed tackle rate in 2025 compared to Epps’ 0.0).
And it’s possible seventh round rookie Cole Wisniewski makes an impact if he can show out in practice. Pittsburgh Steelers: The right side of the offensive line. At tackle, Broderick Jones is working back from a neck injury. Dylan Cook has held off first round rookie Max Iheanachor for starting unit snaps early in camp. Next to them at guard is a battle between Spencer Anderson (11 starts the last two seasons), free agent addition Brock Hoffman and third round rookie Gennings Dunker. With Aaron Rodgers less mobile than ever, protection will be key to unlocking any semblance of a downfield game.
There’s a lot of talent here — and a lot left to be proven. San Francisco 49ers: Left guard. There hasn’t been much positive to say about a competition between Connor Colby, Robert Jones and fourth round rookie Carver Willis. Colby began camp in a starting role, but ceded it to Jones, who missed all of 2025 with a neck injury and hasn’s been especially good in practices. An injury depleted receiving corps could put more pressure on a run game led by Christian McCaffrey, who is already limited by a hamstring strain (or possible contract impasse). Another weak link up front could lead to a disappointing season in the Bay Area. Seattle Seahawks: RB1.
The Seahawks lost a handful of contributors from their world championship team, but largely remain in solid shape across the starting lineup. The departure of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III created the void with which the team used its biggest asset to fill — the final pick in the first round of 2026 NFL Draft. Jadarian Price wasn’t even the best running back on his own team, which would be damning if not for the fact the guy ahead of him (Jeremiyah Love) was drafted third overall. He’ll have the chance to emerge as the team’s premier runner with Zach Charbonnet still working back from injury. If he can stay healthy and handle a full RB1 workload, he could be the bellwether running back that helps stabilize Sam Darnold’s offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Off-ball linebacker. There’s a stiff competition for the second outside cornerback spot across from Zyon McCollum, and the WR3 spot behind Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka is similarly unsettled. But inside linebacker may be the most interesting. Second round rookie Josiah Trotter is pushing incumbent SirVocea Dennis for snaps thanks to his coverage abilities. Christian Rozeboom is in the mix as well.
Whomever wins will fill a key role next to new arrival Alex Anzalone in the heart of the defense. Tennessee Titans: Right guard. Tennessee put in work to flank Jeffery Simmons with guys who can make his life easier on passing downs, leaving an interesting pecking order to be sniffed out at defensive end between Jermaine Johnson, Jacob Martin, Keldric Faulk and Oluwafemi Oladejo. But right guard may be the most surprising development. That’s where rookie fifth round pick Fernando Carmona has surpassed veteran Cordell Volson in the important quest to keep Cam Ward upright. Carmona had draft buzz early in his Arkansas career before settling in as a late-round pick.
If he realizes his potential in Nashville, he’ll be an outright steal for the Titans. Washington Commanders: The linebacker corps.
This isn’t a camp battle as much as it is trying to make a position with an influx of talent make sense logistically. Washington has three capable off-ball linebackers in Frankie Luvu, free agent arrival Leo Chenal and top 10 draft pick Sonny Styles.
The edge positions were boosted by Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson. A bottom five defense got significantly better this offseason, leaving Dan Quinn to prove his playbook-authoring bonafides and keep his best players on the field to maximize a bounce-back season.
