NFL 2017: Biggest Surprises on the roster bubble

Lots of players get cut over the summer, but these veterans are the biggest surprises on the NFL 2017 roster bubble. The NFL is a cruel business indeed.

Take a look at this list put out by ESPN last week. It’s a “veteran” player from every team in the NFL who is most on the figurative chopping block to be released. The term veteran is used loosely in this exercise because, as you will see, some of these guys were drafted as recently as two years ago.

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Which veteran players are the biggest surprises on the NFL 2017 roster bubble? Will any of them actually survive the summer? ESPN’s list is a snapshot of established players who may not make their team’s active roster. Who stands out?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, discuss the NFL 2017 roster bubble in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

The best player here is probably New York’s Sheldon Richardson, but his inclusion is met with multiple caveats. As the reporter indicates, Richardson is not really at risk of being cut. He is simply at risk of no longer being a Jet — something we have known for what feels like months now. I can’t count his name as a surprising one when it doesn’t even meet the proper criteria of the article.

Players I am actually surprised to see on the roster bubble are Chicago’s Kyle Fuller and New Orleans’ Stephone Anthony.

I know the NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league, but geez. Both of these guys were pretty darn good as recently as 2015. Fuller missed all of last season with a knee injury, and that’s all it takes to become forgotten. As for Anthony, he reportedly switched linebacker spots last year and couldn’t adjust, but he felt like a quality middle linebacker as a rookie in 2015.

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The common thread with these two moves, as reporters point out, is that their respective teams signed multiple free agents at the same position this offseason. The writing is on the wall in that regard, but it doesn’t make any more sense to me. Why is Prince Amukamara a better bet to stay healthy in the Bears secondary than Fuller, for example? Some things about the NFL don’t make a lick of sense.

Dan Salem:

The common theme among these NFL “veterans” on the roster bubble are injuries. Most of them are returning from an injury suffered last season, or currently recovering from an injury. Most of them missed significant time last year. None of them, outside of Sheldon Richardson, are major difference makers for their current teams. Richardson is the exception on this list, but also one of the most likely players to have a new home by the trade deadline. He will not get cut, however. The Jets gain more by trading him and Richardson still has value.

Finding defensive end Dion Jordan of the Seattle Seahawks on this list surprises me. Not only does Seattle need the help on defense, but Jordan came on the cheap this offseason. Yes he’s recovering from a knee injury, but he was the third overall pick just four short years ago. The skills are there and he has the experience to back them up. Unless Jordan is unable to fully recover from his injury, I see no reason why the Seahawks cut him. He’s an asset on defense.

Safety DeAngelo Hall being on the roster bubble in Washington would surprise me, if he wasn’t coming off a torn ACL, missing 31 of his last 48 games. That sentence is a shame to read.

Sticking within the division, I am actually surprised that quarterback Geno Smith is on the New York Giants roster bubble. Smith has been a serviceable backup during his career. He’s expected to fully recover from his knee injury by August and the only competition for his roster spot is Josh Johnson. I don’t like the off-field crap that Geno Smith brought to the New York Jets, but as a backup quarterback he got the job done. Just don’t ask him to be your starter. I still like him better than Johnson.

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My final surprise on our roster bubble is former New York Jets offensive tackle Breno Giacomini, now of the Houston Texans. He’s coming off a back injury, but adds depth and experience to a needy Texans line. If Houston hopes to stay atop their division, they’ll need both on offense.