Week 10 of the NFL regular season was particularly challenging for Chicago. The outcome of last week’s game resulted in the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The Bears also added safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Jaylon Jones to injured reserve. It was not just the NFC North franchise that was met with obstacles.
Here is the most pressing need for each team entering Week 11:
AFC North
Bengals: Cornerback
Cincinnati may have tipped its hand as to what it views as the biggest position of need this week. The Bengals brought in former Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard for a visit and even offered him a contract, according to reports. However, the two parties were not able to come to terms. Daxton Hill is on the injured reserve and the play of others has been volatile.
Tee Higgins and Charlie Jones have been limited by injuries this week. The reality is that Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense will likely be fine as long as Ja’Marr Chase is present, but they should not have to rely upon Chase being Superman every week.
Browns: Linebacker
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was placed on injured reserve. Jordan Hicks and Mohamoud Diabate will get an extended look. Cleveland is coming off a bye, so this will be the first opportunity to see the new look roster after changes were made at the trade deadline.
The Browns had the most drops in the league last year with 39 and already have the third-most drops (22) through nine games in 2024.
Ravens: Secondary
Cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and T.J. Tampa are on injured reserve. Jalyn Armour-Davis and newly acquired Tre’Davious White are back in the fold this week, and safety Kyle Hamilton practiced as well. It is an important week for the Ravens as they take on the division rival Steelers.
Baltimore is applying pressure on 30.9% of opponent’s dropback attempts — a bottom-10 rate in the league, according to TruMedia. It does not help that the team’s leading sack producer, Kyle Van Noy, missed practice with an illness Wednesday.
Steelers: Offensive line
Russell Wilson has given the offense a bit of life, but the offensive line has taken a few hits as Troy Fautanu, James Daniels and Nate Herbig are dealing with injuries. The Steelers’ pressure rate has improved but remains the fifth-worst in the league, according to TruMedia.
AFC South
Colts: Offensive line
The Colts offensive line is working through some injuries. Guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly are on injured reserve while left tackle Bernhard Raimann has not practiced this week. A lack of stability along that unit has not aided the quarterback problems.
Jaguars: Cornerback
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury.
Darious Williams was a casualty of the franchise’s search for salary cap health. He was replaced by 30-year-old Ronald Darby. The team has the highest passer rating allowed (106.2), according to TruMedia. Tyson Campbell did return to the lineup recently so the hope is that the unit can gain some upward mobility during the second half of the season.
Texans: Wide receiver
There is definitely a disconnect on offense this year that was not present a year ago. Wide receivers Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs were companions on injured reserve. It does seem as though Collins is tracking to pla Monday night against the Cowboys. The interior offensive line has been leaky and that is why they were linked to the position at the trade deadline.
Titans: Edge rusher
The fate of Tennessee’s pass rush is in the hands of Harold Landry III and Arden Key. The unit needs to find a more consistent way to generate pressure after finishing in the bottom five in team pressure rate a year ago, per TruMedia. Key did not practice Wednesday. Depth is even more concerning. The operation is currently fourth-worst in the NFL in terms of pressure applied (29.5%).
AFC East
Bills: Pass catchers
Rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman did not practice Wednesday. Amari Cooper could make his awaited return, but tight end Dalton Kincaid was also held out of practice Wednesday. Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins should be available.
Dolphins: Secondary
Neither safety Jordan Poyer nor cornerback Kendall Fuller practiced Wednesday. Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is on injured reserve and Bradley Chubb has not yet made his 2024 debut.
Miami signed multiple veteran defensive linemen to pair with Zach Sieler in an effort to rebuild a defensive line that lost Christian Wilkins this offseason. Benito Jones and Calais Campbell are the two who made it through the offseason. Campbell turned 38 years old not long ago. Miami has the lowest yards before contact rate in the league, but the worst yards after contact rate, according to TruMedia.
Jets: Wide receiver
New York’s issues have less to do with who is available and more to do with what is being said and choices being made in that building. Davante Adams did not practice Wednesday. Mike Williams was traded at the deadline and Allen Lazard is on injured reserve. If Adams can not go, then it is the Garrett Wilson and Xavier Gipson show. The Jets rank second in the NFL with 23 drops, according to TruMedia.
Patriots: Offensive tackle
Drake Maye has arrived in New England, but the supporting cast does him zero favors. It all starts up front with the offensive line. If that is not solidified, then the rest hardly matters. The team is allowing pressure on 41.0% of dropbacks, which is the second-highest rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. The longest-tenured lineman, center David Andrews, was added to injured reserve. Recent draft picks Jake Andrews and Caedan Wallace are also on the list.
AFC West
Broncos: Linebacker
Denver’s offensive line is starting to get healthy. Linebacker Alex Singleton is on injured reserve and Drew Sanders has been slowed down by an Achilles injury. Justin Strnad and Cody Barton are in a position to start against the Falcons.
Chargers: Edge rusher
One can not look at Los Angeles’ roster and make judgements on their needs solely on the names listed, because they are getting the most out of players new and old. The Chargers have a below average pass rush statistically, according to TruMedia. Khalil Mack has not practiced this week and Bud Dupree could once again be forced to take on a larger role. Dupree produced two sacks last week though.
Chiefs: Wide receiver
Outside of the wide receiver position, Kansas City is in pretty good health. Hollywood Brown, Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice are all on injured reserve. Juju Smith-Schuster is working his way back. Newly acquired DeAndre Hopkins has been a revelation and that takes pressure off Xavier Worthy to do what he does best.
They also acquired pass rusher Josh Uche from the Patriots before the deadline. Cornerback is another area that they could explore upgrading.
