Jesse’s NFL Player Hotseats

Every NFL Teams Hot Seat Player

Today we are going to look at a player from each NFL team that is likely on their last leg to being a starter unless they improve or go back to when they were having success. Of course many teams have more than one and perhaps none, but we will look at each team’s starting lineup and see who could be a question mark or better yet, in the HOT SEAT! So let’s get started!

Arizona Cardinals — Jacoby Brissett QB:
Now there are actually 2 choices, but one I don’t think will be a starter and that is James Conner. Conner however isn’t on the hot seat over his performance, it is more of his recent injury and his age. Since the injury of Conner, the Cardinals have signed Tyler Allgier and drafted Jeremiyah Love. However, Brissett is the clear and easy choice. This will probably be the last season he will be going into the season as a starter and his last chance to show that he can put up some W’s. Brissett came back on the rise after providing some success with Cleveland while Deshaun Watson was suspended, then with the Cardinals he got a chance to start last season to take over Kyler Murray’s spot as the starter which ended up being the end of Murray’s time in Arizona. Brissett, who is now 33, had an actual decent season last year despite what the record shows. He had 23 pass touchdowns with 8 interceptions and a rating of 94.1. This was in 12 games as Kyler Murray started the rest, however, Brissett’s QBR and interception rate was toward last in the league. He is also starting the offseason rough as he has been holding out for more money, which is understandable, he is going to be the starter and be making less than $10 million. With this in mind, unless he revitalezes his career with great success, this will probably be the last time he is a starter unless he is 2nd string and the starter gets hurt.

Atlanta Falcons — Tua Tagovailoa QB: Another clear and obvious choice, being cut by the Dolphins, this will be Tua’s chance to show he still has it. In my opinion he never had it, but hey that’s just me. Tua hasn’t really had a good season since 2022. Of course we all are aware of his injury issues with the concussions which is unfortunate, but he has a chance with the Falcons, who has a great roster, to show he can play at a high level. The Falcons have great players to help him with Bijan, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, and so on. Last season, Tua got benched for Quinn Ewers in Miami before getting cut, in 14 games he had 20 pass touchdowns and 15 interceptions, In every passing category, he ranked 18th or higher in those 14 games. I don’t believe Kevin Stefanski’s offense will help him, I think this will be his last year as a starter and will probably be benched by Penix some time this season. However, Tua, you can prove me wrong!

Baltimore Ravens — Rashod Bateman WR:
Raven fans know this is true, Bateman, who was a 2021 1st round pick, has not been the receiver the Ravens were hoping for. The Ravens of course have always been more of a running team, but Bateman hasn’t been as productive as Zay Flowers or Mark Andrews by any stretch. Bateman had his best season in 2024 where he had career highs in every aspect, but last season he only finished with 19 catches and 2 touchdowns. He has only 15 touchdowns in 5 seasons, and already has had some pushback from the owner and GM about wide receiver productivity. I think he at least needs a 2024 type season to not be cut at this point. This is after the Ravens just drafted 2 WR’s in this past draft in Elijah Sarratt and Ja’Kobi Lane. It is possible that Bateman may not even see the field much toward the end of the season.

Buffalo Bills — Keon Coleman WR:
Just like Ravens fans, the Bills fans know that Coleman has kind of been a disappointment since being drafted in 2024. With decent speed and great size, Coleman hasn’t topped 40 catches or 600 yards in a season. With OC Joe Brady being the new Head Coach now, I think Coleman may have a lot of heat on him to start producing. The Bills have brought in DJ Moore, and the fact that Khalil Shakir has been better on the field than Keon Coleman has people wondering if Coleman isn’t a Corey Coleman type player, which is actually unfair to him because he’s been so much better than Corey Coleman. I think if Keon doesn’t produce this season, they will not renew his 5th year contract.

Carolina Panthers — Tommy Tremble TE:

This is actually tough, because the Panthers improved in every category it seemed last season, and where they could have improved, on paper they did with new signings and draftees. If Bryce Young had continued to struggle last season, I would have put him here but he did in fact improve by quite a bit. Now if he doesn’t continue that progression, he may be on here next season though. Tremble is in an unfair spot really as the Panthers don’t really rely on the TE spot much and they recently drafted Sanders so they have a decent young group. One could make the case for Xavier Leggette to be here also, but Tremble has been in the league longer and has never passed 30 receptions or 300 yards yet. But for the Panthers, they are a run heavy team, so Like I stated previously, this kind of is an unfair spot for him.

