Insider Reveals NFL’s Most Overlooked Roster Issue

The 2025 NFL season is just around the corner.

Every team in the league has less than two weeks to get its final 53-man roster together, hoping to make the right decisions to make its team as competitive as possible.

It can sometimes be difficult to decide on how to move forward with young players, as it can sometimes take athletes time to get settled into a system.

Teams have to look at positional scarcity during roster cutdowns, needing to figure out how they’ll navigate injuries throughout the year and make sure they have enough depth.

The offensive line can get tricky at times, depth-wise, which is what Albert Breer recently noted on X.

He commented on the fact that “no one seems to have enough” depth at the position, and that the league should fix this problem from a roster development standpoint.

This is a good example of the NFL's depth issue with offensive linemen—even the team that's the best at drafting and developing it is reaching for help at the very last minute. No one seems to have enough. https://t.co/IknKKC5F95

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 24, 2025

This came on the heels of the Philadelphia Eagles trading for tackle Fred Johnson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, receiving a seventh-round pick in return.

In Breer’s mind, teams shouldn’t have to trade for offensive linemen at this point in the preseason process; they should be allowed more depth from the get-go, developing more of these athletes themselves.

The offensive line is among the most important units in the sport, as it protects the most expensive players: quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks tend to make the most money of any position in the league, and considering the emphasis on passing in recent history, having the best possible offensive line is the best way for teams to protect their investments.

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Dolphins Rookie Turned Heads With Impressive Preseason

The Miami Dolphins have had one of the most impressive offenses in the NFL over the past two seasons when they’ve been healthy.

They notably had a 70-point game in 2023, the most by a team in nearly 50 years, a sign of how strong their skill-position players are.

Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle continue to be their top options in the receiving game, and De’Von Achane has established himself as a dual-threat back, providing great value through the air and on the ground.

This team is said to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to their offensive talent, and they might have added another sneaky piece during the NFL Draft.

Ollie Gordon was a sixth-round pick out of Oklahoma State this year, a player who showed some promise at the collegiate level, but wasn’t a highly-touted prospect coming out, despite having a 1,700-yard season in 2023.

Fans might not have known his name on draft day, but they certainly do now after his impressive preseason performances.

According to PFF Fantasy on X, Gordon had 126 yards during the preseason, which included 101 yards after contact.

Ollie Gordon in the preseason:

126 Yards
101 Yards After Contact
8 Rushes for First Down pic.twitter.com/2tmSneCWYJ

— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) August 24, 2025

He also had eight rushing first-downs, a trait that could be extremely useful to the Dolphins during the regular season.

The Dolphins’ offense could take another leap in production if Gordon can keep this up, making them that much more dangerous moving forward.

They’ll still have to navigate an increasingly difficult AFC East division, but if they stay healthy, there’s no telling what this team will be able to accomplish.

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Harrison Phillips Sends Heartfelt Message To Vikings Fans

The Minnesota Vikings have been very active over the past few days, making some final roster adjustments ahead of the season.

Like every team in the league, the Vikings have needed to make some roster cuts en route to creating a 53-man roster, but they’ve also made a few trades to get to that point.

One of their notable trades was moving on from backup QB Sam Howell, sending him and a sixth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles, gaining a fifth and seventh-rounder from them.

They also traded away DT Harrison Phillips and a seventh-round pick to the New York Jets, getting a pair of sixth-rounders in return.

Phillips had a strong run with the Vikings, and he signed a two-year contract extension in 2024, which was supposed to keep him with the team through the 2026 season.

However, the Vikings decided that they had the right pieces in place to move on without him.

Transactions like this can get lost in the craziness of the offseason and the weeks leading up to the regular season, but it can still be an emotional time for players and their families, who have to uproot their lives and move to a new city.

Phillips talked about this trade on Instagram, highlighting a few of his emotions surrounding it.

“Minnesota, you will always hold a special place in my heart. In our time here, so many of the biggest moments of our lives have happened,” Phillips said, on Instagram, later adding, “Joining the New York Jets is an opportunity I’m beyond grateful for. I’m ready to give everything I’ve got, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

He expressed his gratitude for the Vikings, indicating that he’ll fondly remember his time with the organization, while also talking about his excitement about joining a new team.

It will be interesting to see how he performs with the Jets and if he can help revamp their defense into a unit that opposing teams don’t want to go against on any given week.

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Patriots WR Has Honest Admission About Mack Hollins

The New England Patriots have not been shy when it comes to adding new talent throughout the offseason.

They seemed to recognize that what they’ve done over the past few seasons hasn’t worked out well, and have tried to fix things as best as possible.

One of the units that they’ve bulked up is the wide receiver room.

The biggest fish of the offseason was acquiring veteran Stefon Diggs, a player who has been among the best in the league at the position when healthy.

While Diggs was the most notable name, they also selected Kyle Williams in the third round of this year’s draft, and also made a move to pick up Mack Hollins, who most recently played for the Buffalo Bills.

All of these players have been a fit for this team in different ways, but Hollins made a particularly strong impact on teammate DeMario Douglas.

