Which NFL teams still have the biggest roster holes left to fill?

The Bengals addressed other needs in the draft, bolstering their front seven and interior offensive line from Rounds 1-3. They showed considerable confidence at corner by doing so. This is an interesting strategy considering two of their holdovers — Dax Hill and DJ Turner — are coming off season-ending injuries. Hill showed promise after moving from safety, but the ex-first-rounder remains a mystery heading into Year 4. Cam Taylor-Britt is now in a contract year. Given the franchise’s Joe Burrow-powered receiver moves and shaky Trey Hendrickson situation, adding another coverage piece would not be the worst idea.

The Broncos seem to have most of their pass-game facets covered, adding Evan Engram and R.J. Harvey as options for Bo Nix. Courtland Sutton fended off trade rumors and remains the team’s top target, while Marvin Mims showed tremendous promise to close last season. Sutton works as a contested-catch player, rather than separator, while Mims is more deep threat/gadget cog. Denver appears to be missing a true slot receiver, and it used a third-round pick on a player who clocked a 4.61-second 40-yard dash (Pat Bryant). Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen remain available for a Broncos team that narrowly missed Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka in Round 1.

The Chargers leaned heavily into skill positions during the draft; that came after the team lost two key pieces in free agency. Buy-low find Poona Ford parlayed his one-year Bolts deal into a lucrative Rams pact, and dependable veteran Morgan Fox also left. The Chargers got by with low-cost parts up front last season, completing a turnaround under Jesse Minter, but the second-year DC will again have his work cut out for him. The Bolts did allocate a third-round pick at nose tackle (Oregon’s Jamaree Caldwell), but they could use another piece to supplement journeymen Teair Tart and Da’Shawn Hand up front.

Riq Woolen, Josh Jobe and Coby Bryant are going into contract years. Bryant represents an option for the Seahawks to potentially replace Tre Brown, who signed with the 49ers, as Seattle had converted the ex-Cincinnati Bearcat CB to safety earlier. Absent that, a need for 2025 (and definitely beyond) remains. The team recognizes this and is already being linked to old friend Shaq Griffin, its former Richard Sherman sidekick/heir apparent. Rasul Douglas, Asante Samuel Jr., Kendall Fuller and Michael Davis could also be options for a Seahawks team that again has a safety surplus (thanks to the second-round Nick Emmanwori pick) but a corner need.

The current Cardinals regime inherited Kyler Murray but has continued to offer support for a player at a crossroads. The former Pro Bowler saw his team pass through the draft without adding a wide receiver. While Trey McBride commands plenty of targets, the Cardinals also did not see No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. mount a serious Offensive Rookie of the Year charge. Harrison’s arrow still points up, but the Cards may need more than Michael Wilson and slot bastion Greg Dortch to maximize Murray. Arizona has not seen a 1,000-yard season from a wideout since DeAndre Hopkins’ 2020. 

Pete Carroll regularly found unconventional solutions at corner in Seattle, locating Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Shaq Griffin and D.J. Reed outside of Round 2. The Raiders appear to be banking on the famed CB whisperer, as they cut Antonio Pierce favorite Jack Jones and appear likely to rely on Dave Ziegler and Tom Telesco mid-round draftees (Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson), injury-prone ex-Packer first-rounder Eric Stokes and perhaps slot Darnay Holmes’ vet-minimum deal. Las Vegas did use a third-round pick on a corner (Iowa State’s Darien Porter), but no proven options are in place following Nate Hobbs’ exit.

While the Patriots’ Jakobi Meyers replacement (JuJu Smith-Schuster) flamed out quickly, the 2023 Raiders signee remains on an $11 million-per-year deal despite the Raiders moving on from two regimes in barely 14 months. After submitting one of the quietest 1,000-yard years in NFL history, Meyers joins second-round pick Jack Bech as the Raiders’ top receivers. Joining Meyers as a 2023 pickup, Tre Tucker has shown some promise in the slot. Geno Smith should elevate this trio, but it is worth asking if it will be enough after the QB had previously targeted D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett. Plenty will be on Brock Bowers’ plate again.

For weeks, Mason Graham-to-Jacksonville became a mock-draft staple. As it turned out, James Gladstone hatched a scheme to trade up for Travis Hunter. The new Jaguars GM passed on adding Graham to an interior D-line in apparent need, and while the 2024 Heisman recipient trains for a potential two-way role, Jacksonville will hope Arik Armstead can stay healthy (a difficult ask based on recent years) and that 2023 second-rounder Maason Smith — we missed out on Mason-Maason; thanks, Jags — can take a step forward. Pro Football Focus graded no Jags interior D-linemen in the top 100 at the position last season.