Chicago Bears — Austin Booker DE:
Bears are kind of in the same situation as the Panthers, they improved a lot last season, and on paper, they improved in the draft and free agency. Booker I believe is projected to start across from Montez Sweat, which is a great opportunity for this young player, but I fear that if he doesn’t live the part well, it may be his only chance to be the starter. He is young though so you never know, but if he is a lackluster, the Bears may look to draft or sign a good edge next season. Being young though, if he maintains or just slightly improves production though, I feel he’ll be safe.

Cincinnati Bengals — Andrei Iosivas WR:
Iosivas is a player I actually like, but this past season he struggled more than before, and where the Bengals are financially on receivers, if he does really well , I think another team will pick him up, but if not, he may be looking to a rotation role with the Bengals or a new team on a cheap contract. The Bengals have drafted a WR in the past 2 drafts as well, so if Iosivas doesn’t improve or go back to his second year self, he is in the hot seat. But again, another young player, his career is definitely not over if he were to have a bad season.

Cleveland Browns — Deshaun Watson QB:
This is a big fat obvious. The Browns killed their team for this trade financially and on the Win-Loss column. Watson has not played to his Texans day level at all since moving to Cleveland and has one more shot under a new coach. It is possible a QB could make $45 million and be benched, Sheduer seems to have done at least decent enough to keep him in the QB competition as the Browns have not yet announced a starter, that or Watson is just playing bad. Some Browns reports say he is struggling and is about 50% good and bad. With that in mind, if he gets outplayed by Sanders, I believe Watson’s NFL career is over. He may be a bench player as Russell Wilson was his last season, but I don’t think he will go into a season as a starter again if he doesn’t win this current QB battle. Since 2022, Watson has only played in 19 games and has a 9–10 record. 17–12 touchdown/interception in that time frame. Frankly, I don’t believe his heart is even in it, this is all about the money at this point in my opinion.

Dallas Cowboys — Malik Hooker S:
In 2023, Hooker ranked near top at the position, last season he ranked kind of in the middle to last place range. He is still a solid player, and I think as a rotation player, he’d do well, but I think his time as a full time starter is closing. He is 30 years old now and he missed all of October and half of November due to injury. They just drafted Caleb Downs, and now they may look to replace or add another safety if Hooker doesn’t stay healthy or gets back to what he was in 2023 or 2024 form. Again, talent wise I think he is stable, but I think he will be better as a rotation player than a full time starter.

Denver Broncos — JK Dobbins RB:
Again, this isn’t a hot seat player because of skill, it is more of an injury issue like James Conner. Dobbins isn’t in his 30’s like Conner, but he has had an NFL plagued career. It really is sad too because he really does have the talent. Denver keeps adding to the running back room however, and eventually it will be to replace JK, you saw an increased role with RJ Harvey last season, I expect he will take quite a few reps from Dobbins, which in my mind is a good thing, it will keep him healthier. Last season, he missed 7 games, and in his career he has missed 53 regular season games. Now again, talent wise, he still was top 10 in yards per carry, was only 25th in rush yards after missing 7 games. I think for Dobbins in the future, it is important he splits reps to keep him on the field.

Detroit Lions — Roger McCreary DB/Nickel:
Lions have just signed McCreary to a 1 year contract this offseason. He spent his first 4 seasons with the Titans and the Rams. The best thing about McCreary is his ability to play slot and outside, however, making tackles in the box and some broken coverage mistakes have kind of hit him hard. Lions are taking a swing on a versatile player which I get, especially with the injuries the Lions defense seems to get every season. However, I think McCreary will get some play time, but I think if he struggles this season, he may just be a bench player in the future. He is young and has room to grow, but he’s running out of time to solidify a big contract.

Green Bay Packers — Devonte Wyatt DT:
I really wanted to do a hot take and say Jordan Love, but statistically, Love is pretty safe at his position. However, Wyatt, an excellent pass rusher, struggles where it matters most for a defensive tackle,on the run game. Pass rush PFF, Wyatt ranked really well at 29th out of 134. However, in run defense, he was at 118 out of 134. For the past few seasons as well, the Packers have really struggled against the run, there is no doubt they improved pass rushing, but since after the 2023 season, their run defense has ranked middle towards last place in most categories. This 2026 season will be his contract year, so he needs to make it count. He is another young player, so even if the Packers won’t retain him, I’m sure he will be picked up by another team next offseason. Wyatt finished with 4 sacks, which for a tackle is really a solid number, but for his big payday, he needs to improve on the run defense.