Douglas talked about Hollins’ trash talk and his performances in camp and the preseason, as reporter Mark Daniels noted on X.

“I never had a player like that on my team – who talks that much trash and then backs it up,” Douglas said of Hollins.

DeMario Douglas on Mack Hollins: “I never had a player like that on my team – who talks that much trash and then backs it up.”

— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) August 24, 2025

Douglas admired Hollins’ ability to talk smack to his teammates while also backing it up with his play, something that not all athletes are able to do well.

This is an indication that Hollins is fitting in well, as he’s comfortable talking with his new teammates in this way, which could lead to increased team chemistry down the road.

It will be interesting to see if all of this positive talk about the Patriots leads to the improved season that many believe they’ll have.

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Dan Campbell Gets Honest About Upcoming Season

The Detroit Lions were tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the NFL’s best record in the 2024 season.

They were highly touted coming into the season, and the hype and excitement were certainly warranted given how well they performed.

Head coach Dan Campbell rallied the troops during the offseason to make them into a spectacular team, and they certainly lived up to the hype, at least during the regular season.

They fell short of expectations during the playoffs, falling to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round, but they seem hungry and ready to go for the 2025 campaign.

Campbell noted as much in a recent press conference shared by Brad Galli on X.

“Thank God it’s here, almost. It’s time. It’s time to get ready for the season and this opener, get ready to go to Lambeau. I love where our team’s at,” Campbell said.

The NFL preseason is over. Lions head coach Dan Campbell summed up his feelings as the regular season approaches.

“Thank God it’s here, almost," Campbell said. "It’s time. It’s time to get ready for the season and this opener, get ready to go to Lambeau." pic.twitter.com/mEQeXZwg58

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 24, 2025

Campbell is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve and being a football guy, through and through.

He is geared up and ready to see what his team can do, which starts with an away game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Fans of both teams are excited to see who will start the season 1-0, and who will have to dig themselves out of a hole from the get-go.

The Lions had the Packers’ number last season, narrowly beating them in their first meeting and taking care of business in the second.

If their injuries have resolved themselves like Campbell and others have indicated, the Lions could once again be a scary team on anyone’s schedule, including the Packers in their first game of the season.

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49ers Could Make Surprising Roster Move With Jauan Jennings

The San Francisco 49ers were one of the most surprising teams during the 2024 NFL season.

They came into the year as Super Bowl favorites, as most analysts and sportsbooks believed they had the right roster in place to win it all.

While they had, and still have, a lot of great pieces on both sides of the ball, injuries limited their overall ceiling and hurt their chances down the stretch.

The 49ers didn’t make the playoffs at all, finishing the year with a frustrating record compared to expectations.

Most of their key athletes are healthy and ready to go for 2025, but WR Jauan Jennings is still a point of contention with less than two weeks to go.

Jennings was one of the 49ers’ best skill-position players in 2024, but injuries and a contract situation could keep him out of a few games.

Reporter Tim Kawakami provided the latest on this situation on X, giving some insight as to what’s going on behind the scenes.

“There is growing frustration on both sides as Jennings continues to miss practice with a calf injury and 49ers management continues to show little interest in restructuring his contract and giving him a big pay raise for the second time in a little over a year,”  Kawakami said.

#49ers Jauan Jennings' lingering calf injury and contract stalemate could possibly get him placed on the IR, according to @timkawakami

“There is growing frustration on both sides as Jennings continues to miss practice with a calf injury and 49ers management continues to show… pic.twitter.com/rWXrmZfb0v

— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) August 25, 2025

This is a common theme with NFL players.

If they’re unhappy with how they’re being treated and if the contract doesn’t make sense with the current market rates, they’d much rather sit out and weigh their options from the sidelines.

Jennings seemingly doesn’t want to get injured any more than he already is, and if he does practice and gets hurt, his chances of an extension go down tremendously.

This will be a situation for 49ers fans to monitor as the season gets closer, as Brock Purdy might have to turn to new players in the passing game if Jennings misses time.

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Patriots Hosted Former Raiders Defender For Visit

The New England Patriots have been one of the most talked-about teams in the NFL over the past several months.

Fans and analysts alike believe they have a strong outlook heading into the 2025 campaign, as they’ve made lots of moves to improve their roster.

Drake Maye has looked encouraging, which inspires confidence for their offense, and their defensive additions have led to cautious optimism.

While they’re starting to click as one unit, there’s always room for growth and improvement, even with less than two weeks to go before the 2025 season begins.

The Patriots recently hosted free-agent linebacker Luke Masterson on a visit, as reporter Mike Reiss noted on X, who detailed Masterson’s stats over 37 career NFL games.

Patriots hosted free-agent LB Luke Masterson (Wake Forest, Raiders) on a visit.

Masterson (6-1, 220) has played in 37 NFL games (10 starts), totaling 103 tackles.

He was a regular on special teams for the Raiders in 2022-2023, and had his 2024 season cut short in Oct. (knee).

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 24, 2025

He logged 103 tackles during those contests for the Las Vegas Raiders, and could have an opportunity to show what he can do for the Patriots.

