RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from CBS Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
The offseason can really look like one big game of musical chairs. After teams pick up the pieces of last season, they begin building towards tomorrow. As they chart through the offseason, clubs use free agency, the NFL Draft and an array of trades to infuse their rosters with more talent, which can make the league look wildly different year over year.
With that in mind and the 2026 season on the horizon, we use this juncture to take the temperature of where every roster in the NFL clocks in -- on paper. Below, CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani and Tyler Sullivan examined every team's roster and attempted to rank the starting lineups around the league. They also identified one good aspect of the roster, one bad aspect, and one lingering question. Here are their first rankings, from No. 32 to No. 17.
The good: Running backs -- De'Von Achane has established himself as one of the premier running backs in the NFL, and led the league with 5.7 yards per rush last season. He actually has the second-most career yards per rush (5.62) by a running back in NFL history. Achane will be called upon to lead this offense, but he's got some intriguing running mates as well. Jaylen Wright possesses legitimate speed and ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine, while Ollie Gordon III is a bigger back that weights at least 20 pounds more than Achane and Wright, but is athletic in his own way.
The bad: Secondary -- This Dolphins secondary, on paper, looks like the worst in the league. On their first depth chart, JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr . and rookie Chris Johnson are listed as the starting cornerbacks, while Zayne Anderson and Dante Trader Jr . are the starting safeties. Storm Duck and Darrell Baker Jr . are expected to play roles this year as well, but they are sidelined with injuries.
The question: Quarterback -- Malik Willis is going to get his opportunity to prove he's a franchise quarterback. The former third-round pick out of Liberty was impressive during his stint with the Green Bay Packers , although he made just three starts. His one start last year against the Baltimore Ravens was fantastic. He completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown, while also leading the team in rushing with 60 yards and two more touchdowns. So, is he a rising star in this league?
The good: Tight end -- Trey McBride has a claim to be considered the top tight end in the entire NFL after the season he just put together in 2025. The 26-year-old notched 126 receptions, 1,239 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns last season. Those receptions were the most by a tight end in a single season all-time. He's an anchor to what Arizona plans to do in the passing game.
The bad: Quarterback -- Jacoby Brissett will likely start after the franchise officially moved off of Kyler Murray . While Brissett put up solid numbers in his 12 starts in 2025, Arizona went 1-11 in those games. Meanwhile, the organization took Carson Beck at the top of the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. At some point, they'll probably turn the keys over to him to see what they have in the rookie, but he isn't truly viewed as a future franchise centerpiece at the moment.
The question: Running back -- Initially, the backfield was looked at as a strong area of the Cardinals ' offense, especially after using the No. 3 overall pick on Jeremiyah Love . However, Love has since suffered a high ankle sprain , which puts his prospects to begin the season in doubt. While they have veteran Tyler Allgieir, who they signed this offseason, the depth is dwindling as James Conner is working his way back from an ankle injury and fellow back Trey Benson has a knee ailment. If Love can get healthy at the start of the year, this unit should be fine, but it's a bit clouded at the moment.
The good: Front seven -- We could just put "defense" here, and we are still going to cheat by listing the front seven. Even without Myles Garrett , the Cleveland Browns have a solid group. First-round pick Mason Graham and Maliek Collins are holding down the interior, with Jared Verse on the edge. Alex Wright , unfortunately, went down with a torn Achilles, but the Browns did add former first-round pick Derek Barnett to come in and help.
Verse, who is a two-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Rookie of the Year, has taken it upon himself to be a leader for this unit despite being a newcomer. At linebacker, the Browns have veteran Quincy Williams , Easton Mascarenas-Arnold -- who is admittedly an unknown-- and reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Carson Schwesinger . So, Cleveland has the last two Defensive Rookies of the Year on its front seven.
The bad: Quarterback -- The Browns may have the worst quarterback room in the NFL. Deshaun Watson has been the worst starting quarterback in the league since he was traded over from Houston, ranking worst in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and TD-INT ratio, while Shedeur Sanders led the NFL in interceptions after his NFL debut in Week 11. His completion percentage (57%) and passer rating (68.1) ranked second-worst in the league as well. Watson is the starter, for now.
The question: Offensive line -- The Browns are the only team since 1970 to lose their top five offensive line starters all in the same offseason. This unit wasn't very good in 2025 and was hit hard by injuries, so the question is: can this new group keep the quarterback upright? First-round pick Spencer Fano is expected to start at left tackle, Zion Johnson at left guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Teven Jenkins at right guard and Tytus Howard at right tackle.
The good: Running back -- Of course, Bijan Robinson is the headliner here. The Falcons superstar enters 2026 as arguably the league's best back and just inked a three-year, $66.8 million extension this summer. Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 scrimmage yards last season, while finding the end zone 11 times. His 5,648 career scrimmage yards are the fourth-most in a player's first three seasons in NFL history. Whil...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.