Houston Texans — Wyatt Teller OG:
Teller was recently signed this offseason on a 2 year contract. Teller, who recently was with Cleveland, started great and had 3 Pro Bowl Seasons, but his last two seasons have been rough. 2024 he struggled with injuries, and this past season he struggled in pass blocking. In pass blocks, Teller ranked 40th out of 62 guards. Not a good sign for CJ Stroud and the Texans who have struggled running the ball and protecting Stroud. The Texans are in a revamped offensive line, and if Teller continues his rut protecting, he may be close to the end of his career. His 2 years could stay safe though if he can at least be average in pass protection, but continue to do well in run blocking with the Texans new back David Montgomery.

Indianapolis Colts — Daniel Jones QB:
I don’t think this is a surprise. Even the Colts contract with Jones shows they are unsure of what he’ll accomplish. He signed a 2 years deal where most of his guaranteed money is going to him his 1st year, and his 2nd year it is only $10 million. In my mind, that shows they aren’t completely sure themselves. He started the season great, and then it started to slowly go bad before his injury. In my mind, Jones is only here because of Jonathan Taylor and that offensive line. Taylor is the producer in that offense, and having a great line always helps. He didn’t have a lot of that with the Giants, but I’m hoping Jones does well, because this next draft will be QB heavy, and they may look to replace him after his contract is up. In 13 games, he finished with 19 pass touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Jones is known for using his legs too, but in my opinion, Jones won’t make it past these 2 years as a starter. I believe he could be a decent game manager for when they are winning, but to go out and win games, I just don’t see it. They started the season 8–2, and it ended 8–9. By the time Jones got hurt, they were 8–5. Now do I think they could have made the playoffs if he stayed healthy? Probably yes, but I didn’t see them contending for a title. They have a good defense, great O-Line, Taylor is amazing, I think they made a mistake trading Pittman and signing alec Pierce for way over price, but I guess time will tell.

Jacksonville Jaguars — Eric Murray S/DB:
Another Malik Hooker type, not a bad player, but going into his 11th season, Murray just is not as good as he once was, not that he was a star studded player to begin with though. May be a decent rotation player, but the Jags will most likely look to improve that spot next to Antonio Johnson. Last season he ranked 64th out of 98 safeties in total defensive grade. The now 32 year old will most likely play his last season as a full time starter however.

Kansas City Chiefs — L’Jarius Sneed DB:
Sneed started his career great with the Chiefs, then when traded with the Titans, it was not a good time for him. Now that may be because the Titans were a mess these past few seasons, but we’ll find out if he can make his comeback with his old team that he won 2 Super Bowls with. If Sneed continues to struggle however, it may be the start of the decline for this player. I’ll be honest though, I’ll blame his struggles more on the Titans, and I believe he’ll make a turnaround. Sometimes it really is about the defensive scheme and players around you.

LA Chargers — Elijah Molden S/DB:
Molden, the draftee from 2021, started and struggled some with the Titans, but as with Sneed, that could have been the team going down hill. Although Vrabel was coach then, the team itself was on the decline after that season. We found out with the Chargers last season though, that he just struggles. The Chargers will look to upgrade if Molden performs at the level he did last season. Overall defensive ranking, he ranked 80th out of 98 safeties. In run defense and coverage, he didn’t rank lower than 70. Molden will need to improve this season if he wants a big time contract and to continue being a starting defensive back.

LA Rams — Emmanuel Forbes CB/DB:
Forbes entering his 5th season, 3rd with the Rams, ranked low last season, ranking 93rd out of 114 corners in PFF. He was 2nd in pass breakups, but also that is because they targeted him a lot. The Rams improved a lot this past offseason with Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Myles Garrett joining the team, but there’s always room for improvement somewhere. I think the Rams will be in the Super Bowl if they stay healthy, but!!!! Their weakness in my opinion is the offensive line and their linebacker/secondary room. As mentioned, they improved a lot in the secondary, but still some holes, but they will still be highly competitive. Forbes for his part is young and has room to grow, but if he doesn’t improve, he’s losing his chance at a big pay day and being a consistent player on the field.

