- The Commanders need solid play from Brandon Coleman: The young tackle pencils in as Washington's blindside protector with Laremy Tunsil out.
- The Lions will rely upon secondary contributors on both sides: Center Juice Scruggs and safety Avonte Maddox will play sneakily significant roles for Detroit, especially early in the season.
- Get more from PFF+ for less: PFF+ is now $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, with access to PFF+ content and tools, fantasy and betting resources, the Mock Draft Simulator and more — all at a new lower price.
With the 2026 NFL preseason wrapped up, the roster cutdown deadline having passed and the calendar turning to September, teams are all systems go on getting set for the regular season. Besides the return of fully meaningful football itself, the best part about a new year is a fresh slate for all 32 organizations.
However, a glut of teams have already been knocked down from full strength in the health department. Indeed, numerous clubs will have to navigate multi-week or even season-ending losses suffered in training camp or the preseason, already putting them a bit behind the eight ball. Also complicating the picture are players who have been suspended or placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, with several stars set to be out for months on end.
In the wake of absences, the 10 players below carry extra — and perhaps unexpected — magnitude in driving their team’s 2026 outcome.
T Brandon Coleman, Washington Commanders
The Commanders are hopeful for a rebound campaign after a dismal 2025 season that saw them finish 5-12 after reaching the NFC championship the year before. Unfortunately for Washington, the team is already without elite tackle Laremy Tunsil, who suffered a torn triceps in early August.
There’s no easy fix for losing the sixth-most valuable tackle by PFF Wins Above Replacement since 2022, but Coleman will look to fill Tunsil’s void. The former third-round pick has played 1,240 career snaps at left tackle over his two pro seasons, producing a 62.9 overall PFF grade in his career. Perhaps encouraging is that Coleman looked better in the preseason, notching a 76.3 PFF pass-blocking grade — a performance the Commanders will need over a larger sample if they want to return to glory.
S Xavier Woods, Chicago Bears
The Bears entered the second season of the Ben Johnson era with improved aspirations after making the NFC divisional round in 2025. However, Chicago has endured a slew of defensive injuries, including losing free-agent addition Coby Bryant for most of the year with a knee issue.
Consequently, the Bears signed Woods, who is poised to step into a starting role next to first-round pick Dillon Thieneman. The 31-year-old veteran sported a 65.5 overall PFF grade across 526 snaps with the Titans last year, although he was effective in coverage. Indeed, Woods’ 70.3 PFF coverage grade sat in the 83rd percentile. Woods will look to keep that consistency after a down 2024 season in Carolina, especially on a Bears defense with lots of question marks.
S Avonte Maddox, Detroit Lions
The Lions’ quest for redemption after missing the playoffs has already endured numerous roadblocks. A quintessential part of that is having both Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles) still working their way back from season-ending injuries in 2025 and landing on the physically unable to perform list.
With both starting safeties out for at least the first four games of 2026, players like Maddox become that much more important. The former Eagle turned heads in reserve work for Detroit last year, generating a 79.1 overall PFF grade over 342 snaps. Impressively, Maddox notched a 75.0-plus grade in both coverage and run defense while primarily operating as the team’s true free safety. If he can sustain that level of play, it will go a long way for Detroit’s battered defense.
EDGE Princely Umanmielen, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have been victimized by injury arguably more than any other team before the season has begun, losing both starting tackles for the initial weeks of the year as well as second-year edge defender Nic Scourton due to a torn ACL. Now, players like Umanmielen will be asked to do even more.
A third-round pick in 2025, Umanmielen had a tough time acclimating in his rookie campaign. Over 235 snaps, he posted just a 49.5 overall PFF grade. Umanmielen’s PFF pass-rush and run-defense grades both fell below the 24th percentile as well. Down Scourton and his 37 pressures, Umanmielen will be tasked with offering complementary pass-rush next to big-ticket addition Jaelan Phillips.
