Browns' Shedeur Sanders among 26 NFL veterans on thin ice after 2026 draft
Nate Davis- The arrival of rookies puts pressure on established veterans.
- The Browns are among several teams with multiple high-profile players potentially having to fend off first-year players for snaps.
OWINGS MILLS, MD – It’s now been a full week since the 2026 NFL Draft began receding into the rearview mirror. Next, the league’s newcomers hit the road – fully embracing what they see through the windshield as they leave home, college campuses and/or pre-draft training sites to take the on-ramp for the unofficial starts of their pro football careers as 31 of the NFL’s 32 clubs conduct May's rookie minicamps – eight of them wrapping up this weekend, with 23 more set to be in full swing next weekend. (The Detroit Lions opted out of their rookie minicamp, altering the approach to their offseason.)
“The message for those guys is, like, every day has to be the most important day of your career now. If you really want to make it, and you really want to find that consistency – like every meeting and every rep is the most important rep and especially from a mental standpoint. It's not always going to be a thousand miles an hour physically. But every opportunity in the meeting room, in the weight room, in the walk-throughs, every rep is the most important rep of your career,” Ravens rookie head coach Jesse Minter said Saturday when asked about where he wants his rookies focused.
“For these guys, it's not always about gaining the trust of me or the coaches. It's really about gaining the trust of our veterans and our leaders – and they can do that over the course of the rest of the offseason program and in training camp. And most of the time, in my experience, even as just a defensive coach, the veteran players come to you and say, ‘Hey, that rookie is ready to help us,’ before you even say that as a coach.”
Yet the NFL is a cruel zero-sum game. For every rookie who makes a strong enough impression – or gets drafted highly enough – to land on the 53-man roster, one of those veterans Minter mentioned is suddenly out of a job. And though the rooks and the vets haven’t mixed in practices yet, the older guys know plenty how this league works – and that they’re on notice amid the arrival of younger (and often cheaper) labor.
“I see a good room. But I want a great room. I want a dominant room. I want a bunch of pit bulls out there flying around making plays on the football,” new Giants coach John Harbaugh said specifically about his cornerbacks following the selection of Colton Hood in Round 2 − though almost any coach would apply that sentiment to each and every area of his roster.
“(H)e's going to light a fire in that room. You better be ready. You better be ready to compete.”
It’s a warning established players around the league should heed as the anticipatory aspect of the offseason gives way to an increasingly fraught one. As the 2026 season draws closer, here are 26 veterans who appear to be on thin ice in the aftermath of the 2026 draft:
QB Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals
Career QB2s are usually on shaky ground in some respect. However Brissett’s position could be increasingly tenuous given he’s angling for more money in 2026 … when the Cards could also turn to another capable understudy, Gardner Minshew II, if not third-rounder Carson Beck – who should get a long look at some point as this team assesses its QB plan for 2027 as well.
RB James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
He’s been the heartbeat of this team in the past. He’ll also be 31 this season, is coming back from a season-ending ankle injury and is probably ticketed for No. 3 on the depth chart following the signing of Tyler Allgeier in free agency and, certainly, the selection of RB Jeremiyah Love, maybe this draft’s best player, at No. 3 overall. Here’s hoping Conner maybe gets traded to a contender at some point this year as his impressive and inspiring career seemingly heads into its wind-down phase.
CB Mike Hughes, Atlanta Falcons
Never a star, the 2018 first-rounder has nevertheless hung around the league for a while. However he might not be much longer for the ATL as the Falcons prepare to team CB A.J. Terrell Jr. with his little brother, second-rounder Avieon Terrell, who’s comfortable lining up wide or in the slot.
WR Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
He’s signed through the 2029 season, yet the cap hit to release him is fairly negligible a year from now. But 19 catches in 13 games, Bateman’s production in 2025, just isn’t going to cut it – especially after Baltimore selected WRs Ja'Kobi Lane (Round 3) and Elijah Sarratt (Round 4), who are both bigger than Bateman.
OLB Tavius Robinson, Baltimore Ravens
After trading for Maxx Crosby before bailing out of the deal, signing Trey Hendrickson and, now, drafting Zion Young in the second round, it’s pretty obvious Baltimore’s rebooting defense is looking for more production off the edge – which might also include a much stronger sophomore season from 2025 second-rounder Mike Green. None of it portends well for Robinson, who’s been unremarkable in three seasons.
LT Ickey Ekwonu, Carolina Panthers
Not only did he rupture a patellar tendon in the playoffs, not only did the Panthers sign veteran LT Rasheed Walker in free agency, but Carolina also picked OT Monroe Freeling in Round 1. Could be tough for Ekwonu, the sixth overall pick in 2022 (now entering his fifth-year option), to get a second contract in Charlotte.
C Garrett Bradbury, Chicago Bears
Obtained via trade after Drew Dalman’s surprise retirement, Bradbury is likely just a short-term fix – and his contract expires after this season – following the arrival of Logan Jones in the second round.
DE Myles Murphy, Cincinnati Bengals
The 2023 first-rounder has 8½ sacks and 92 pressures, per Next Gen Stats, through three seasons – middling production that led Cincy to decline his fifth-year option … and on the heels of drafting fastball Cashius Howell in the second round. Connect the dots.
S Grant Delpit, Cleveland Browns
How long can the plus-sized, hard-hitting former second-round safety hold off a plus-sized, hard-hitting newly drafted second round safety – Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who was widely expected to go in Round 1 this year?