Las Vegas Raiders — Jalen Nailor WR:
Raiders could have thrown a rock in the parking lot last season and have found better players in some spots. They improved a lot this offseason and draft, one spot that still has me confused is the WR spot. Tre Tucker is their best wide out, Nailor is projected to be WR 2 or 3. Nailor didn’t impress much with the Vikings, but now he is in the starting lineup possibly and this is his make or break. His best season was last season as Jordan Addison fought some injuries, but he hasn’t finished with over 30 catches or over 500 yards yet. If he wants to stay on the field and start, he needs to shine this season for the Raiders. Although they improved in a lot of spots this offseason, the Raiders will most likely still be last in the AFC West. Nailor needs to show out though, or he’ll be back on the bench.

Miami Dolphins — Malik Willis QB:
Now to be fair to Willis, isn’t the worst player on the team or even starter. The Dolphins this year is basically how the Raiders were last year. It kind of is an injustice to finally give Willis to start since he was with the Titans, and they surround him with a pretty bad team. They traded away most of his weapons like Waddle and really only have Achane. I put him on this list though, because it always is on the quarterback, even though he doesn’t deserve this. If the Dolphins can win 5 games, which I don’t think they will, then I think Willis should get a medal, because they rally didn’t give him a lot to work with, unless someone other than Achane just shows out.

Minnesota Vikings — JJ McCarthy QB:
McCarthy has missed a lot of time the past two seasons with injuries, and I think he is running out of time to be the future of the Vikings. The Vikings brought in Kyler Murray, who so far seems to be struggling, leaving the door open for JJ to be back under center for the 2026 season. In 10 games, McCarthy finished with 11 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He had problems staying consistent, and really showed hope in the week 1 comeback against the Bears, but other than Addison and Jefferson, the team struggles on offense. Some question marks on the offensive line and Aaron Jones isn’t what I’d call a RB1 back. McCarthy is young, but for his future in Minnesota, the bar needs to be set high for him, or at least high enough where kyler can’t reach it.

New England Patriots — Rhamondre Stevenson RB:
TreyVeon Henderson did well last season, well enough where Stevenson lost a lot of reps, and I believe if Stevenson continues to decline and struggle, he may no longer be in the Patriots uniform after this season. 12 fumbles in 5 seasons is rough for a back, I’ve seen other backs not get as many chances, but with his size, Stevenson has an opportunity to be part of a great 1–2 punch with Henderson. I hope Stevenson can get back on track to his 2022 season. He also has been fighting some injuries, which also led to Henderson getting more opportunities.

New Orleans Saints — Ceasar Ruiz OG:
Ruiz has spent his whole career with the Saints and has had injury issues, but has really developed into a solid player. He is top 20 is pass protection, which when you have a young quarterback like Tyler Shough, that is important, however, Ruiz has been regressing it seems in run blocking where he ranks near the bottom. His total grade is 57th out of 81. At 27 years old, if he continues to decline the Saints may look to try to resolidify the line. HC Kellen Moore will try to emphasize the run, that was his go to when OC for the Cowboys and Eagles. Not to mention they just added Travis Etienne in the offseason to go with Alvin Kamara.

New York Giants — Darius Slayton WR:
After resigning with the Giants last year, this year will be where he is the most hit on their salary cap. If Slayton continues to struggle, I feel this could be his last year with the Giants. I was honestly surprised when they re-signed him, but at 29 years old, and a player who has never capped 1,000 yards or 60 catches, that was probably his last big contract he was going to get. Slayton has been injured quite a bit, but has managed to play through a lot of them, and it isn’t like the Giants have been the best organization to play for since Eli Manning retired, so you can’t blame all of the production issues on Slayton, but at his age, if hi production continues to decline, he may be looking into a back up role next season, or after his contract is up in 2028.

New York Jets — Geno Smith QB:
The big obvious other than Deshaun Watson. If Geno doesn’t come out and contend for the Jets, this will most likely be his last chance as a starter. Not to mention the recent legal allegations against him. He revitalized his career once with the Seattle Seahawks, and they are looking to get that fire back from Smith. His time in Las Vegas ended terribly, and he played some of his worst ball since he was a NY Jet the first time. The Jets have loaded up on offense however, with Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, Mason Taylor, rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper, as well as Breece Hall. Geno has plenty of weapons at his disposal. As mentioned on another player’s hot seat, this next draft will be heavy with quarterbacks most likely, so Geno has only this year to show he can play at a good level.

Philadelphia Eagles — Marcus Epps S/DB:
Epps for his credit has had a good career for being a former 6th round pick, and although he was in a rotational role this past season, he ranked near dead last in safeties in his production. Andrew Mukuba is still starting and Epps will be coming in, and this will be a good time for him to give out one last effort to show he can start in the league. Epps is best when protecting the run, where he struggles is not having really a lot of speed and getting beat in coverage. He tackles fairly well and can load the box up in run scenarios. Hopefully he can improve in pass coverage and show he can play still as a starter.

