Biggest remaining roster issue for every NFC team 

Cornerback depth: After making important additions at every level of the defense, the Cowboys don’t have many major issues across their starting roster. However, the depth of their cornerback room raises concern. DaRon Bland, an All-Pro in 2023, is the star of the group, but he’s missed 15 games over the last two seasons. Free-agent signee Cobie Durant, who is playing on a one-year deal, is good in coverage but questionable against the run. Shavon Revel Jr. would need to make a huge jump to be trusted after an injury-marred rookie year, but he was a top-80 pick in the 2025 draft. Rookie Devin Moore is a Day 3 dart. No one else offers much upside. Unless someone steps up early and often, Dallas might remain susceptible on the outside.

Center: Joe Schoen, John Harbaugh and Co. did an excellent job patching up Big Blue’s holes this offseason, even securing a couple viable options to help fill the void left by Dexter Lawrence on the defensive interior. The area of concern for me is center, where John Michael Schmitz remains the projected starter. Schmitz surrendered five sacks and 23 QB pressures last year, per Next Gen Stats, and was also subpar in the run game. Unless he makes a surprise fourth-year jump, he might be a liability in Harbaugh’s new offense.

Safety: Reed Blankenship might not have been a stud, but he started 51 games at safety for the Eagles, including the playoffs, over the last three seasons. He’s now gone to Houston, leaving Marcus Epps to fill his shoes in rotation with Cooper DeJean (when he’s not playing slot corner), Michael Carter II and Jonathan Jones. Epps did start every game for the 2022 NFC Champion Eagles and should be fine, but on an otherwise elite roster, safety is Philly’s biggest remaining issue.

Outside WR2: Cornerback and defensive tackle carry plenty of question marks for the Commanders. But the state of the depth chart across from Terry McLaurin is the biggest issue in my book. Treylon Burks has been disappointing in the four years since his first-round selection by Tennessee. Luke McCaffrey, Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson are merely complementary options and third-round rookie Antonio Williams will likely work out of the slot. There is no one reliable to line up opposite McLaurin, so Jayden Daniels will be asked to make lemonade out of lemons (again) in 2026.

Defensive tackle: The interior of the Bears defensive line, headlined in 2025 by Gervon Dexter Sr., Grady Jarrett and Andrew Billings, was not good enough. Chicago struggled mightily against the run and logged the sixth-lowest QB pressure rate. This spring, they replaced Billings with the equally average Neville Gallimore and added a few more depth pieces. In other words: zero improvement, as I see it. In a competitive division -- where weak trenches could be a death knell -- this feels like a potentially major issue.

Secondary: This time last year, Detroit’s secondary was built around CB Terrion Arnold and safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Since then, Arnold was released following his arrest on eight felony charges, Branch tore his Achilles and Joseph’s future has turned into a question mark as he deals with a lingering knee ailment. At cornerback the Lions are relying on D.J. Reed, Rock Ya-Sin and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., along with Roger McCreary and fifth-round pick Keith Abney II, which is not exactly the strongest crew. If Branch and/or Joseph miss significant time, Detroit will need bigger contributions from Christian Izien, Avonte Maddox, Thomas Harper and/or free-agent addition Chuck Clark. On a roster that’s otherwise excellent, the secondary is riddled with reddish flags.

Edge rusher: When healthy, Micah Parsons is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL. But the All-Pro is unlikely to return from his knee injury before mid-October and the rest of Green Bay’s depth chart is less than inspiring. Former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness has just 8.5 sacks across three seasons and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton, a fourth-round selection, enters the league with “limited pass-rushing upside,” per NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein. As I wrote back in April, I like the idea of adding free agent Haason Reddick to rotate in and play across from Parsons when he returns.

Tight end: Once upon a time (three years ago), T.J. Hockenson was a strong starting tight end. In two seasons since, he has totaled just 893 yards and three touchdowns. Vikings TEs accumulated the fourth-fewest receiving yards in the league in 2025. And they did nothing to improve the position this offseason. While Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings are a strong wide receiver trio, a lack of production at tight end lowers the ceiling for the Vikings and their yet-to-be-named starting quarterback.

