The 2022 NFL preseason has passed and all 32 teams have now finalized their regular season rosters. “Finalized” is a loose word here, considering the lineup will be adjusted from now until the end of the year. But we now have a clear picture of what most clubs will look like heading into Week 1. Here are 32 key takeaways from Tuesday’s final cut deadline:
1. The pressure is on Trey Lance. Actions speak louder than words, and the 49ers happily welcomed Jimmy Garoppolo back on an amended contract, showing that Kyle Shanahan can’t quite give up his often-injured Flames. Yes, quarterback insurance is necessary. But imagine when you become the Lance and your ex is back in the room and you’re not just winning games, but everyone on and off the team.
2. The Hawks have basically upgraded every position they need after trading Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, the former Saints corner. Gardner-Johnson will join a second tier of Darius Slay and James Bradberry as the starting safety. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with believing in the Philly hype.
3. It’s James Cook season in Buffalo and passing specialist Duke Johnson is released. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss will remain the top traditional running backs, but the rookie is now ready for a legitimate role.
4. Dameon Pierce is even more ready to make noise at RB, and former Colts starter Marlon Mack is among them. The rookie Florida product should be an easy choice for handling top jobs, with Rex Burkhead as a complement.
5. Malik Willis’ preseason power wasn’t in vain, with the Titans cutting Logan Woodside as Ryan Tannehill’s top backup. Quietly, the situation bears parallels with the 2021 Lance-Garoppolo combo. It may only be a matter of time before Tennessee craves Willis’ athleticism at center.
6. The Cowboys don’t value the backup QB position. After cutting all three of Dak Prescott’s bench players (Cooper Rush, Will Grier, Ben DiNucci), they reportedly plan to bring back at least one player after moving other veterans to injured reserves. That means they believe they’ll be available, which means that no one else around the NFL considers them. It’s okay if you think any long-term loss to Dak means the season is doomed anyway. Still, a legitimate number 2 can go a long way.
7. Josh McDaniels doesn’t care about Jon Gruden-Mike Mayock-era investments. Cutting 2021 first-rounder Alex Leatherwood is an admission that it’s a bad gamble at right tackle, but trading 24-year-old starting cornerback Trayvon Mullen is all about taking Rock Ya-Sin’s lead Reworked minor team recognition.
8. The Jaguars do have a deeper receiving team, as evidenced by the release of Laquin Treadwell One point, he’s Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target in 2021.
9. Dolphins will need extra effort from former first-rounder Noah Igbinoguene due to Achilles injury , starting corner Byron Jones will play at least four games. Or just more great performances from Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland.
10. Talking about major injuries in the AFC East, it’s time for Kyle Ellam to make an early impact in Buffalo, and All-Pro Trey David Uswhite is also guaranteed to miss at least four game as he recovers from a torn ACL.
11. Brian Robinson Jr. was placed on the commander’s active duty list just as the shooting attempted to attack him A few days after the carjacking, it was confirmed that he played a major role in their offense. As the summer wore on, the rookie appeared to replace Antonio Gibson as Washington’s primary ball-handler.
12. The Panthers were made to play some rugged dunk football. They already have Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore, and now Laviska Shenault has been freed from Jacksonville in a trade as Baker Mayfield’s outlet.
13. Taking cues from Dallas’ NFC East brothers, Giants roll the dice on QB health and depth, cutting Davis Webb’s second stint in town, leaving only one battered Tyrod Taylor is behind Daniel Jones. Then again, Webb will likely be back in training.
14. Josh Gordon’s NFL career could end when he is released from the Chiefs, who are hungry for WR’s help after they traded Tyreek Hill in the offseason. The 31-year-old has completed 12 passes in 17 games over the past three seasons.
15. Tyler Johnson’s career may have just begun as the former fifth-round pick was unexpectedly eliminated by a crowded Buccaneers WR room. A key threat from Minnesota, he is considered a hot development target after a relatively quiet two years in Tampa Bay.
16. Chase Edmonds and Raheem Most in Miami are both counting on a decent workload to be safe, the Dolphins ahead of the regular season with former Patriots and Rams starters The team said goodbye to Sony Michel. Edmonds had plenty of money to leave Arizona in the spring, and Most had worked under Mike McDaniel.
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17. Although the RB is as replaceable as ever (see: Michel, Sony ), but the veteran market has a new plug-and-play option in Phillip Lindsay, who can’t beat Colts Hines after Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim. In RB2 or RB3, you can do worse.
18. Justin Fields still has an ugly corps of WRs outside of Darnell Mooney, as evidenced by Chicago keeping 7 on the 53-man roster, Verru Jr. Jones, Byron Pringle and N’Keal Harry – none of them overly encouraged by themselves – all got bumped and candidates hit IR.
19. The Jets are unhappy with any possible trade offer for Denzel Mims, a former player who was eliminated in the preseason finale Second round player. But they still have time to hang him before or early in the 2022 season.
20. Pittsburgh is slightly better on the edge after trading picks for a couple of low-post veterans: Jesse Davis at guard and Malik Reed at the edge. The former started at all O-line positions except center in his four years with the Dolphins, while Reed quietly totaled 13 sacks in his final two seasons with the Broncos.
21. Shaquille Leonard, formerly known as Darius, is expected to miss the fewest after avoiding a physically unenforceable designation time. This summer, he underwent back surgery. An IR journey is not impossible, but it seems far-fetched.
twenty two. The Vikings were really unhappy with Karen Mond’s development, cutting the former three-rounder just a year into his career and will be second only to Kirk The No. 2 spot for Cousins ​​went to newly acquired Nick Mullens.
23. The Broncos are still seeing something in Brett Rypien, who will be Russell Wilson’s backup when Josh Johnson is released. Otherwise they plan an extra move in that position after the other team’s cut.
twenty four. Like their counterparts in Minnesota, the Lions were unhappy with whatever happened at the backup QB position, cutting former Packers backup Tim Boyle and temporarily turning to David Blough as Jared Goff’s insurance. swallow?
25. Jalen Regor likely has a future in Philadelphia. The 2020 first-rounder was relegated to a nearly non-existent role, with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith providing some real juice to the WR room, surviving the final cut, and without the pressure to perform on the depth chart, Could be better, like Nelson Agholor years ago.
26. Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen may be safer than expected to return this season, despite a serious knee injury during training camp. That’s because Tampa Bay reportedly waived veteran safety Logan Ryan, intends to move Jensen to IR soon, re-sign Ryan, and hopes to designate Jensen to return for the regular season.
27. OJ Howard might not be the passing weapon everyone imagined when he came out of Alabama. If that wasn’t evident in his Buccaneers game, maybe it’s now after the Bills cut him a summer later.
28. Mike McDaniel believes in Skylar Thompson’s potential. The rookie seventh round dominated the preseason, securing a 53-man berth behind Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater rather than giving up for a potential practice squad move.
29. Chargers corner JC Jackson may be ready sooner or later to avoid a PUP, even though he recently underwent ankle surgery and is expected to miss up to a month. He’s still a regular for Week 1.
30. Lance McCutcheon’s preseason was no fluke, at least in Sean McVay’s eyes, as he kept the undrafted Montana product in his WR room while Van Jefferson returned from knee surgery.
31. The Chiefs’ RB room is as unpredictable as ever, with former Bucs starter Ronald Jones despite a slow start to training camp and preseason , but still got a job. He could split time with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco.
32. It’s finally time to cheer for real football. Let’s go!
