Hunt For Potential UFL Talent Continues: List of Deepest Position Groups for Every NFL Team (AFC edition)

For the last four years around this time, I’ve taken a deep dive into what position groups on NFL teams have the most depth heading into training camp. Those positions, in theory, are the most likely to be raided by UFL teams for talent once final cuts are made and the NFL regular season begins.

These are the positions on each team I believe UFL decision makers will be keeping the closest eye on as camps open in the coming days. This column will be broken up into two parts, starting with a look at AFC teams herein. The NFC version will soon follow.

Among the players I identified on deep positions in last year’s write-up, several ended up in the UFL, including OL Gunner Britton (Defenders), DT Devonnsha Maxwell (Defenders), WR Jalen Camp (Stallions) and QB Max Duggan (Battlehawks).

Baltimore Ravens

Wide Receivers: While appearing on this list usually indicates steep competition up and down the depth chart at that position, in this case, it’s just the opposite: The Ravens could enter camp with most if not all receiver spots locked down already. They are likely to keep five or six, with the sixth likely to be sixth round draft pick LaJohntay Wester. That leaves six players on the back end fighting for two or three practice squad slots. Intriguing names among those six include former college QB Malik Cunningham, who succeeded Lamar Jackson at Louisville; Keith Kirkwood, who has 24 NFL receptions with the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers; and former Chicago Bears second round draft pick Anthony Miller. The team also added two rookie free agents following this year’s draft in Xavier Guillory and Jahmal Banks.

Buffalo Bills

Defensive Line: Buffalo has spent extensive draft capital on the defensive line over the last few years, including first rounders in 2019 (Ed Oliver) and 2021 (Greg Rousseau), a second rounder in 2020 (AJ Epenesa) and this year (TJ Sanders), as well as a third rounder last year (DeWayne Carter). Sanders is one of three defensive line draft picks from this year’s class alone. All of that capital has produced mixed results at best, though none seem in danger of losing their roster spot. However, those picks and three other free agent signings along the line this year push others further away from securing a spot. There will be some juggling to do here with two players suspended to start the regular season in Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht. Keep an eye on the tackle spots, which could see Zion Logue, who played collegiately at Georgia, become available, in addition to Casey Rogers, a waiver pickup from the Giants.

Cincinnati Bengals

Offensive Line: Among the changes head coach Zac Taylor made in his seventh year with Cincinnati was to part ways with offensive line coach Frank Pollack, hiring Scott Peters to replace him. Peters brings a martial arts background to the offensive line room and resets things a bit, putting everyone on even footing. A few of the interior jobs are expected to be up for grabs but for our purposes, there is a lot of talent at the back end in what The Athletic refers to as a positional “Royal Rumble.” A 2024 draft pick of the Birmingham Stallions, Andrew Coker, is one of those fighting for the last tackle job. Tashawn Manning is also in the mix there while on the inside, rookie undrafted free agent center Seth McLaughlin out of Ohio State was a top non-drafted player at the position. Jaxson Kirkland, who made the Bengals out of camp last year, and Andrew Stueber, who can play guard or tackle, round out the list.

Cleveland Browns

Special Teams: CLEARLY the quarterback position is the most interesting in Cleveland – and perhaps the entire NFL – this summer, but its results are unlikely to have an effect on the UFL, at least in 2026. Even with 90-man rosters, it’s unusual for teams to carry multiple specialists at multiple positions but indeed, that appears to be what the Browns plan to do. A few of those specialists have spring football experience. At kicker, veteran Dustin Hopkins is coming off a 2024 season in which he missed nine field goals and three extra points. He’ll be pushed by former St. Louis Battlehawk Andre Szmyt, who Cleveland carried on their practice squad late last season. Rex Sunahara spent two seasons long snapping with the San Antonio Brahmas before picking up an opportunity to do so with his hometown NFL team. He’ll be the incumbent challenged by rookie free agent Brent Matiscik, a team captain in his final season at TCU.

Denver Broncos

Linebackers: In Denver’s 3-4 alignment, the outside ‘backers are considered edge rushers. They produced much more than expected last season with a group that included Birmingham Stallion grad Dondrea Tillman. They added Que Robinson in the draft (fourth round) and Johnny Walker, Jr. as a rookie free agent. Andrew Farmer, out of tiny Lane College, is an interesting name to keep an eye on. Inside, there’s even more competition with three UDFAs battling for potentially either the last roster spot and/or a place on the practice squad. One of them is Michigan State’s Jordan Turner, a Wisconsin transfer, who signed after trying out at rookie minicamp. Karene Reid and JB Brown are the other rookies at the spot who could wind up pushing Levelle Bailey for a place on the 53-man.