Interior defensive line: The wide receiver depth behind Drake London is a big enough issue to make my list, but I’m going to focus on the defensive line. David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro led Atlanta’s defensive tackles in snaps in 2025 and both departed this offseason, leaving Brandon Dorlus, Maason Smith (swapped for Orhorhoro in a trade with Jacksonville), Zach Harrison and a handful of free-agent additions -- most notably ninth-year veteran Da’Shawn Hand -- to pick up the slack. Dorlus was decent last year, but the loss of Onyemata and the lack of game-changing talent at the position could be the weak link in an otherwise ascending Falcons defense.

Tight end: As I mentioned when explaining Carolina’s B+ offseason grade, I had hoped to see general manager Dan Morgan and Co. add a pass-catching tight end for Bryce Young this spring. After missing out on Oregon draft prospect Kenyon Sadiq, taking a pass on the small pool of notable free agents at the position and (as of now) eschewing a trade solution, the Panthers are running it back with Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders. Barring a breakout from one of their young wideouts, Young will have a dearth of reliable weapons behind Tetairoa McMillan (again).

Wide receiver depth: Drafting Jordyn Tyson eighth overall to pair with Chris Olave arguably solidified one of the top young wide receiver duos in the NFL, but there’s still significant risk here. Olave missed nine games in 2024 after suffering two concussions. Tyson missed time due to injury in all four of his college seasons. And who is behind those two guys? Devaughn Vele? Ja’Lynn Polk? Mason Tipton? A couple of Day 3 rookies? It’s sparse and could make the offense very boom-or-bust in 2026.

Tight end: The Bucs saw a lot of turnover on defense this offseason, but that side of the ball still looks effective on paper. So, once again, I’m eyeing the tight end room. The Buccaneers had the least productive tight end group in the NFL last season -- 61 receptions, 589 yards, two touchdowns -- with Cade Otton accounting for nearly all of those numbers. They only added a Day 3 pick at the position in the offseason, leaving Baker Mayfield’s tight end weaponry lacking an upgrade.

Quarterback: Yes, Jacoby Brissett was fine in relief of Kyler Murray last year in Arizona. He was around league average in passer rating (94.1) and completion rate (64.9%) and through 12 starts he had a full-season pace of more than 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. But Brissett is a 33-year-old journeyman, not a franchise QB, and the Cardinals went 1-11 in his 12 starts. Behind Brissett, Arizona has fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew and 24-year-old rookie Carson Beck. It’s a room without a reliable starter and will likely continue to feel that way until late next April.

Wide receiver depth: The Rams’ roster is probably the most complete in the league, so calling anything a big issue seems like a stretch. But after passing on a chance to draft WR Makai Lemon -- and wideouts in general until the sixth round of the draft -- I’m pinpointing the WR3 spot as an area of concern. Davante Adams is 33 years old and missed three games last year. Puka Nacua gets banged up seemingly every season. And in their NFC Championship Game loss to Seattle, no other wide receiver caught a single pass. I would love to see Sean McVay get his hands on versatile free agent Deebo Samuel.

Center field safety: Following Talanoa Hufanga’s departure in 2025, the 49ers shifted their remaining safeties around to fill the hole and ended up with no reliable center fielder across the back end. Ji’Ayir Brown, Malik Mustapha and Marques Sigle didn’t consistently stand out, Jason Pinnock departed in free agency and the only notable offseason addition so far is Ashtyn Davis. The first two levels of the defense should improve with the return of Nick Bosa and the additions of Osa Odighizuwa and Dre Greenlaw, but safety could remain an issue as Raheem Morris takes over for Robert Saleh as DC.

Wide receiver: Too many people see the name Cooper Kupp and the $51 million attached to Rashid Shaheed’s contract and are convinced Seattle is set behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I am not. The aging Kupp averaged 2.6 catches and 28.3 yards per game over the second half of 2025, with one touchdown. Shaheed topped 30 yards just three times in 12 games with the Seahawks (including playoffs) and never found the end zone as a receiver with Seattle. Meanwhile, JSN handled 36.6 percent of the team’s receptions last year, the highest share by any player in the last decade, per TruMedia. One man can carry an entire offense for only so long.