Raiders: Wide receiver
Once Davante Adams was traded to the Jets, the Raiders were thin at receiver. Jakobi Meyers should be available this week. Tre Tucker, DJ Turner, Alex Bachman, Tyreik McAllister and Ramel Keyton are the only other receivers on the roster.
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was added to injured reserve.
NFC North
Bears: Secondary
Chicago added safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Jaylon Jones to injured reserve this week.
Left tackle Braxton Jones and right tackle Darnell Wright were limited participants Wednesday after missing some time. Reserve offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie and offensive guard Teven Jenkins also missed practice. Jenkins’ injury did not look good when he left the game last week. There had already been protection issues before the injuries. Interior offensive lineman Ryan Bates is on the injured reserve.
Lions: Edge rusher
Edge rusher is the choice for another week until Za’Darius Smith plays. The reality is that Detroit is healthy across the board right now — although Sam LaPorta did miss practice Wednesday — and there are not any obvious weak links on the roster. Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson and John Cominsky are on injured reserve. The Lions have invested a second-round pick in Josh Paschal and need him to rise to the occasion. James Houston and Al-Quadin Muhammad are the other notable names at that spot.
Packers: Running back
Relatively speaking, Green Bay is one of the healthiest teams in the NFL right now. They only have four players on the injured reserve, which is tied with the Broncos and Eagles for the least in the NFL, and only one player missed practice Wednesday. Two running backs, AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd, are on injured reserve, so there is a lot of pressure on Josh Jacobs to stay healthy and produce.
Vikings: Offensive line
Minnesota is allowing pressure on 37.9% of dropbacks, which is the ninth-worst rate in the NFL, according to TruMedia. Starting offensive guard Dalton Risner has been activated off injured reserve and trade acquisition Cam Robinson has replaced the injured Christian Darrisaw. As the unit plays together more, it has shown steady improvement.
NFC South
Buccaneers: Wide receiver
Tampa Bay is amid a much-needed bye week. Chris Godwin’s season came to an end in Week 7 against the Ravens. Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard have all battled through varying injuries.
Falcons: Edge rusher
Atlanta has the second-lowest pressure rate this season (27.5%), according to TruMedia. Matt Judon was brought in to be the solution, but it is actually Arnold Ebiketie leading the team in pass-rush win rate (10.7%) at No. 63 in the league among players with at least 150 pass-rush snaps.
Panthers: Edge rusher
To the surprise of everyone, Carolina is carrying a two game win streak into the bye and Bryce Young has looked improved. Pass rusher Brian Burns was traded away at a discount this offseason, so the burden falls on Jadeveon Clowney. They have applied pressure on 24.3% of opponent’s dropbacks through 10 games, according to TruMedia. For perspective, the top of the league (Cleveland) sits at 43.3%.
Cornerback, other than Jaycee Horn, is a weakness.
Saints: Wide receiver
Chris Olave recently joined Rashid Shaheed on injured reserve, which leaves an unusual cast of characters, led by Mason Tipton, at wide receiver.
All-Pro cornerback Marshon Lattimore was traded away and Paulson Adebo remains on injured reserve. Second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry returned to practice this week in a limited capacity as he nurses a hamstring injury. In addition to McKinstry, Alontae Taylor and Ugo Amadi are in position to start.
NFC East
Commanders: Cornerback
Opposing passers have had a 102.5 rating against Washington this season, which is the sixth-highest in the league, according to TruMedia. They did acquire cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline, but he has yet to suit up due to a hamstring injury. Former first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes has made little impact, and the team also recently parted with former first-round linebacker Jamin Davis.
Cowboys: Edge rusher
Edge rushers Demarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland remain on injured reserve but Micah Parsons returned in Week 10. Eight Cowboys, including three cornerbacks, were held out of Thursday’s practice. The statuses of Caelen Carson, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis are worth monitoring in the next few days.
Dallas’ defense has been neither effective nor disciplined as many had expected in Mike Zimmer’s first season as defensive coordinator. They are getting bullied up front in the run game.
Eagles: Interior offensive line
The loss of center Jason Kelce to retirement has taken a toll on the Philadelphia offensive line. It has the highest pressure rate allowed (44.1%), according to TruMedia. Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton are starting at guard with Cam Jurgens sandwiched between them.
Giants: Offensive tackle
The Giants are walking into a bye week with one of the worst records in football. New York has allowed pressure on 37.7% of dropbacks this season, which is a bottom-10 rate in the league, according to TruMedia. Left tackle Andrew Thomas is on injured reserve.
Brian Daboll’s team also leads the league in drops (26).
NFC West
49ers: Tight end
George Kittle has been a consistent part of the San Francisco passing attack, but he missed practice Wednesday. The wide receiver group is finally coming together in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk, who is out for the rest of the season, but running back Christian McCaffrey should positively impact the pass game.
Cardinals: Edge rusher
The Cardinals have the third-lowest team pressure rate applied (29.4%), according to TruMedia. Rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson has yet to make his season debut. Defensive tackles Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones are on the injured reserve. Baron Browning was acquired from Denver, but time will tell what kind of an impact he makes on the roster.
Rams: Offensive line
Interior offensive linemen Jonah Jackson and Steve Avila made their return to the lineup but offensive guard Joe Noteboom and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein have not practiced this week. The Rams continue to trend upward as they hold their ground in the NFC West while getting healthier with each passing week.
Seahawks: Tight end
Tight ends Noah Fant and Brady Russell were held out of practice Wednesday. Rookie AJ Barner has seen more time and Seattle also has veteran Pharaoh Brown on the roster.