The last thing NFL teams have to do before the start of the regular season is set their respective practice squad. And now, that endeavor is mostly complete across the league. That means, it's time to rank the practice squads, a part of the roster that's grown in importance over the past five years.
I'll still have Practice Squad Power Rankings coming in a week, the Friday before Week 1. For this article, I'm ranking full practice squads.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
LB Shaq Quarterman, EDGE Andrew Farmer, S Tony Jefferson, RB Isaiah Spiller, OG Karsen Barnhart, TE Luke Benson, TE/FB Tucker Fisk, CB Matt Hankins, DT Christopher Hinton, LB Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, WR Cornelius Johnson, CB Robert Kennedy, OT Alex Leatherwood, EDGE Tre'Mon Morris-Brash, DT CJ Okoye (International Player Pathway)
Starting with a club's practice squad mostly buoyed by the inclusion of Jefferson, who came out of retirement -- and spent 2023 as a scouting intern in Baltimore with current Chargers GM Joe Hortiz -- to dominate the final preseason contest against the Cowboys.
Jean-Baptiste was one of the older prospects in the 2024 class, yet flashed once he transferred to Notre Dame from Ohio State. Leatherwood is a former first-round bust, yet does have over 1,200 career regular-season snaps to his name.
9. Seattle Seahawks
RB George Holani, WR Cody White, WR Easop Winston Jr., TE Tyler Mabry, OG Raiqwon O'Neal, OT McClendon Curtis, OT Garret Greenfield, OT Max Pircher, DT Kyon Barrs, DE DeVere Levelson, LB Michael Barrett, LB Patrick O'Connell, CB Artie Burns, S Ty Okada, S Marquise Blair
Holani, a five-year runner at Boise State, has NFL-caliber skills. He averaged 5.2 yards per tote in college and went over 1,000 yards twice. Big, reasonably elusive, good balance. Winston Jr. is hyper-nifty running routes -- was that way at Washington State -- and caught eight passes for 98 yards in the preseason. Curtis is a giant masher, who's probably best at guard, and Greenfield blocked next to fourth-round pick Mason McCormick at San Diego State. Plenty of experience in the trenches.
Smart to have a veteran cornerback -- Burns -- and safety -- Blair -- on this practice squad too.
8. Cleveland Browns
DT Jowon Briggs, CB Tony Brown II, WR Jaelon Darden, S Christopher Edmonds, CB Justin Hardee Sr., T Germain Ifedi, DT Sam Kamara, T Roy Mbaeteka (International Player Pathway Program), WR James Proche II, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, T Lorenzo Thompson, WR Michael Woods II
The long-snapper on the practice squad is unusual, and not something I'd advocate -- the rest of Cleveland's group is impressive. Briggs' summer would've earned him a nod on the 53-man roster on many teams. Athletic, chiseled interior penetrator. Ifedi has loads of NFL experience at guard and tackle, quality offensive-line depth there.
Proche provides return capabilities, suddenness out of the slot, and plus ball skills. Darden never materialized after being a fourth-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2021, yet has serious jets down the field, as evidenced by his 17.5 yards-per-catch average in the preseason.
7. Cincinnati Bengals
CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, OT Devin Cochran, DT Domenique Davis, CB Jalen Davis, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, C Trey Hill, WR Shedrick Jackson, S PJ Jules, WR Kendric Pryor, QB Logan Woodside, DE Isaiah Thomas, DT Justin Rogers, RB Kendall Milton, OG Tashawn Manning
Burgess is a fascinating practice-squad stash because of his return ability and the flashes he made in camp and the preseason as a boundary receiver. He ran 4.46 with a 41.5-inch vertical at north of 6-foot and 196 pounds during his pro-day workout. Thomas has demonstrated pass-rush juice in the past three preseasons, mostly thanks to proficient hand work.
I love Davis' upside too as a rare, upfield rusher at 6-3 and over 320 pounds. But most of all, Heyward is ready to play quality football as a three-down linebacker. He was outstanding this summer against the run, reliably corralling ball-carriers, and in coverage. He anchors the strength of Cincinnati's practice squad.
6. Indianapolis Colts
DE Gernard Avery, WR Laquon Treadwell, LB Liam Anderson, DT McTelvin Agim, WR D.J. Montgomery, LB Austin Ajiake, PK Spencer Shrader, CB Jaylinn Simpson, CB Chris Lammons, TE Sean McKeon, CB Ameer Speed, RB Evan Hull, DE Titus Leo, S Marcel Dabo, QB Jason Bean, OL Atonio Mafi
Bean was arguably the best preseason quarterback from a dual-threat perspective. He ran it 11 times for 54 yards with two scores. As a thrower, the former Kansas star went 15 of 19 for 197 yards with a score and interception. Avery flashed his pass-rush talent in the final preseason games, and way back when, in 2018, he registered 42 pressures with the Browns as a rookie.
Treadwell is one of the bigger first-round receiver busts of the past decade, but looked comfortable in August with the Colts, catching 10 passes for 121 yards with a score. Even though it feels like he's been in the NFL for ages, he's still not even 30 years old. Simpson is your classic pesky, in-your-face, former Auburn cornerback with twitchiness, and Hull was the heart-and-soul of the Northwestern offense just two years ago. Heck, he caught 55 passes for 546 yards in his final seasons with the Wildcats and is a plus athlete.
