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Roster holes that need filling before the season starts

NFL training camp is just around the corner – late July the traditional time to bring newly assembled squads together. But when taking a glance down the sports betting site odds and downloading those betting apps ready for a wager on who is going to go deep this season, it’s worth considering some of the roster issues that still exist around the league. Here we take a look at some of the most pressing – open slots that will surely have an impact on franchise success this season. And with the 2023 NFL draft been and gone, these teams are going to have to get creative with trades if they want to fix the issue. There are a few star free agents up for grabs of course – recently released DeAndre Hopkins among the most high profile. Running back Dalvin Cook is another stellar example of free agency current available. But it all depends on the need of the roster, of course. Here we run through a few of what are considered to be the most pressing:

Arizona Cardinals looking light

The Cardinals have a number of problem areas as the team embarks on its first season under the leadership of Jonathan Gannon as head coach. One such problem area is almost the entirety of the personnel on one side of the ball as the Cardinals look light in defense. The front seven have been rocked by the retirement of stalwart J.J. Watt, and the situation was compounded by losing Zach Allen to the Broncos. There are so many question marks here that it’s difficult to make any sort of prediction, but all the omens suggest the Cardinals will struggle. L.J. Collier has arrived from Seattle but has much to prove after four campaigns decimated by injury. Gannon will be looking, perhaps somewhat optimistically, for an impact from second round pick B.J. Ojulari at edge. A lot for Cardinals fans to ponder ahead of the season.

Los Angeles Rams missing one side of the ball?

The Cardinals may have issues in defense, but those may pale into insignificance alongside the situation in L.A. The Rams may find themselves starting the 2023 season with an entirely new defensive unit – and a young one at that. Certainly there are no experienced or even well-known players who instantly jump out at you when glancing down the Rams’ defensive unit, and all signs point to a difficult campaign on this side of the ball for the team. Of course it’s a situation almost entirely of the franchise’s own making what with talent such as Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Taylor Rapp, Gregg Gaines, Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson all gone. And when you’re probably looking at third-round rookies in the shape of KobieTurner and Byron Young propping up the game time, you know you’re in for an interesting campaign at best. We wait and see. 

Tennessee Titans issues out wide

It’s not unfair to say that no franchise in the NFL has lighterdepth in the wide receiver positions than the Titans. Of course this is a gap that may well get plugged by the aforementionedHopkins before long, but at the moment things look a little grim for the team. Waiting until the seventh round of the draft to plug a hole here seemed a little risky, especially considering the team only added experienced free agent Chris Moore to the roster that includes Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Treylon Burks. The latter was a first-round draft pick last season, of course, but the Cardinals will need Burks to step up big time this time around for an impact to be felt.

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