Josh Edwards· Aug 27, 2026
An unsigned (first-person, unbylined in the provided text) CBS Sports piece identifying one bottom-of-roster hole each NFL team could patch before final cuts; along the way it names several teams' presumed starters heading into the season.
“The exercise is not necessarily each team's biggest need but rather one bottom-of-the-roster hole each team could still patch ahead of the regular season.”
published in writing · CBS Sports · read the original →
13 checkable claims — 13 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 19 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 9 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Where do you stand? Pick this and every open claim on Picks →
Who this take is about
13 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
- Depth Chart CallsTykee SmithTampa Bay BuccaneersAug 27, 2026
Tykee Smith to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Buccaneers could bring in competition at safety behind Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Quinyon Mitchell to be 1st on the depth chart
“Riq Woolen should bring accountability opposite Quinyon Mitchell”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsJamien SherwoodNew York JetsAug 27, 2026
Jamien Sherwood to be 1st on the depth chart
“New York may receive diminished returns from starting linebackers Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Antoine Winfield Jr. to be 1st on the depth chart
“The Buccaneers could bring in competition at safety behind Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsDemario DavisNew York JetsAug 27, 2026
Demario Davis to be 1st on the depth chart
“New York may receive diminished returns from starting linebackers Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Marcus Jones to be 1st on the depth chart
“New England has a strong collection of starters with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsRiq WoolenPhiladelphia EaglesAug 27, 2026
Riq Woolen to be 1st on the depth chart
“Riq Woolen should bring accountability opposite Quinyon Mitchell, but the team felt the need to invest in the position”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsAlex SingletonDenver BroncosAug 27, 2026
Alex Singleton to be 1st on the depth chart
“Seventh-round pick Red Murdock headlines the depth behind starters Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Carlton Davis III to be 1st on the depth chart
“New England has a strong collection of starters with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Christian Gonzalez to be 1st on the depth chart
“New England has a strong collection of starters with Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Andrew Van Ginkel to be 1st on the depth chart
“Andrew Van Ginkel has performed well ... but it is essentially undrafted free agents galore behind those two players.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsDallas TurnerMinnesota VikingsAug 27, 2026
Dallas Turner to be 1st on the depth chart
“it is time for former first-round pick Dallas Turner to deliver on the investment in him, but it is essentially undrafted free agents galore behind those two players”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsJustin StrnadDenver BroncosAug 27, 2026
Justin Strnad to be 1st on the depth chart
“Seventh-round pick Red Murdock headlines the depth behind starters Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Chris BrockmanTrade and Signing Calls · Baker MayfieldHit · 100Brockman's season-preview overreactions: Fernando Mendoza becomes an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist; Dak Prescott wins MVP and the Cowboys win the Super Bowl; Jesse Minter's Ravens win the AFC North; C.J. Stroud leads Houston to the AFC's No. 1 seed; Jonathan Taylor approaches 2,000 rushing yards; Baker Mayfield wins the NFC South, goes 12-5 and reaches the NFC title game while landing a $60 million-per-year deal; and Aaron Rodgers throws 35-plus touchdowns as the Steelers go 11-6 and win the North.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice touts Kyler Murray as a value QB who will start Week 1 for Minnesota, Tyler Shough as the Saints' undisputed starter, and Juwan Johnson and Terrance Ferguson as late-round tight end targets.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to be Minnesota's Week 1 starter and calls him one of the better quarterback values in 2026 drafts; he also views Jordan Love as a top-10 real-life quarterback but only a QB2 in fantasy.
- Jon GrudenTrade and Signing Calls · Baker MayfieldHit · 100The former Buccaneers head coach predicted that Tampa Bay and Baker Mayfield are closer on a new contract than believed and that an extension will get done.
- Joel CorryTrade and Signing Calls · Baker MayfieldHit · 100The unsigned CBS Sports analysis lays out the contract it believes Tampa Bay will have to give Mayfield at minimum: a two-year extension averaging $50 million per year with $110 million in guarantees and a no-trade clause.
- Pat FitzmauriceDepth Chart Calls · Kyler MurrayHit · 100Fitzmaurice expects Kyler Murray to open the season as Minnesota's starting quarterback and to be one of the better quarterback values in 2026 fantasy drafts, and he likewise likes Tyler Shough as New Orleans' entrenched starter with an easy schedule.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Tyler SullivanDepth Chart Calls · Drew LockMiss · 0In an unsigned Week 2 odds roundup, the piece states that with Sam Darnold hurt, Drew Lock will likely start at quarterback for Seattle against Arizona.
- Ralph VacchianoDepth Chart Calls · Tua TagovailoaMiss · 0Vacchiano ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2026 season, with the Rams first and Dolphins last. He also flags the Giants as a potential surprise team with a top-10 defense, and notes Deshaun Watson won Cleveland's QB job while Tua Tagovailoa starts Week 1 in Atlanta.
- Steven RuizDepth Chart Calls · Michael Penix Jr.Miss · 0In a retrospective tiering of all 32 starting quarterbacks, Ruiz treats Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons' Week 1 starter over Kirk Cousins, whom he places in his lowest tier.
- Mike FlorioDepth Chart Calls · Shedeur SandersMiss · 0Florio reports the Browns will start Deshaun Watson in Week 1 but predicts Shedeur Sanders will likely be the starting quarterback by Week 3.
- Nathan JahnkeDepth Chart Calls · Jalen TolbertMiss · 0PFF's preseason fantasy recap makes a large number of depth-chart, role and fantasy-value calls across the league, including Chig Okonkwo as a top sleeper tight end, Tre Tucker as the Raiders' top receiver, and various backfield hierarchies.
- Emmett MatasovskyDepth Chart Calls · Christian IzienMiss · 0Matasovsky says Dobbs is currently leading the backup quarterback race and suggests Christian Izien may be pressed into a starting safety role in Week 1 while Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph rehab.