5. Las Vegas Raiders
CB Sam Webb, WR Jalen Guyton, EDGE David Agoha (International Pathway Program), WR Alex Bachman, RB Sincere McCormick, S Phalen Sanford, TE John Samuel Shenker, DT Matthew Butler, OT Dalton Wagner, LB Charles Snowden, C Ben Brown, QB Carter Bradley, WR Kristian Wilkerson, TE Justin Shorter
McCormick has giddy-up as a change-of-pace back -- he was the the little engine that could at UTSA for three seasons with the Roadrunners, averaging 5.4 yards per rush with 34 scores on the ground.
I thought Snowden would be too lanky as an NFL edge rusher coming out of Virginia -- despite major productivity there -- but now, a few years into an professional strength and conditioning program, he's bulked up to add power to his game. He's such a unique specimen at 6-7 and close to 250 pounds. Butler plays with his hair on fire at defensive tackle, and Bradley possesses high-arm talent strength at the quarterback spot. Shorter was a fifth-round pick in 2023 with legit tight end size at close to 6-4 and 230 pounds. Strong hands and deceptive long speed to his game.
4. Dallas Cowboys
RB Dalvin Cook, WR Jalen Cropper, OT Josh Ball, TE Princeton Fant, CB Amani Oruwariye, DT Phil Hoskins, CB Josh Butler, RB Malik Davis, DT Denzel Daxon, CB Kemon Hall, WR Kelvin Harmon, LB Darius Harris, S Emany Johnson, DE Carl Lawson, LB Brock Mogenson, OL Dakoda Shepley, LB Nick Vigil
No team has utilized its allotted veteran spots better than the Cowboys. Cook isn't close to the back he once was but did only have 67 rushes a season ago. Vigil was once a starting-caliber, three-down linebacker in Cincinnati who had 111 tackles in 2019. Aruwariye snagged six interceptions for the Lions in 2021, and Lawson is only a few years removed from a 64-pressure campaign.
On the youngster front, Cropper is a sleek burner in the slot with explosion. Plenty of experience on Dallas' practice squad.
3. Buffalo Bills
QB Mike White, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR K.J. Hamler, WR Tyrell Shavers, TE Zach Davidson, OL Richard Gouraige, OL Will Clapp, OL Mike Edwards, DE Kingsley Jonathan (International Pathway Program), DE Kameron Cline, DT Eli Ankou, DT Branson Deen, CB Daequan Hardy, CB Te'Cory Couch, S Kareem Jackson, S Lewis Cine, WR Jalen Virgril
Cine is incredibly compelling for many reasons -- firstly, he's played 10 regular-season snaps in the NFL. He's also still a freaky talent at 6-2 and 200 pounds with 4.37 speed which we can assume is fully back now two years removed from his rookie-year knee-ligament tear. And he's playing for his Georgia defensive backs coach, Jahmile Addae in Buffalo.
Gore Jr. was arguably the best workhorse back during the preseason with a hefty 3.09 yards after contact per rush average along with three runs of 10-plus yards on 33 attempts in August. Shavers and Davidson are two sizable athletes at receiver at tight end, and Gouraige, a collegiate teammate of starting right guard O'Cyrus Torrence, has developed nicely at the swing tackle position. He only surrendered two pressures on 47 pass-blocking snaps this preseason.
Hardy is an ultra-explosive slot cornerback with plus instincts and return talent, and White has a live arm as an emergency quarterback. Jackson is a long-time hard-hitting veteran at safety with coverage chops underneath and at the intermediate level.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
LB Oren Burks, WR Parris Campbell, RB Tyron Davis-Price, QB Will Grier, DT Gabe Hall, OL Dylan McMahon, WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, S Caden Sterns, OL Laekin Vakalahi, S Andre Sam, TE E.J. Jenkins, LB Brandon Smith, C Nick Gates, TE Jack Stoll
Howie Roseman has cemented himself as one of the finest team-builders in football, and his brilliance extends beyond the 53-man roster. Philadelphia routinely has one of the strongest practice squads in the game, and this season starts no differently. Burks never met third-round pick expectations, but is a tremendous athlete and just logged 71 snaps in the Super Bowl as a member of the 49ers. Campbell is another fine athletic specimen at receiver, and McMahon is an agile center, who, in time can start because of his fleet-footedness.
Sterns had two quality seasons in Denver at safety before an injury curtailed his 2023 season. Quality depth there who brings youth and reasonable experience to the secondary. Lastly, Smith is a 6-3, 240-round freak at linebacker who needs to play with quicker play-recognition skills yet has talent galore.
1. Detroit Lions
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, QB Jake Fromm, EDGE Mitchell Agude, RB Jermar Jefferson, WR Tim Patrick, WR Tom Kennedy, WR Allen Robinson, TE Shane Zylstra, TE James Mitchell, OL Kingsley Eguakun, OT Jamarco Jones, EDGE Isaac Ukwu, EDGE Mitchell Agude, DT Chris Smith, DT Kyle Peko, DT Pat O'Connor, S C.J. Moore
The Lions secure the top spot mostly due to the receivers on their practice squad. DPJ is one of the most explosive receivers in the NFL -- 44.5-inch vertical and 11-7 broad jump -- Robinson has lost a few steps as we've seen him bounce around the league recently, but has experience nonetheless. Patrick was a shocking cut by the Broncos after a fantastic preseason, and Kennedy has long been a preseason hero in Detroit due to his suddenness underneath and reliable hands.
At edge, Mitchell Agude registered four pressures in the preseason and feels like a young rusher with an upward-facing arrow. Lastly, JaMarco Jones is a former Ohio State offensive tackle with years of amazing preseason work on his resume. He just needs to translate some of that to the regular season if called upon as Detroit's swing tackle.
