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Every team enters the offseason with holes on their roster. Even if you’re the defending Super Bowl Champions, you can always afford to upgrade your roster, and that’s what the entire offseason is about. But no matter how many players you sign, trade for, or draft, your roster is never going to be perfect.

Earlier this week, we hit on every NFL team’s biggest strength, but now it’s time to see the glass as half empty. I went through all 32 NFL teams and identified their biggest weakness entering the summer.

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Arizona Cardinals: Defensive Line

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The Arizona Cardinals have a lot of holes on their roster, but in my opinion, none is bigger than along the defensive line. Josh Sweat is a very good player, but outside of him, nobody moves me. Darius Robinson has turned out to be a bust, Roy Lopez doesn’t move me, and while I believe in Walter Nolen’s upside, he wasn’t on the field all that often. I like the Kaleb Proctor pick, but he’s going to take some time to develop. This defensive line is not going to be very good in 2026.

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Atlanta Falcons: Wide Receiver Depth

The Atlanta Falcons have Drake London, and then a bunch of nobodies. Jahan Dotson is currently their WR2, and while he had a bit of a resurgence with Philly last year, he still only had 262 yards. Olamide Zaccheaus is a fine depth piece, but not a great WR3. And I know a lot of people like Zachariah Branch, but I am not. He’s a screen merchant that can’t really do a lot of work downfield. London is great, but after that, it falls off a steep cliff.

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Baltimore Ravens: Tight End

The Baltimore Ravens watched Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely walk out the door in free agency and decided the best way to replace them was to draft two guys late in the draft. Now, they’re stuck with a washed Mark Andrews as their TE1 and not a whole lot of depth. A room that was one of their strengths last year is now their biggest weakness.

Buffalo Bills: Run Defense

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The Buffalo Bills saw they had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL last year and decided not to sign or an impact linebacker or defensive tackle. An interesting strategy, and one that probably won’t pay off. Unless they think Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Zane Durant are going to change their run defense, they’re staring down the barrel of another tough season on that side of the ball.

Carolina Panthers: Offensive Playmakers

The Carolina Panthers spent a high draft pick on Tet McMillan last year, and it worked out, but they haven’t really given Bryce Young many more weapons. They drafted Chris Brazzell II, who I like, but their other wide receivers are Jalen Coker, Xavier Lagette and Jimmy Horn Jr. I like Coker, but they could’ve used another receiver to maximize Young’s 2026 season. Plus, they need help at running back and tight end.

Chicago Bears: Pass Rush

Montez Sweat is a really solid edge rusher to build around, but they haven’t done a great job building around him. Their No. 2 edge rusher right now is Dayo Odeyingbo, who is coming off a one-sack season. They also don’t have anyone outside of Gervon Dexter Sr. who can generate a ton of pressures from the interior. I like some of the additions Chicago made on defense, but they neglected their pass rush.

Cincinnati Bengals: Cornerback Depth

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DJ Turner II is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the NFL, but after him, the Cincinnati Bengals don’t have a whole lot to work with. Jalen Davis, Dax Hill, Tacario Davis, Josh Newton and Ja’sir Taylor will battle it out for the two other starting spots, and that’s not a position you want to be in heading into the summer. I’d expect them to look to add a veteran free agent to the mix, because if not, it’s gonna be ugly.

Cleveland Browns: Quarterback

I think this one is pretty obvious. The Cleveland Browns have done a great job plugging holes this offseason, but the only one they failed to plug is quarterback. Deshaun Watson seems to be the leader in the clubhouse to be QB1, and if that’s the situation you’re in, it’s not a good one. He’s coming off two torn Achilles, and then your backups are two guys that consistently tried to lose the starting job to the other throughout the season. Until Cleveland lands their quarterback, they’ll never be good. And this roster is coming along, which makes the QB situation even tougher to swallow.

Dallas Cowboys: Cornerback

The Dallas Cowboys are set to start DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr. at cornerback this season. Neither of them played well at all last year, but since the Cowboys drafted a safety and edge rusher in round one and didn’t have a second round pick, they were unable to fill their corner need. Devin Moore and Cobie Durant could make an impression this season and start, but even if they do, corner is still the biggest hole on this defense. Luckily, Caleb Downs can come down and play in the nickel, so he can take up one of those three corner spots.

Denver Broncos: Running Back

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I don’t think the Denver Broncos have a huge hole on their roster, but if there was one position group I’d like to upgrade, it would be running back. J.K. Dobbins can’t stay healthy and RJ Harvey was pretty disappointing as a rookie. They did draft Jonah Coleman out of Washington, but they need a superstar back, not just a depth piece. It’s too late to find a true star running back, so they’re going to have to roll with what they have.

Detroit Lions: Secondary Depth

The Detroit Lions have a pretty complete roster, but injuries to their secondary and lack of depth were their undoing last year. They have some good safeties and cornerbacks, but once you get past the starting lineup, it gets paper thin. If Keith Abney II can be ready to play as a rookie, that will help them a lot, but if they start suffering injuries on the backend again, I’d be a bit concerned.

