The preseason flew by, NFL roster cuts have come and gone, and now the regular season is on deck.
As slow as the offseason may have felt, we've finally arrived, football fans.
After roster cuts around the league, it's interesting to do a little reading between the lines, following the breadcrumbs, and connecting dots. By making certain moves, teams inherently put a little bit more pressure on players they kept on the roster, whether they realize it or not.
Let's take a look at one player from each team in the AFC West that is under even more pressure after what each of these teams did at roster cuts.
AFC West players under the most pressure after roster cuts in 2026
Las Vegas Raiders: Mike Washington, RB
Reason: Raiders only kept 3 RBs on the 53-man roster
The Raiders must have been really impressed with rookie running back Mike Washington Jr., and for good reason. He dominated during the preseason and proved he was likely worthy of being selected way higher than the 4th round in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The reason Washington is under more pressure after the preseason and roster cuts is due to the fact that the Raiders only kept three running backs on their 53-man roster, including the injured Ashton Jeanty. Even if the Raiders are optimistic about Jeanty's timeline, only keeping three backs inherently puts a lot more pressure on the rookie to perform right out of the gates.
And although he was great in the preseason, we know the NFL regular season is a completely different beast. It appears the Raiders are ready to throw the rookie into the lion's den starting in Week 1.
Kansas City Chiefs: Josh Simmons & Jaylon Moore, OT
Reason: Patrick Mahomes's protection
The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the 2026 regular season with major, and we cannot emphasize that word enough, major question marks at the offensive tackle positions.
The availability of Josh Simmons -- the team's starting left tackle -- is once again in question. This time due to a back issue. Jaylon Moore has proven to be a liability at the right tackle position and was in an open competition for that job this offseason.
The Chiefs recently made trades to acquire Diego Pounds and Josh Ezudu to upgrade the depth on the offensive line. The pressure is on whoever ends up in their starting lineup because the Chiefs' Week 1 matchup is against the Denver Broncos, who have set back-to-back franchise records in sacks as a defense.
Denver Broncos: Evan Engram, TE
Reason: Broncos cut TE Justin Joly
The Denver Broncos decided to make the surprising decision to cut rookie tight end Justin Joly, a player they traded up for in the 5th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The decision to cut Joly has put a lot more pressure on Evan Engram, who is the only tight end on Denver's roster that has real chops as a pass-catching option. Adam Trautman is more known for his blocking, and the same is true for Nate Adkins.
Fellow rookie Dallen Bentley made the Broncos' 53-man roster initially, so perhaps he'll be a factor, but the team is clearly relying more on Engram to be that missing piece to their offense like they expected him to be when he was signed last offseason.
Los Angeles Chargers: Whoever ends up being the punter
Reason: JK Scott was released
Interestingly enough, the Los Angeles Chargers decided to roll without a punter on their initial 53-man roster.
They'll obviously have one come Week 1, but there's inherently going to be a ton of pressure on whoever takes over for JK Scott after a rough preseason.
This is a Chargers team that is flying a bit under the radar compared to their usual offseason fanfare, and having a major weakness on special teams isn't something they can afford in this division. Whoever takes over for Scott is going to come in with a lot of pressure to perform, especially with the gauntlet of a schedule this team has to run. Winning the field position battle is going to be critical.
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