Houston Texans

Defensive Line: Houston is four-deep at all four line positions, such that seventh round pick Kyonte Hamilton may only be vying for a practice squad spot. He’s up against veterans like Kurt Hinish and Tommy Togiai, as well as college free agent Junior Tafuna, at tackle. Out at end, Darrell Taylor was added as an unrestricted free agent from the Chicago Bears. He’ll compliment starters Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, one of the best 4-3 end tandems in the league. They seem more settled at end, though Solomon Byrd, a seventh-round pick in 2024, would likely have interest from UFL teams if he didn’t make the roster or practice squad. The line was referred to by KPRC’s Aaron Wilson in the Lindy’s preview magazine as “a deep, talented group” and one in which “difficult roster decisions” would have to be made.

Indianapolis Colts

Tight Ends: One of the most versatile players in this year’s draft, Tyler Warren, was selected in the first round by the Colts. Of the seven other tight ends currently rostered by the team, there’s a mix of mid-round picks who’ve yet to reach their full potential, and players that have been held back by injuries. Mo-Alie Cox is likely to be next in line behind Warren, as he was the team’s starter last year and is more of a blocker than Warren. Beyond that, nothing seems set in stone as it relates to what is likely the last two roster spots. A fifth-round pick in 2023, Will Mallory has a good shot (perhaps his last) to be the number three. Drew Ogletree is another block-first guy; the way the depth chart plays out may depend on the specialization the team wants there. Jelani Woods (third round, 2022) and Albert Okwuegbunam (fourth round, 2020) have faced injury setbacks and could use a season in the UFL to prove their health.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Defensive Line: Fans were frustrated last season by the way defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen executed his D-Line rotation and seemed to play veterans like Arik Armstead out of position. The result was a team that finished dead last in pass defense and near the bottom in sacks, leading in part to yet another coaching change in Duval. First-year coordinator Anthony Campanile will keep the four-man front instituted by his predecessor. Jacksonville invested in six undrafted free agents along the line. The most noteworthy: Danny Striggow out of Minnesota on the edge and James Carpenter from Indiana inside. They could threaten the status of recent draft picks like Myles Cole, Tyler Lacy and Yasir Abdullah. It’s not just a new coaching staff but a new front office that won’t be married to those previous picks.

Kansas City Chiefs

Defensive Backs: Four of Kansas City’s five starting defensive backs were drafted by the team within the last three years. The rest of the depth chart is dotted by Chiefs draft picks through the years. They are a young, talented, and deep group. Beyond the starters, 2025 third round pick Nohl Williams, 2024 nine-game starter Chamarri Conner and unrestricted free agent signing Mike Edwards are expected to have roles on defense and perhaps special teams. Chris Roland-Wallace, who made the team and played 17 games (two starts) as an undrafted free agent last year at corner will be pushed by this year’s UDFA class: Jacobe Covington, Melvin Smith, Jr. and Kevin Knowles. It’s a bit more cut-and-dried at safety, though eight-year vet Deon Bush, at this point mostly a special teamer, could be replaced by a younger model like Glendon Miller or Major Williams.

Las Vegas Raiders

Running Backs: It should come as no surprise that new head coach Pete Carroll wants to come in and run the ball. To that end, the Raiders drafted Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty in the first round to be their bell-cow back. Then they recently added Raheem Mostert so as to not wear out Jeanty too much, too soon. The third back right now seems to be Sincere McCormick, and special teams may dictate whether Vegas keeps three backs or four. Zamir White would appear to be the lead option at number four, though he stumbled when given the opportunity to start last year. Dylan Laube is a good receiver out of the backfield, which could make him attractive to UFL teams if he doesn’t make the Vegas roster. Chris Collier rounds out the competition, a 2024 UDFA who split time with Baltimore and Las Vegas last year, totaling eight games played.

