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The 2021 NFL season begins Thursday, Sept. 9, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys (20:20, NBC). Teams have been on the training ground since late July, with three preseason games to help inform decisions about which unrecruited free agents might be worth keeping, which veterans are in decline, and which positions need more reinforcements.
With the fast-paced regular season approaching, teams must make staff decisions and reduce to 53 players at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. With that in mind, ESPN’s NFL Nation projects what those lists will look like below. We will update this page after the last preseason games end each weekend and the 32 screenings on the list will be live on Sunday.
Each list projection file includes ESPN + content.
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Most of the 53-man roster wasn’t hard to put together, but there will be questions about the runner (three or four?) And the corner (does versatile defender Isaiah Simmons allow them to keep five corners instead of six?). But the bigger question is this: will Chandler Jones be on the list for the first week? Final screening of Josh Weinfuss’ list of 53 men
It might seem like Kicker is the biggest problem with the Panthers of all week’s activity with Joey Slye in a fall, but that’s the least of his problems. There is still uncertainty about whether Sam Darnold can recover from three bad years in New York and Cameron Erving can finally settle the revolving door on the left. And then there’s the general lack of depth on defense. Final screening of David Newton’s list of 53 men
There aren’t a lot of family names on the list, but the new regime, led by first-year coach Dan Campbell, seeks to establish a tough identity with the organization in a complete rebuild. These new-looking lions have carried players with a chip on their shoulders and apparently have nothing to lose as no one expects much from this team. Final screening of Eric Woodyard’s list of 53 men
This was one of the least competitive training camps the Colts have had in recent years in terms of roster positions. The kick-off was not uncommon for Rodrigo Blankenship defeating Eddy Pineiro. The receiver could end up being the deepest position on the team. Final screening of Mike Wells’ list of 53 men
The most interesting decisions are on the offensive line, where the Chiefs added eight strong candidates to the roster who were not with the team last year. Therefore, they could keep the extras in it or try to deal with one or more backups. Final screening of Adam Teicher’s list of 53 men
The Vikings will keep three quarterbacks, but don’t be surprised to see a new face backing Kirk Cousins once Minnesota sees other veterans available next week. Neither Jake Browning nor Kellen Mond did enough in the preseason games to get the role of QB2, and one of them is off the list on Tuesday. The final screening of Courtney Cronin’s list of 53 men
The Saints will have at least ten new starters in Week 1, thanks to the retirement of Drew Brees, an off-season salary purge and a handful of injuries and premature suspensions. It will look to add depth to the corner, defensive attack, tight end and shot of players cut around the league. And there’s some intrigue about whether they’ll keep veteran players in a position of skill like Latavius Murray, Devonta Freeman and Chris Hogan. Final screening of Mike Triplett’s list of 53 men
With waiver priority no. 2 and lots of holes to fill, the Jets will be in roster list mode for the next few days. They will also try to switch to a high-end broker, perhaps using one of their receivers as a bargaining chip. Jamison Crowder is the one with the most commercial value and can attract equipment. Nor do we rule out a veteran backup to the quarterback. Final screening of Rich Cimini’s list of 53 men
The receiving group is a question for a couple of reasons. On the one hand, he is very young and inexperienced and needs one or two unproven players to get out. There are some difficult staffing decisions approaching.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/story/_/id/32090795/philadelphia-eagles-53-man-roster-projection-how-devonta-smith-impact-receiver-group “> Tim McManus’ final projection of the list of 53 men
Some of the hottest battles on the Steelers ’training camp were for security work. While Mason Rudolph appears to have won QB’s No. 2 spot, the Steelers seem willing to keep Dwayne Haskins on the roster to develop this season. The quiet fields of runners Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels could have cost jobs, as the Steelers are looking to give more depth to secondary and linebackers. Final screening of Brooke Pryor’s list of 53 men