Green Bay Packers: Cornerback

While cornerback depth is an issue for their NFC North rivals, cornerback as a whole is an issue for the Green Bay Packers. Their projected starters right now are Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Javon Bullard. I do think Benjamin St. Juste could end up in the starting rotation, but that is not a great cornerback room, especially in a division that includes guys like Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden and Jordan Addison.

Houston Texans: Quarterback

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The Houston Texans have assembled as good of a defense as you could hope for in the modern day NFL. They were dominant in every facet of the game, but they lost in the playoffs because C.J. Stroud turned the ball over seven times in two games. If Stroud doesn’t return to his rookie year form, the Texans have no shot at winning the Super Bowl, despite having the best defense we’ve seen in a while. He is their weakest link by a good margin, in my opinion.

Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones’ Achilles

The Indianapolis Colts were the hottest team in the NFL before Daniel Jones tore his Achilles last year. He’s set to be back for Week 1, but how healthy will he be? Will he be able to drive the ball and make all the throws he made last year? Will he trust it enough to take off and run when he needs to? He’s not the catalyst for Indy’s offense, the run game is, but without him playing well, teams will just stack the box and stuff Jonathan Taylor. Jones’ Achilles will determine how their season goes.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Running Back

The Jacksonville Jaguars were unable to retain Travis Etienne in free agency, and after trading Tank Bigsby last year, they all of a sudden have a huge hole at running back. Chris Rodriguez is their projected RB1 at the moment, and it’s not like they can go out and find a star in free agency. Liam Coen’s offense was so effective in year one because of their rushing attack, but they won’t have that this year.

Kansas City Chiefs: Secondary

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As much as I love Mansoor Delane and believe Nohl Williams can be a solid CB2, there are still big holes in this Chiefs secondary. They don’t have a great slot corner, unless Jadon Canady steps up as a rookie and fills that role, and both safety spots have big question marks. This roster is pretty well constructed, so there aren’t any glaring weaknesses, but their secondary seems to be the biggest question mark. Pass rush was in consideration here too, but Chris Jones and R Mason Thomas should be able to help George Karlaftis get some pressure on the quarterback.

Las Vegas Raiders: Wide Receiver

The Las Vegas Raiders did a great job of filling some holes this offseason, but they didn’t really do much to improve their receiver room. Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor and Jack Bech are their best receivers, and after them, it gets even thinner. I would’ve loved to have seen them add a big name to help out Fernando Mendoza in free agency or the draft.

Los Angeles Chargers: Offensive Guard

The Los Angeles Chargers are projected to start Cole Strange and Trevor Penning at guard this season, unless they decide to slide Jake Slaughter from center to guard and he beats one of them out. After last year where they had the worst offensive line in the league after Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater went out, you would’ve thought they’d upgrade at guard, but they didn’t. Once again, guard will be the glaring weakness of this team.

Los Angeles Rams: Wide Receiver Depth

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The Los Angeles Rams have the most complete roster in the league, but they still have a hole at receiver behind their two stars, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Right now, Jordan Whittington is their WR3. When you have two guys like Nacua and Adams, it doesn’t really matter, but they’re one injury away from that receiver room looking very scary.

Miami Dolphins: Top-End Talent

The Miami Dolphins did a lot of good in the draft. They could have 10 guys from this draft class be a starter on their team at some point this year, but they’re really lacking top-end talent. Outside of DeVon Achane, they don’t have any superstars. Maybe Kadyn Proctor or Chris Johnson could be one day, but they just lack the elite talent that you need to compete in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings: Running Back

The Minnesota Vikings have a big hole at quarterback, but their biggest weakness is at running back. Aaron Jones is their RB1, and he took a major step back last year (partly due to injuries). Jones is 31 year sold, so he’s already past that 30-year mark, and Minnesota hasn’t gotten him much help. Kevin O’Connell can overcome a lot of things, but I don’t see this rushing attack being very strong in 2026.

New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel

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The New England Patriots don’t have a lot of weaknesses on their roster. They could use another receiver and they could add some more depth to their defensive line, but right now, their biggest weakness is their head coach, and it’s not because of his coaching ability. Everyone knows about the whole Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini scandal, and it could end up being a massive distraction for this team. Hopefully it’s taken care of before the season, but Vrabel missing part of the draft to deal with it is not a good sign for the future.

New Orleans Saints: Cornerback

The New Orleans Saints have done a great job of upgrading their roster this offseason, but cornerback is still a big hole. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley are good, young talents, but they both need to take a big step forward if they want to lead this secondary. I like the Martin Emerson addition as well, but he’s coming off a pretty major injury, so there’s a lot of question marks there. Mickey Loomis said they planned to address corner early in the draft, but the board never fell their way, so now it’s scramble mode.

New York Giants: Secondary

The New York Giants also have a cornerback need, given their starters are projected to be Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II and Dru Phillips, but they also have a safety need. Jevon Holland hasn’t played all that well the past two seasons and Tyler Nubin has not been the coverage safety they hoped he’d become. They have liabilities all over their secondary, but they’re going to have to find a way to make it work.