As a sinking regime attempts to stave off in-season firings, the Giants are sure betting on Theo Johnson being a surefire cure for their tight end ails. The team’s post-Evan Engram plans have floundered, with Daniel Bellinger proving unqualified to start in 2022 and Darren Waller becoming a one-and-done thanks to an unexpected early retirement. Johnson showed promise as a fourth-round rookie last year, but he missed the Giants’ final five games with a foot injury. New York has not added any competition this offseason, as Bellinger and injury-prone ex-Bronco Greg Dulcich are uninspiring backups. 

Will the Rams reacquiring Jalen Ramsey be a mere formality after June 1 brings Dolphins cap relief? Connected to a reunion with the All-Pro corner they traded away — amid a rare cost-cutting year for the team in 2023 — the Rams did not make a notable corner addition this offseason. A Ramsey move would be interesting, as the Rams already have two 30-somethings (Darious Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon) at corner. Cobie Durant is in a contract year, and Quentin Lake is coming off a missed season (ACL). Ramsey would give this group an ace. As is, the Rams look like they need a new centerpiece for this sidekick-laden squadron.

The Giants have not seen Joe Schoen‘s O-line draft investments pan out. Evan Neal has been a bust at right tackle, while 2023 second-round pick John Michael Schmitz has not justified his draft slot at center. The Giants also missed on 2022 third-round guard Josh Ezeudu. Even as Neal makes a last-ditch move to guard, the team appears in trouble here. 2024 free agency addition Jon Runyan Jr. joins Schmitz and Greg Van Roten as projected interior starters; Van Roten is now 35. Stopgap RT Jermaine Eluemunor remains as well. Once again, the Giants are banking on Andrew Thomas; the All-Pro LT has missed 18 games since 2023.

The Chargers’ minimalist approach on defense worked out last year, limiting any criticism for their Jim Harbaugh-era philosophy. The Bolts coaxed a rebound season from buy-low addition Kristian Fulton, but the Chiefs have since added Fulton. Two more reclamation projects — Donte Jackson, Benjamin St-Juste — are on tap alongside late-round find Tarheeb Still. Considering the talent still available — including four-year Chargers starter Asante Samuel Jr. — it would make sense for Los Angeles to take advantage with another addition rather than place this much faith in more bounce-back seasons.

In Jerry Jeudy and Diontae Johnson, the Browns have two of this era’s shiftiest route runners. In Madden — assuming the current Madden  does not feature WWE career-mode-level employee volatility? — the ex-Steeler starter would make for a flashy Jeudy complement. But he burned four bridges in 2024 alone, asking for two trades, incurring a suspension and being waived twice. If it did not reach the Antonio Brown-Terrell Owens diva tier, it settled in a level below. Cedric Tillman is otherwise Cleveland’s top Jeudy wingman; the 2023 third-rounder has yet to produce a 350-yard season. The makeshift QB competition may not be targeting a well-rounded WR corps.

This space was set to cover the Cowboys’ wide receiver need, but the George Pickens trade shifts it to the Steelers’. Pittsburgh landed its sought-after No. 1 receiver in D.K. Metcalf, though his reputation tops his performance to date, but is back in a similar place looking for help. The 2024 Brandon Aiyuk 49ers escape hatch likely will make another addition post-Pickens; after all, they are still  wooing Aaron Rodgers. Not drafting a wideout this year, Pittsburgh also needs its most recent Day 2 investment at the position (Roman Wilson) to awaken after a lost rookie year. Will a No. 2 wideout join Metcalf and Wilson soon?

It is possible 2024 fourth-rounder Ja’Tavion Sanders will solve this nagging Panthers need, one that has existed since Greg Olsen’s foot trouble began to intervene in the late 2010s? Whiffing on Hayden Hurst, the Panthers have Tommy Tremble returning. He and Sanders, however, combined for only 576 receiving yards last season. As Bryce Young has pried the door back open (after his early-season benching temporarily closed it ) on his Carolina starter career, the team did not see 2024 first-round receiver Xavier Legette show difference-making potential as a rookie. The jury remains out on Carolina’s tight end room as well.

Garrett Wilson‘s rookie contract has unfolded strangely. The Jets gave him two Zach Wilson seasons and did not do well to make sure the ultra-talented receiver got along with Aaron Rodgers. They are now giving Garrett Wilson ex-college teammate Justin Fields, whose passing acumen remains in question. The Jets also cut Davante Adams and gave Allen Lazard a steep pay cut. The team waited until Round 4 (Georgia’s Arian Smith) to address the position in the draft, and UFA add Josh Reynolds has been cut by the Broncos and Jaguars over the past five months. The Jets are not giving defenses a reason not to shade coverage to Wilson.