EDGE Samson Ebukam, Atlanta Falcons
The start to a new league year hasn’t been especially kind to the Falcons either. On top of enduring a quarterback debate, Atlanta has lost second-year pass-rushers Jalon Walker (torn ACL) and James Pearce Jr. (suspension) for at least half of 2026.
The Falcons’ depth at edge defender is considerably thinner, which has elevated names like Ebukam. The former Ram, 49er and Colt joined the franchise on a one-year deal this offseason as projected depth but could see a lion’s share of starting snaps. Ebukam’s 60.1 PFF pass-rush grade and 10.2% pass-rush win rate were both in no better than the 36th percentile last year as he returned from an Achilles tear, but the Falcons will hope to see more of his pre-injury self.
C Juice Scruggs, Detroit Lions
Detroit’s defense has been especially besieged by injury in recent seasons, but its offense also endured a big blow when starting center Cade Mays fractured a bone in his wrist during training camp. With Mays out for at least the first four weeks of the year, Scruggs could step up to fill his absence.
Acquired by the Lions this offseason in the deal for running back David Montgomery, Scruggs has occupied all three interior offensive line slots throughout his pro career, but he only played center in 2024. That season happened to be his best as a pro with a 63.5 overall PFF grade, which placed 17th among qualified centers. Scruggs will look to bounce back in a new ecosystem after a trying 2025 saw him earn a 40.5 PFF run-blocking grade and let up 11 pressures on 202 opportunities.
EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Green Bay Packers
When the Packers picked Dennis-Sutton in the fourth round, the team figured it had landed a high-upside depth piece during his rookie season. But with Micah Parsons expected to miss the first six weeks of 2026 while recovering from an ACL tear, Dennis-Sutton could be thrown into the spotlight sooner than projected.
Dennis-Sutton was consistently excellent throughout a four-year stint at Penn State, earning at least a 75.0 PFF pass-rush grade every season while compiling 147 total pressures. He transferred that talent in his first taste of the preseason, collecting five pressures on 22 pass-rushing snaps against the Cardinals. Down Parsons in an edge defender room without many proven talents, Dennis-Sutton looms as an X-factor on a Packers defensive line facing initial questions.
RB MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers
On top of Parsons starting the year on the PUP list, Green Bay also confronts the loss of Josh Jacobs. The Pro Bowl running back was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List stemming from an offseason domestic violence dispute, and his return date (or potential suspension length) is unknown.
With Jacobs’ status up in the air, the Packers figure to turn to Lloyd in their backfield. The former third-round pick has been devastated by injury to start his career, appearing on just 10 regular-season offensive snaps through two pro seasons. Lloyd looked solid with a 72.2 PFF rushing grade in his final preseason contest, and his efficacy and health should define how well the Packers’ offense fares in the first few weeks of 2026.
EDGE Jonah Elliss, Denver Broncos
The Broncos return the nucleus of their stingy defense in 2025, including a defensive line that’s one of the foremost in the league. However, standout edge defender Jonathon Cooper is out for an undetermined amount of time after also being placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Sans Cooper and his 176 pressures since 2023, the Broncos will have to turn to their front-four depth, which includes Elliss. The 2024 third-round pick has appeared on 811 snaps as a pro, amassing 44 pressures and 29 stops in the process as a backup. If Elliss can improve upon his 61.8 PFF pass-rush grade as a second-year player, it would help offset the loss of Cooper and John Franklin-Myers along Denver’s defensive line.
WR Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints
The Saints have warranted major anticipation this season, largely courtesy of a strong offseason. At the center of that is eighth overall pick Jordyn Tyson, although the touted rookie will now miss a considerable portion of the year due to a hamstring injury.
New Orleans will await the return of its All-American receiver, but it figures to rely on Vele in the meantime. The former Bronco was effective in his first year with the Saints, netting a 74.3 PFF receiving grade and not dropping any of his 36 catchable targets. If Vele can continue hauling in contested catches — of which he secured nine of 11 in 2025 — then he might establish himself as a viable option next to star Chris Olave.
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