Having depth on the defensive side of the ball is paramount ahead of a long and grueling season, and a veteran like Masterson could fit right in on this roster.

If the Patriots decide to sign him, they’ll need to cut a player ahead of creating the final 53-man roster, a difficult decision for any team to make.

They’ll have to weigh their current options against Masterson, hoping to make the right call to help this team be as competitive as possible.

His injury history could come into play, as he missed the back half of the 2024 campaign with a knee injury, but that remains to be seen.

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Patriots Are Reportedly Shopping Veteran Defender

The New England Patriots have made a lot of changes over the past several months.

They’ve added several players on both sides of the ball to up their chances in a competitive AFC East, hoping to put the best possible roster together to stay competitive.

While they haven’t been relevant in the playoff hunt for a few years, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their outlook moving forward.

New head coach Mike Vrabel is ready to lead this team to great success, hoping to turn the tide from what’s happened in recent seasons.

While there’s a lot of positivity surrounding the organization, one piece remains unsettled.

As Ian Rapoport recently noted on X, the Patriots are looking for potential suitors for safety Kyle Dugger, who has been the team’s starting safety for five years.

The #Patriots are shopping safety Kyle Dugger, sources say, their starter the last five seasons.

While Dugger thrived in New England and eventually earned a 4-year, $58M contract extension, the new staff appears to view him differently. He’s played deep into preseason games. pic.twitter.com/X4JUmqwFJp

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2025

Rapoport noted that Dugger played well enough to earn a contract extension, but for whatever reason, the team could be gearing up to move on from him.

At this time, there haven’t been many reports about why this is happening, leaving fans in the dark.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Patriots decide to move forward.

If they stick with Dugger, he could have a lack of excitement playing for the team, knowing that they are interested in moving him.

However, if they end up trading him, their defense could take a step back in production, losing a top-tier safety who has been a part of the organization for years.

The clock is ticking either way, as the season kicks off in less than two weeks.

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Analyst Believes Joe Burrow Could Make Surprising Move

The Cincinnati Bengals find themselves at a crossroads after consecutive playoff misses despite having one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks.

Joe Burrow has delivered exceptional individual performances, but team success has remained elusive since their memorable Super Bowl run three seasons ago.

The frustrating pattern has sparked speculation about potential friction between the franchise quarterback and the organization’s direction.

Analyst John Middlekauff recently floated a scenario that would send shockwaves through the NFL during a recent episode of 3 & Out.

“Is he going to ask for a trade after the season? He could go. ‘It’s time for me to leave. Send me to a real organization,’” Middlekauff said.

“He could go, ‘it’s time for me to leave, send me to a real organization.’”@JohnMiddlekauff questions if Joe Burrow could eventually force his way out of Cincinnati if things go south again. pic.twitter.com/KP6sLdqgx6

— 3&OUT with John Middlekauff (@3andout_pod) August 24, 2025

He compared the situation to Carson Palmer’s standoff with Mike Brown years ago, when Palmer demanded a trade, only for the owner to refuse, pushing Palmer toward retirement.

Middlekauff expressed doubt that Brown would willingly part with his current franchise quarterback, especially considering his track record of stubbornness in similar situations.

Burrow’s statistical dominance last season makes any trade talk seem premature.

He led the league with 4,918 passing yards while throwing 43 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. His completion percentage reached 70.6% with an average of 289.3 yards per game.

The quarterback also added 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Yet the Bengals still finished 9-8 and watched the playoffs from home.

Cincinnati’s defensive struggles continue to undermine Burrow’s elite play.

Those same issues that derailed last season remain unresolved heading into the current campaign, potentially setting up another year of individual brilliance overshadowed by team disappointment.

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Skip Bayless Highlights Big Concern About Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2025 season as a popular Super Bowl contender with Jalen Hurts leading the way.

Their roster depth looks strong across most positions, but one area continues to raise concerns.

NFL analyst Skip Bayless recently highlighted what he sees as a critical weakness that could derail their championship hopes.

“The Eagles are now vulnerable if their backup QB has to play,” Bayless wrote on X.

The Eagles are now vulnerable if their backup QB has to play.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 24, 2025

The comment comes at a time when Philadelphia’s quarterback depth chart remains unsettled.

Tanner McKee entered camp as the primary backup but suffered a fractured thumb that threatens his availability for the regular season.

This injury has thrust Sam Howell into the spotlight. The Eagles acquired Howell from Minnesota in exchange for draft picks specifically to address their depth concerns while waiving Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

His preseason performances with the Vikings had been inconsistent, but he appears positioned to serve as the immediate backup if McKee cannot go.

Kyle McCord rounds out the quarterback room as the third option. However, his limited NFL experience adds another layer of uncertainty to an already complicated situation.

Philadelphia’s front office moved quickly to secure Howell after recognizing the potential gap behind Hurts. But questions remain about whether these moves provide adequate insurance.

The NFC East figures to be competitive once again this season. Any extended absence by Hurts could prove costly in such a tight division race.

The Eagles built their roster with championship aspirations in mind. Whether their quarterback depth can support those goals may depend on staying healthy and getting better production from their backup options than what Bayless expects.

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