Los Angeles Chargers

Quarterbacks: Head coach Jim Harbaugh might just be Justin Herbert’s biggest fan, so Herbert’s seat as starter is far from warm. Rather, it’s the one or two backup jobs that will be contested among three candidates. Briefly a St. Louis Battlehawk in 2020, Taylor Heinicke attempted just five passes in four games in his first year as a Charger, and that knowledge of the system gives him a leg-up. Like the majority of NFL teams, the Chargers stashed their third QB on the practice squad last year. This year, that job will be up for grabs between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei. Lance is the new white whale QB for many UFL fans. In truth, it would be the ideal place for him to actually get playing time and rehab his once-promising career. His rushing ability would give him a chance to really excel there. Uiagalelei was a five-star recruit out of high school, tabbed as the successor to Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. After starting two seasons, he was benched for the ACC Championship game in 2022. He became a college football nomad, moving on to Oregon State in 2023 before finishing up at Florida State last season. Like Lance, Uiagalelei could use the UFL as a refresh and to show why he was such a highly sought-after prospect coming out of high school.

Miami Dolphins

Tight Ends: Jonnu Smith is out and Darren Waller is in as the starter in Miami after a pair of trades were executed on successive days in late June. New as well is Pharaoh Brown, replacing Durham Smythe as the blocking option. The rest of the tight ends all entered the league as undrafted free agents: It was Tanner Conner in 2022, Julian Hill in 2023, Hayden Rucci in 2024 and Jalin Conyers this year. Hill and Conner both got important regular season experience last year and will compete for the number three job. Rucci, on and off the practice squad last year, and Conyers, who played some quarterback in college, will probably be fighting for a practice squad job this year.

New England Patriots

Defensive Backs: Under new leadership after one year of Jerod Mayo, the Patriots poached CB Carlton Davis from the Detroit Lions to pair with Christian Gonzalez, giving them a formidable outside corner tandem. In the slot, they’ve got return man extraordinaire Marcus Jones, and for depth, Alex Austin and Marcellus Dial. Players like Miles Battle and Isaiah Bolden are looking to graduate permanently from the practice squad in 2025. New England will try to get by with the aging safety duo of Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger for another season. The team added Craig Woodson in the fourth round of the draft to provide a dash of youth to the room. Dell Pettus, a UDFA who made the 53-man roster last year, and rookie free agent Josh Minkins will try to crack a deep group.

New York Jets

Special Teams: After cycling through five kickers last season, the Jets will look at two young players in training camp in the hopes they can be a long-term solution at the position. New York signed Harrison Mevis of the Birmingham Stallions after the thiccer kicker connected on 20-of-21 field goals. He’ll face undrafted free agent Caden Davis out of Ole Miss for the job. Both should start off camp on relatively even footing. Punter Thomas Morstead was released after the draft. He spent the last two years as a Jet. Austin McNamara was signed in March after failing to make the Cincinnati Bengals last year as a rookie free agent. Rookie Kai Kroeger was brought in following the draft to vie for the job with McNamara. Youth will be served no matter who wins these jobs; those that don’t win could find the UFL calling.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Special Teams: It’s quite possible Pittsburgh is the only team that will have competition at all three main specialist positions as training camp begins – and at least two of them should be legitimate competition. Long snapper will be an XFL vs. USFL battle with the incumbent, Christian Kuntz, having snapped for the Dallas Renegades in 2020. The Steelers recently signed Tucker Addington, the former Houston Gambler, who has been an injury fill-in at the position for a variety of teams the last few seasons. Last year’s starting punter, Cameron Johnston, was injured in week one and missed the rest of the season. His replacement, Corliss Waitman, is still on the roster and wants the job permanently. Veteran kicker Chris Boswell seems pretty safe – he’s mastered the swirling winds and rough turf in Pittsburgh for the last 10 years – though the team brought in local player and University of Pittsburgh grad Ben Sauls in case Boswell begins to show his age.

Tennessee Titans

Linebackers: A three-win season landed Tennessee at the top of the draft order, allowing them to take QB Cam Ward first overall in the hopes that he will be the franchise-changing signal-caller that Will Levis was not. One thing Tennessee did do last year was frequently take advantage of the fact that they were often number one in waiver priority. Three linebackers on the roster were acquired via waivers last season as the Titans churned the bottom of their roster on a weekly basis. In the off-season, Dre’Mont Jones and Cody Barton were added as free agents and Olu Oladejo was drafted in the second round. This is not a top-heavy position so those waiver pick-ups will likely have to outduel high quality college free agents like Desmond Evans (North Carolina) and David Gbenda (Texas). A deep group here could mean as many as three ‘backers are kept on the practice squad – and don’t discount roster churn here during camp, either.