Biggest need for each NFL team ahead of Week 6: Raiders add prized free agent signing to injured reserve
By Josh Edwards,
21 hours ago
Cooper Neill / Getty Images
The NFL regular season has already reached the bye weeks. At this point, it is clear several teams have a weakness that can not be addressed midseason, but they can try.
Injuries are certainly not helping matters. Texans wide receiver Nico Collins , Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga were some of the biggest names added to injured reserve this week.
Here is the most pressing need for every team ahead of Week 6:
The defensive line is finally starting to get healthy, but the secondary has been picked on a bit of late. Matters were made worse this week when Daxton Hill was added to injured reserve. Opposing quarterbacks have the seventh-highest passer rating against the Bengals, according to TruMedia.
Starting left tackle Jedrick Wills briefly returned for the Browns, but has since been absent. Jack Conklin has yet to make his season debut and starting right guard Wyatt Teller was added to injured reserve not long ago. The Browns have the third-highest pressure rate allowed (43.7%) this season, according to TruMedia.
The pass catchers need to be better as well. The Browns had the most drops in the league last year with 39 and already have the second-most drops (13) through five games in 2024.
Baltimore is applying pressure on 29.7% of opponent's dropback attempts, which is a bottom-10 rate in the league, according to TruMedia, despite Kyle Van Noy having the second most sacks (6) in the league.
The offense has shown a lot of creativity working horizontally, but the lack of a downfield threat could prove to be challenging over the course of the season. They have shown improvement over the past week-plus, so perhaps this is something to monitor moving forward.
With Diontae Johnson gone, Pittsburgh has little outside of George Pickens , who is pacing the team with 310 receiving yards. The hope is that Calvin Austin III takes on a bigger role and rookie Roman Wilson's acclimation to the NFL is fast and smooth. Austin had a big week against the Chargers, but has just 36 yards total in the other four games. Rumors of distraction have steadily grown around Pickens lately as well.
The offensive line has taken a few hits as Troy Fautanu , James Daniels and Nate Herbig have succumb to injuries. The Steelers' pressure rate allowed has risen exponentially in recent weeks.
The most-pressing need is cornerback. The situation was exacerbated when second-year starter JuJu Brents found his way onto injured reserve Sep. 10. Of the five cornerbacks on the Colts roster, three were undrafted free agents and none were drafted earlier than the fifth round. Indianapolis is allowing the fifth-highest passer rating (105.5), according to TruMedia.
Cornerback is also an issue elsewhere in the division. Darious Williams was a casualty of the franchise's search for salary cap health. He was replaced by 30-year-old Ronald Darby . Although Tyson Campbell impressed a year ago, he is now on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The team has the third-highest passer rating allowed (111.7), according to TruMedia.
Nine Texans, including three-fifths of the starting offensive line, did not practice Wednesday after star receiver Nico Collins was added to injured reserve. It is hard to tell who will and will not be available. Both starting offensive tackles were held out of practice and the only other tackle on the roster is second-round pick Blake Fisher .
The new-look Tennessee defense leaves a lot to be desired in Brian Callahan's first season as coach. A lot has been put on the plate of Harold Landry III and Arden Key . The unit needs to find a more consistent way to generate pressure having finished in the bottom five in team pressure rate a year ago, per TruMedia. Depth is even more concerning. The operation is currently third-worst in the NFL (25.6%).
Tennessee has used its first-round pick on offensive linemen in each of the past two years. The Titans hired one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL and signed free agent center Lloyd Cushenberry . Despite that investment, pressure has still been getting home through four games. The offensive line is allowing the fourth-highest pressure rate (40.3%) in the NFL .
Buffalo lost a lot of leadership from its defense this offseason and circumstances were exacerbated in training camp when linebacker Matt Milano was potentially lost for the year. Reserve Tyrel Dodson departed for Seattle in free agency so it leaves Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard to shoulder the load. The Bills have allowed the seventh-most rushing yards (144.0) per game this season. The interior defensive line plays into that equation as well.
Several seasoned pieces from last year's team are now gone. Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve and the offensive operation was turned over to Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley . There are concerns about that position in the short term, but there is not exactly a bevy of options awaiting them in free agency.
They signed multiple veteran defensive linemen to pair with Zach Sieler in an effort to rebuild a defensive line that lost Christian Wilkins this offseason. Benito Jones and Calais Campbell are the two who made it through the offseason. Campbell turned 38 not long ago. Miami has the lowest yards-before-contact rate in the league, but the worst yards after contact, according to TruMedia.
Cornerback and wide receiver depth is also a concern at the present time. Jaelan Phillips was added to injured reserve and Bradley Chubb has not yet made his 2024 debut.
Aaron Rodgers and his pass catchers looked as though they were on different pages in Week 5. They are tied for the second-most drops (13) in the NFL this year, per TruMedia.
There is also the lingering question about Haason Reddick's future with the organization. Fortunately, former first-round pick Will McDonald IV has exploded with six sacks. Jermaine Johnson II was added to injured reserve so that does not help the pass-rush situation, but they still have the fifth-highest pressure rate applied.
The Drake Maye era begins in New England, but the supporting cast may not do him any favors. It all starts upfront with the offensive line. If that is not solidified, then the rest hardly matters. The team is allowing pressure on 46.2% of dropbacks, which is the highest rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. The longest-tenured lineman, center David Andrews , was recently added to injured reserve. Recent draft picks Jake Andrews and Caedan Wallace are also on the list.
