With training camp and the preseason behind us, and the NFL regular season upon us, teams are still fine-tuning their rosters. As they do, all the teams, even the mighty, still have major i sues coming out of camp.Taking quarterback out of the equation -- there are so many teams with that as a problem -- here are 10 areas of concern for some potential playoff teams heading into the season. The teams that fix them best will be the teams playing deep into the postseason. Trouble spot: CornerbacksThey have , one of the best
Luca Sbisa Jersey in the league on one side, but the other side is a major concern. Veteran , who was batting for the job, tore his ACL two weeks ago and is lost for the season. , their star special-teams player who started last year, has mi sed time with an injury and returned last week. Rookie also is in the mix. , who plays the slot corner as a hybrid player, is battling back from a torn ACL. It's not a great situation right now. Trouble spot: CornerbacksThe Panthers let their top corner go, and he's now in Washington. That leaves as the most experienced corner. It also leaves two rookies, and , as key players in their defense. Bradbury has really impre sed in the preseason, while Worley had some rough moments. They will probably be the outside players with Benwikere as the slot. This is a team predicated on winning up front to cover for the secondary. But these
Alex Tuch Kids Jersey young players will have to grow up quickly. Trouble spot: Second and third receiversWhen I visited the Bengals in camp, the coaches and players were insistent they weren't concerned about the receivers behind star after losing and in free agency. They have big expectations for rookie , who Green raved about in camp. Veteran is also going to be on the field, but he mi sed a lot of time in camp with a hand injury. I would expect Boyd to emerge as the No. 2 at some point this season. As long as Green is going, the pa sing game will be fine. It's not like Jones and Sanu were stars. Trouble spot: Down defensive linemen After retired, the Packers were thin up front. Injuries thinned the D-line even more this summer. It doesn't help that backup nose tackle Mike Pennell will be out four games serving a drug suspension to open the season. Rookie and veteran both have been slowed by injuries, but are expected back for the opener. The Packers kept five linemen. Could play some down? It's not an ideal situation for a good team. Trouble spot: Offensive lineThe Texans lost starting center , a rookie from , for the season with a foot injury, which forces in as the starter. They also haven't had left tackle this preseason as he recovers from a torn quadriceps injury he suffered last season. He was activated from the PUP list last week. has started in his place
Griffin Reinhart Kids Jersey and might start early in the season. Right tackle returned to practice last week after injuring a hamstring on the first day of camp. This is a group in flux right now, which isn't a good way to go into the season. Trouble spot: Pa s rush With all the concerns about the offensive line and , there hasn't been enough attention paid to this glaring i sue on the defense: Who rushes the pa ser? is one of the pa s rushers, but he is 35 and didn't play a down in the preseason. How much does he have left? The other side didn't produce much. is the expected starter, but he's not a kid either at 33. They need a young player to emerge. But who? Trouble spot: Pa s rushAll summer it appeared would be a potential 10-sack player in his first season. Then the games started. He didn't sniff a sack this preseason, which is concerning. He didn't even start the third game. He has to be able to provide pre sure or they will have big i sues again rushing the pa ser. Free-agent addition will provide push inside, which he showed in the summer. But they need an edge rusher in the worst way to emerge -- and that has to be Fowler. Trouble spot: Pa s rush With out for six weeks on the PUP list and just now getting back on the field because of knee i sues, the Chiefs' vaunted outside pa s rush has major problems. , their first-round pick two years ago, has not lived up to the expectations and didn't get a sack in the preseason. Ford and the 33-year-old Hali have to hold things down until Houston comes
Mark Stone Kids Jersey back following his knee surgery last winter. Trouble spot: CornerbacksThis is how concerned the Steelers are with their corners: They traded to get , a bust of sorts in Cleveland, on Saturday. The starting corners right now are , a feisty veteran, and , who was a waiver-wire pickup last year. The nickel corner is , a rookie from who I expected to be a safety. First-round corner has been slowed some this summer with injuries. They also lost 2015 second-round pick with a foot injury that could land him on IR. Gilbert has talent, so maybe the new addre s will help. The Steelers sure need it. Trouble spot: Offensive lineThe Seahawks' offensive line was a major i sue last season, which is why they don't have one player starting in the same spot this season. The interior of the line looked much improved in the preseason, with two first-time starters at guard, including rookie at right guard, but the tackles remain a major i sue. Both and Gary Gilliam had their problems in the preseason. is also in the mix and could be the right tackle if he beats out Gilliam. More musings on news from around the :Why the trade can be a win-win: Can
Brad Hunt Kids Jersey a trade be good for both teams? That's how I see the Sam Bradford trade from the to the . The Vikings lost for the season last week with a major knee injury, so they had to do something. The Vikings were a good team in 2015 with not a lot of help from Bridgewater. They are built to run it with and play good defense. That got them a division title last season. So why not make a move to get a veteran pa ser who can drive the ball down the field in Norv Turner's offense? Bradford has fought through a lot of injury i sues in his six seasons, but he has had moments where he has been a good pa ser. Has he lived up to being the first overall pick by the ? No. But he is better than . That's why it makes sense for Minnesota. They give up a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to get him. If they get to the postseason, and win a game or two, that first-round pick will be late. So why not go for it? As for the Eagles, this is the right move so they can play rookie . He is their future. So get on with it. They won't be good this season anyway, so let Wentz learn on the job. For those who say he won't be ready, that's crap. You learn 10 times as much playing as sitting. Let him take h
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