The Broncos had Cody Barton competing for a starting job last year. After an Alex Singleton injury thrust Barton into an every-down role, he used that gig as a springboard to a three-year, $21 million Titans pact. The Titans are banking heavily on a player who is on team No. 4 in four years. This would not quite qualify for this list had the Titans used a draft choice here, but the team is hoping one of its inexperienced cast members — consisting of Day 3 picks, former UDFA Otis Reese and waiver claim Curtis Jacobs — makes for a tough lot to capitalize on the space an imposing defensive line creates. The team’s post-Harold Landry OLB situation: also not great.

The Saints had hoped to re-sign Paulson Adebo, their top Marshon Lattimore insurance policy-turned-No. 1 corner. But an $18 million-per-year Giants offer swayed the young defender. New Orleans has 2024 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry set for a full-time role, but 2022 second-rounder Alontae Taylor’s play has left much to be desired heading into his contract year. The Saints re-signed Isaac Yiadom, who played well for the team in 2023 (before a forgettable 49ers season), but may need to turn to what remains a decent lot of unemployed corners before training camp. 

Losing starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency, the Raiders allocated the bare minimum for replacements. Elandon Roberts, a middling starter going into his age-31 season, signed for just $3 million. Devin White, who has lost more momentum than just about any NFLer over the past two years, will make even less after washing out in Philadelphia. The Silver and Black waited until Round 7 to address the position and would create an uphill battle by entering Week 1 with a Roberts-White starting duo. Options remain, including another ex-Tom Brady teammate (Ja’Whaun Bentley). Shaq Thompson and Kyzir White are also still on the market.

If the Cowboys can manage to have everyone healthy by Week 1, this could be an imposing group. Trevon Diggs is a former All-Pro, while third-round pick Shavon Revel was a first-round talent who dropped to Round 3 due to injury. Both he and Diggs will not enter training camp healthy, however, and DaRon Bland missed a chunk of last season due to injury. The Cowboys, who lost longtime slot corner Jourdan Lewis in free agency, appear in dire need of veteran insurance, as Diggs is not a lock for Week 1 thanks to two major knee injuries in two years. Revel is also ticketed to miss the start of camp.

The Browns are believed to have attempted to trade up for Oregon tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in Round 1, but the team stayed atop Round 2 and went linebacker-running back with its two ensuing picks. This leaves a void at left tackle, as the team saw injuries bring down 2020 first-rounder Jedrick Wills, who has not re-signed. Dawand Jones is the team’s projected starter presently, and the Wills injury replacement joins a line housing a prime injury risk (Jack Conklin) at right tackle and two more 30-somethings (Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller) at guard. Housing an elite O-line earlier this decade, Cleveland suddenly appears in trouble here.

Still a team to watch re: Trey Hendrickson, the Commanders appear to enter OTAs with a glaring need. They lost top 2024 sacker Dante Fowler in free agency, as the Dan Quinn disciple rejoined the Cowboys. Dorance Armstrong is likely miscast as a lead edge rusher, but as it stands, the $10 million-per-year player is clearly Washington’s top option here. The team made multiple buy-low adds, in Jake Martin and Deatrich Wise, and re-signed first-round bust-turned-rotational cog Clelin Ferrell. For a team generating considerable hype, it will be worth watching what it does to address this front-line issue.

Marcus Davenport keeps receiving chances despite mediocre work. The Lions aggressively made interior D-line moves this offseason, but they have continued to leave Aidan Hutchinson without much support. The Lions saw Davenport miss most of a second straight season but re-signed him. As it stands, the former Saints first-rounder could see a prominent role again. Hutchinson is coming off a broken leg, and the team has not seen its second-round Josh Paschal investment pan out. Za’Darius Smith likely remains an option, but considering Davenport’s track record, Detroit may need multiple post-draft additions here.

Is it time to label Chris Grier‘s seat as rather hot? The 10th-year Miami GM has held full decision-making power since 2019, but his rebuild is on thin ice. The Dolphins have seen Tyreek Hill become a borderline malcontent, and they are now all set to trade Jalen Ramsey months after giving him a market-setting extension. Miami both extended Ramsey in September 2024 after having upped his guarantees in March 2023. The team did not draft a corner until Round 5, and 2023 second-rounder Cam Smith has barely seen the field. A man named Storm Duck also may play a key role here. Only one situation prevents this from becoming the NFL’s biggest need. 

One of the most daring QB plays in many years of course will close the show for Yardbarker’s annual post-draft offering. The Steelers have cleared the runway for Aaron Rodgers, letting Justin Fields and Russell Wilson walk and standing down in the draft. Pittsburgh did not select a QB until Round 6 (2024 national champion Will Howard), and signs point to 2026 being the team’s avenue to make another long-term play. Even considering Rodgers’ antics and his declining play, a storied NFL franchise is still pursuing him ahead of an age-42 season. Kirk Cousins is likely in place as a backup plan, but the Steelers’ lack of a draft investment only bolsters the Falcons’ leverage.