Cornerback was a point of weakness coming into the year for the Chargers. On Wednesday's injury report, Deane Leonard , Kristian Fulton , Asante Samuel Jr . and Ja'Sir Taylor were all listed as did not practice. If any combination of those four are held out, then it places a lot of stress on the unit.
The outlook at quarterback is not exciting, but little can be done about that at this stage of the NFL calendar. Aidan O'Connell is getting the start this week over veteran Gardner Minshew .
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was added to injured reserve this week. The unit is allowing the fifth-most yards after contact (3.32), according to TruMedia.
Youthful is an accurate description of the Packers roster as it is currently constructed. Linebacker has some question marks with De'Vondre Campbell absent but rookies Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper have a chance to fill the void. Quay Walker , a 2022 first-round pick, is suddenly the elder statesman in that room. Isaiah McDuffie is a part of the conversation as well. Green Bay is allowing 3.26 yards after contact, according to TruMedia, which is the seventh-worst rate in the league.
Minnesota is allowing pressure on 39.0% of dropbacks, which is the fifth-worst rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. Starting offensive guard Dalton Risner has been on injured reserve since August.
They have done an adequate job addressing the interior offensive line with the signing of Sua Opeta , last year's second-round selection of Cody Mauch and this year's selection of Graham Barton . Opeta is on injured reserve. Tampa Bay is averaging 0.75 yards before contact, according to TruMedia, which is the third-lowest rate in the league.
An injury to Rondale Moore really put the team's wide receiver depth into perspective. Ray-Ray McCloud III is the third receiver with sixth-round pick Casey Washington and KhaDarel Hodge being the only other two wide receivers on the roster. The conversation sounds different now after Hodge caught a game-winning touchdown in overtime, but that is still a problem area moving forward. Darnell Mooney was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.
Carolina diverted the majority of its resources to the offensive side of the ball in support of former No. 1 overall selection Bryce Young last offseason. The defense was adversely affected and the front line is essentially composed of hired mercenaries rather than homegrown talent. Those decisions did not impact Young in the way that they had hoped. Head coach Dave Canales elected to bench Young and the offense has looked revitalized with Andy Dalton calling the shots.
Pass rusher Brian Burns was traded away at a discount and the burden falls on Jadeveon Clowney . They have applied pressure on 23.8% of opponent's dropbacks through five games, according to TruMedia, which is the worst rate in the league. For perspective, the top of the league (Miami) sits at 42.9%.
Cornerback, other than Jaycee Horn , is a weakness. Four defensive backs are on injured reserve.
Offensive line depth has been challenged with Erik McCoy , Shane Lemieux on injured reserve and Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick held out of practice this week. Reserve offensive tackle Landon Young has been starting at right guard.
Any unit on defense, with the exception of the interior defenders, is open for discussion, especially now that Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell were inactive at practice Wednesday. Opposing passers have had a 114.7 rating against Washington this season, which is the second-highest in the league, according to TruMedia. They improved from last week thanks to an opportunity to play against Deshaun Watson .
Dallas can not catch a break this season. Demarcus Lawrence , Marshawn Kneeland and Sam Williams are all on injured reserve. Micah Parsons did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. The Cowboys play host to the Lions this weekend.
The Cowboys are hurting at wide receiver as well as Brandin Cooks was added to injured reserve last weekend.
The loss of center Jason Kelce to retirement has taken a harsh toll on the Philadelphia offensive line. They have the second-highest pressure rate allowed (45.2%), according to TruMedia. Cam Jurgens stepped into the role left vacant by Kielce and Landon Dickerson , Mekhi Becton are starting at guard.
The Eagles have stumbled along without star pass catchers Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown . The hope is that the bye allowed everyone to get healthy.
Dru Phillips and Adoree' Jackson have both been limited in practice this week. Second-year cornerback Deonte Banks has been picked on downfield. Opposing quarterbacks have a 104.4 passer rating against New York this season, according to TruMedia, which is the sixth-worst rate in the league.
Cornerback Ambry Thomas has been on injured reserve the entire season and Charvarius Ward was declared out for Thursday's game against Seattle. Safety Talanoa Hufanga is on injured reserve as well, so the health of the secondary, in general, is suffering.
The 49ers have lost running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell . Coach Kyle Shanahan is proactive in investing in that position but early-season injuries have already challenged depth.
The injuries continue to mount in Arizona. Starting right tackle Jonah Williams , starting offensive guard Will Hernandez and offensive tackle draft selection Christian Jones are all on injured reserve. Offensive guard Evan Brown and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum did not participate in practice Wednesday.
The Cardinals had 12 draft picks and only two, including first-round choice Darius Robinson , were used on the defensive front seven. Robinson has yet to make his debut as he nurses a calf injury sustained during training camp. The Cardinals have the fifth-lowest team pressure rates (27.9%), according to TruMedia.
Riq Woolen was declared out on Thursday night vs. the 49ers. The team signed Artie Burns to the active roster from the practice squad to account for that absence.
The Seahawks have a sound roster if they can stay healthy and, to this point, they have. No team has fewer players on injured reserve than the Commanders and Seahawks (3).
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Local News
Comments / 0