New York Jets: Quarterback

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The New York Jets had a really solid draft and addressed most of their holes, but the quarterback position is still a glaring weakness. They seem content to wait until 2027 to find their guy, so that means Geno Smith, who was one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league last season, will start for New York this year. The Jets have all these offensive weapons, but won’t have anyone to get them the ball this season. Hopefully next year they can figure it out.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts

The reason I singled out Jalen Hurts and didn’t just put quarterback is because the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t searching for a new one, but they’re stuck in purgatory with Hurts. You can’t get rid of him because he won you the Super Bowl, but last year proved that if you don’t have the perfect system around him with a fully healthy offensive line and an elite rushing attack, you’re not going to be successful. Sean Mannion is going to have to take a page out of Kellen Moore’s book if Philly wants a shot at winning it all.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers

The Aaron Rodgers saga continues. Him waiting 100 years to make a decision caused the Pittsburgh Steelers to not address the quarterback position in free agency, so now if he doesn’t play, they’re screwed. This is a roster that could compete in the AFC and possibly even win a playoff game, but if Rodgers elects to retire, they’ll have to start Mason Rudolph, Will Howard or Drew Allar. Even if Rodgers returns, I’m not convinced he’s good enough to elevate this offense. He certainly didn’t do it last year.

San Francisco 49ers: Depth

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The San Francisco 49ers have some of the best players in the league on their roster. Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey are all top-five players at their position when healthy, and on top of that, they have a great quarterback in Brock Purdy and a great wideout in Mike Evans. They just don’t have a lot of depth. They suffer major injuries every year, and it always catches up to them in the postseason. It’s nearly impossible to have Super Bowl-caliber players as backups, but their floor plummets any time they lose one or two key pieces. If they can just stay healthy for a full year, then they can be extremely dangerous.

Seattle Seahawks: Pass Rush Depth

I’m nitpicking here. The Seattle Seahawks don’t have a lot of holes, but I would’ve liked to have seen them address their pass rush this offseason. Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence are great, but after them, their depth got much thinner when they lost Boye Mafe. Part of the reason their pass rush was so good last year was because they always had fresh legs rotating in, but that will change this season. We’ll see how it effects their pass rush overall.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cornerback

Jamel Dean’s departure was a big blow for Tampa. With him gone, they’re set to roll out Zyon McCollum, who didn’t play well in 2025, Jacob Parrish, who allowed a near-78 percent completion rate last season, and Benjamin Morrison, who gave up 344 yards in 241 coverage snaps, as their starting corners. I’d like to see Kieonte Scott fight his way into the lineup, but even if he’s ready to start as a rookie, I don’t know how much he’ll be able to help. The Bucs are going to have a lot of problems on the backend of their defense this year.

Tennessee Titans: Offensive Line

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I like what the Tennessee Titans accomplished this offseason. They got Cam Ward some weapons while beefing up their defense for Robert Saleh, but they failed to construct a solid offensive line. Peter Skoronski is a rising star at guard, but JC Latham has been underwhelming through two seasons and Dan Moore Jr. gave up nearly 50 pressures and eight sacks at left tackle. I’m also not convinced Austin Schlottmann is the answer at center. It feels like Ward is going to be running for his life quite a bit again this season, but at least he has some fun players to throw the ball to!

Washington Commanders: Cornerback

This exercise has taught me just how many teams need cornerbacks. Nearly a third of the league’s biggest weakness is cornerback or secondary related, and the Washington Commanders are certainly a team that needs help on the boundary. I liked Trey Amos coming out of college, but he had a disappointing rookie year. Mike Sainristill hasn’t developed into the corner they hoped he’d become. And while Amik Robertson brings some flexibility to play both inside and out, he’s been a below average corner his whole career. They needed to improve the backend of their defense, but they poured their resources into the front seven instead (which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea).

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Luke Hubbard

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Luke Hubbard is a NFL Analyst at EssentiallySports, recognized for his comprehensive coverage across the NCAA and NFL landscapes. An LSU graduate, Luke brings deep reporting experience as a writer for On SI, where he covers the Tennessee Titans, Michigan Wolverines, Baylor Bears, and Virginia Tech Hokies. Previously, he served as a contributing writer for Canal Street Chronicles at SB Nation, focusing on the New Orleans Saints since 2023. Luke has also provided in-depth LSU athletics reporting for Rivals and Athlon Sports, spanning football, basketball, baseball, and gymnastics. Luke’s journey in sports journalism began as a student intern in the LSU Athletic Communications Department, where he covered diverse sports including women’s volleyball. His bylines appear in major outlets such as Athlon Sports, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated, earning him recognition for insightful analysis and versatile game coverage. In addition to his print and digital work, Luke has contributed content to publications like Death Valley Insider, BVM Sports, and Yardbarker. Luke loves sports and the stories behind them. From NFL clashes and college rivalries to the roar of Formula 1, he chases the action with both a reporter’s tenacity and a storyteller’s heart. Based in Louisiana, he brings hometown insight with a wider perspective, giving fans sharp analysis, inside scoops, and just enough personality to keep it fun.

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