Pittsburgh Steelers — Spencer Anderson OG/OT:
If he is a starter this season, hopefully he made significant improvements. The 2023 7th round pick from Maryland has a great opportunity to start for the Steelers, and although he didn’t allow a sack yet, he ranked middle to last in pass and run blocking. For this Steelers team, it will probably be beneficial if he improves his run blocking as the Steelers have struggled the past few years to run the ball in most situations. With Aaron Rodgers under center though, it probably would be more important to keep him upright as he has some new weapons like Pittman to throw too. Where Anderson is still so young, if he just improves his play, I think he will have an opportunity to start next season as well, but if he struggles, the Steelers may look to make changes next offseason.

Seattle Seahawks — Uchenna Nwosu LB/Edge — It really is hard to pick a hot seat player on the defending Super Bowl Champions starting lineup. I mean, they won the Super Bowl for a reason, and it wasn’t because they had a lot of weaknesses. Nwosu is the 1st one I noticed though. Not a bad player, but someone I think Seattle could draft or replace with someone better. Nwosu ranks above average really in pass rush and run defense, but nothing spectacular. His size is what may draw some criticism as he is a little undersized for the position like Hasaan Reddick maybe, but he has the grit and the drive to get to the quarterback. 2nd round pick out of 2018 draft, Seattle may look to go younger also if Nwosu looks to decline any also.

San Francisco 49ers — Renardo Green CB/DB — Green showed some ability to cover as he had 7 pass break ups, but in a division where you have the Rams with Davate and Puka, Seattle with Kupp and JSN, the 49ers need some great production at corner. Green, who did well as a run defender, really struggled in pass coverage. Ranking 93rd out of 114, his pass coverage was one of the worst. If he is a starter this season, and with those divisional rivals with stud wide outs, he may be looking at a long season if he doesn’t improve in pass coverage. He is still a young player, drafted in 2024, he has time to grow, but the 49ers window to compete for a Super Bowl is almost over if not over already.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Cade Otton TE — Now this may sound crazy, I know Otton just resigned this offseason, but to me, I don’t understand the signing. I think this was a Baker Mayfield likes this guy so let’s keep him type deal. Now Otton is a great blocker, which is rare for a starting tight end, but offensive production wise, I don’t see the $10 million a year. Another player I was looking at was jalen McMillian as he needs to step up as there is no more Mike Evans. But that applies to Otton as well. All eyes will be on Godwin and Egbuka, so Otton needs to show why he got paid and produce in the pass game. The Bucs even struggled to run last year, so there are plenty of opportunities to see this team and Otton improve.

Tennessee Titans — Amani Hooker S/DB — This is a tough one, because where the Titans have been bad the past few seasons, it is uncertain if it was a coaching/scheme issue or if it was a player/talent issue. New HC Robert Salah is known for defense, so if it was the coaching or scheme, we should see the best of these players now on that side of the ball. Amani Hooker is young and I’m actually a fan of the Iowa product, but last season he did in fact struggle. Again, to be fair, he wasn’t the only one. However, I think he has the biggest opportunity to improve though. He really struggled in coverage and ranked 89th out of 98 safeties. Run defense was a little better, but he allowed a staggering 111.9 passer rating when targeted. He is under contract until 2029, but he won’t make it past 2027 if those numbers continue. I do have hope for him though, he is in his prime at 28, he has experience, and now he has a great defensive minded coach, he just has to put it out there on the field now. Hopefully he proves me wrong.

Washington Commanders — Amik Robertson CB/DB — Robertson signed a 2 year deal with Washington this offseason, and the numbers show that he can improve. 2 year $16 million with 9 guaranteed. Robertson was on the Detroit Lions who have played decently well for HC Dan Campbell, but have had injuries. Robertson had chances to play, however, but didn’t take advantage of the time. He was targeted at a lot, and allowed a 109.3 passer rating when targeted and allowed 65 receptions. He is a bit better on run defense and has ability to tackle, but he still ranked 90th out 114. In coverage, it was 106th out of 114. Robertson is 27 right now and is under contract until after the 2028 season. If he wants to continue to get a chance to be on the field and start, or at least get on the field, he needs to improve all around. He will be 29 when his contract is up, and if these are the numbers he continues to have, I believe he will be closer to force retirement.

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Author — Jesse Robertson(Benchwarmer Broadcasting Co-host)