With each team set to cut roughly three dozen players over the next few weeks, let’s identify one veteran from each AFC North team that is on the roster bubble. These players will need to have impressive camp performances to secure their roster spot.
For the purpose of this article, a veteran is someone with more than four years of NFL experience. This means that they are no longer on their rookie contract. First-round picks who are on their fifth-year option count as veterans.
Baltimore Ravens: Andre Smith, Offensive Tackle
Smith signed with the Ravens in 2020 but opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now 34 years old, he’s certainly fighting for his job this summer. He played just six games in 2019, appearing in 23.2 percent of snaps. With the Ravens’ offensive line depth, Smith’s age, and the fact that he missed last season, all signs indicate Baltimore will part with him at the end of camp.
With that said, teams love linemen with a veteran presence, and Smith fits that description. He has spent parts of 11 seasons in the NFL and could make for a solid backup option. If Smith shines during training camp, he should latch on as a backup option who can play both right and left tackle positions. However, it’s not going to come easy for the Alabama product.
Cincinnati Bengals: Brandon Allen, Quarterback
In 2020, the Bengals experienced a painful loss at quarterback when Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending injury. Allen appeared in five games, completing 90 passes for 925 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions while being sacked once. Currently, he is the front-runner for the backup job in Cincinnati. However, that does not mean that he’s a shoo-in for the job.
Allen will have to compete with Kyle Shurmur and Eric Dungey during camp. Both are undrafted free agents while Allen was a sixth-rounder in 2016. Translation: Allen is more expensive. Cutting him would carry $300,000 in dead money while creating a significant $1.2 million in cap savings. Thus, while the backup job is Allen’s to lose, it would not be shocking to see Cincinnati cut ties with him in a few weeks. If this were to happen, he would become one of the more intriguing depth options on the free agent market.
Cleveland Browns: Cody Parkey, Kicker
Kicking competitions are always intriguing to watch, though they often feature a veteran and a rookie. In the Browns’ case, the job will come down to either Parkey, 29, or Chase McLaughlin, who is 25 years old. Unfortunately, Parkey is most famously remembered for his missed field goal double-doinked off the uprights in the 2018 playoffs, costing Chicago the game. He appeared in 15 games for the Browns last year, connecting on 19 of 22 field goals and 43 of 47 extra points.
Cutting Parkey would create $787,500 in cap space for Cleveland while carrying $200,000 in dead money. In camp, the 29-year-old has rebounded since hitting just one of five kick attempts on July 29. McLaughlin has looked similarly promising, so the two should have a neck-and-neck battle as camp continues. Preseason games will be critical in breaking what appears to be a tie between the two kickers.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Joshua Dobbs, Quarterback
Many NFL teams carry two quarterbacks on their roster. Others carry three. However, none carry four. Ben Roethlisberger has secured the starting job while Mason Rudolph‘s extension nearly assures he’ll make the team. That leaves Dobbs and former Washington first-round pick Dwayne Haskins competing for the third-string role.
Both signal-callers looked okay in their 2021 preseason debut against the Cowboys on Thursday. Dobbs completed four of six passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. The former fourth-round pick is entering his fifth pro season and is set to make $900,000. Pittsburgh would be responsible for just $50,000 if they choose to move on from him. Dobbs does have experience and mobility on his side, but Haskins has youth and draft capital. Dobbs is far from a lock to be cut, but he’s certainly not a lock to make the roster, either. He is truly on the bubble and will have to compete intensely over the next few weeks in order to keep his job.
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