QBs Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Watson, the lightning rod former Pro Bowler, has reached the final year of his controversial contract. Sanders is merely a former fifth-rounder despite the ability he showcased in college and flashed as a rookie. They’re now currently locked in a battle for the QB1 job, Watson perhaps pulling ahead even as new coach Todd Monken remains mum. Regardless, given the amount of talent GM Andrew Berry has provided this year, both in terms of a radically revamped offensive line and new wideouts in the draft – KC Concepcion (Round 1), Denzel Boston (Round 2) – one of these QBs better have a standout season if they’re going to dissuade Berry from taking another passer in the 2027 draft.
CB Keisean Nixon, Green Bay Packers
His age (29 by Week 1) and lame duck status with his contract set to expire make Nixon the most vulnerable Pack corner – certainly in terms of his standing in 2027 – with talented Brandon Cisse onboarding via the second round.
G Patrick Mekari, Jacksonville Jaguars
There wasn’t much to like about the Jags’ draft, though third-round G Emmanuel Pregnon was perhaps the notable exception. Mekari didn’t distinguish himself last season, and his base salary balloons from $1.3 million in 2026 to $12 million in 2027. Whether or not Pregnon is the better player already, he’s most definitely the more cost effective one a year from now.
DT Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
Be careful how much you teach the new guy, O.G. Jones is coming off his worst season in years, his 10.4% pressure rate the lowest he’s managed over the past eight seasons. He’ll also be 32 by Week 1, and has no guarantees in his contract beyond this season. And a Chiefs dynasty very much in a state of transition just overhauled its defense, including the selection of DT Peter Woods at the end of Round 1.
QB Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders
The soon-to-be 38-year-old knows he’s keeping the QB1 seat warm for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. The only question is for how long.
OLB Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers
Once the 35-year-old stops taking one-year deals, the nine-time Pro Bowler’s Hall of Fame clock will start ticking. Will the arrival of first-rounder Akheem Mesidor, who’s even bigger than Mack and seems more likely to play inside as a rookie, expedite the former Defensive Player of the Year’s departure?
OT Austin Jackson, Miami Dolphins
A first-round pick in 2020, he’s never really lived up to that billing and is only under contract through this season. And while first-rounder Kadyn Proctor is set to play left guard in 2026, he played tackle exclusively at Alabama and seems destined to settle in there sooner or later.
LBs Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, Miami Dolphins
The Fins’ projected starters at off-ball backer next season, both Brooks and Dodson are also on expiring contracts – though rookie GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has previously mentioned Brooks as a player he viewed as foundational. That was also before Sullivan drafted highly regarded ILB Jacob Rodriguez in the second round and seemed to get a steal by enlisting Kyle Louis in the fourth – though it remains to be seen if he’s a better fit at linebacker or safety, though he was technically drafted at the former spot. Regardless, it seems inevitable that Rodriguez, a turnover-causing machine with strong leadership skills, will displace at least one of the vets currently ahead of him on the depth chart – and quite possibly in 2026.
OT Morgan Moses, New England Patriots
He’s been a solid player for a long time, 175 regular-season starts under his belt. Moses is also 35 and struggled down the stretch last season, noticeably in the Super Bowl loss to Seattle. First-rounder Caleb Lomu mostly played on the left side in college but, with a bit of experience and added strength, he might be coming for Moses’ job sooner than later – if not displacing 2025 first-rounder Will Campbell on the left side and forcing him to shift into Moses’ post.
CB Deonte Banks, New York Giants
A first-rounder in 2023, he’s one of those corners Harbaugh is now keeping a close eye on. Banks’ fifth-year option is already out the window and so, too, might be the bulk of his 2026 playing time given the arrival of Hood.
WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants
He’s hung around for a minute as a third or fourth option for the G-Men. That might soon be a role for third-rounder Malachi Fields, whose 6-foot-4, 222-pound frame should make him a candidate to play on third downs and in red-zone packages.
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
The G-Men haven’t unloaded the fifth overall pick of the 2022 draft. Yet. But when the first prominent pass rusher somewhere else in the league gets hurt, don’t be surprised if his team becomes the latest to inquire about Thibodeaux and his 23½ career sacks. After all, with the Giants able to roll out 2025 NFC sack leader Brian Burns, 2025 first-rounder Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese, this year’s No. 5 selection, Thibodeaux has become an expensive luxury – if one who can still be employed regularly if Reese breaks in at the second level rather than off the edge.
WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
As if the acquisitions of veterans Hollywood Brown and Dontayvion Wicks didn’t signal EVP/GM Howie Roseman’s intent to move on from Brown – likely next month, when the salary cap softens the team’s contractual hit – then certainly the trade up for Makai Lemon in Round 1 of the draft did.
OT Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers
A first-rounder three years ago, he only played in 11 games last season, is trying to come back from neck surgery – which is already casting a pall over his availability for the 2026 season – and didn’t get his fifth-year option picked up. And with newly minted Round 1 pick Max Iheanachor poised to bookend with Troy Fautanu, Jones very much seems like he’ll soon be the odd man out.
RB Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
He got a ring, but it’s been a tough year for Charbonnet. He tore his ACL in the playoffs, missed the Super Bowl, is entering his contractual walk year and will be vying for snaps with first-rounder Jadarian Price, who seems likely to get the bulk of departed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III’s workload.
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