NFL Depth Chart Changes

NFL depth chart changes, Week 1

Sep 9 – Sep 17

Who's Starting Staff · September 6, 2026

Colts list Richardson at quarterback, the 49ers rebuild their line, and who is already out

Forty-four starter changes landed between September 2 and 4 as rosters settled. As of September 6, 166 players sit on injured reserve, 36 are out, and 143 are questionable.

The week between final cuts and the first kickoff is when depth charts move the most, and this year was no exception: 44 changes to a top-line starter were logged between Wednesday, September 2 and Friday, September 4. The injury side of the ledger is heavier still. As of Sunday, September 6, our injury feed lists 166 players on injured reserve, 36 as out, 143 as questionable, and 4 serving suspensions across all 32 teams.

The quarterback change: Indianapolis

The only quarterback move of the week belongs to the Colts. As of September 4, the chart lists Anthony Richardson Sr. as the starter, with Riley Leonard no longer at the top of the depth chart. The Colts also have three pass catchers on injured reserve, Coleman Owen, D.J. Montgomery, and Will Mallory, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is on the suspended list.

San Francisco: twenty changes and a line that is still moving

No team's chart moved more than the 49ers', which logged 20 changes on September 4 alone. On the offensive line, Connor Colby is the new left guard ahead of Carver Willis, and both Willis and Enrique Cruz Jr. came off the top line at right guard and right tackle. The linebackers were reset: Romello Height at the weak side, Garret Wallow inside in place of Deion Jones, and Sam Okuayinonu moved to the strong side after Mykel Williams went to the reserve/PUP list with a knee injury. That last spot did not hold. On Friday, September 5, the 49ers placed Okuayinonu on injured reserve with a foot injury, so the strongside job is open again. In the secondary, Renardo Green replaced Deommodore Lenoir at left corner, and Malik Mustapha and Ji'Ayir Brown swapped the two safety spots. George Kittle is listed as questionable with an Achilles issue and is slated to practice Monday. Christian Kirk is on injured reserve with a calf injury, and Isaac Guerendo is on the reserve/PUP list.

Two charts our own data disagrees with itself on

Two changes this week are worth reading with the injury list open. In Detroit, the chart moved Cade Mays to starting center in place of Seth McLaughlin on September 4, but the injury feed placed Mays on injured reserve with a wrist injury on August 31. In Chicago, Dontae Manning is listed as the new left cornerback as of September 4 while the injury feed has him reverting to injured reserve on September 1. We publish both as they arrived rather than guess which is right. Treat the Lions' center spot and the Bears' left corner as unsettled until a game is played.

The rest of the line changes

New England moved Greg Van Roten from the interior spots he had held to left guard and listed Walter Rouse at right guard. Detroit added Ben Bartch at right guard on September 3. Chicago's secondary churned: Xavier Woods took the free safety spot from Cam Lewis, Lewis moved to the nickel in place of Josh Blackwell, and Kyler Gordon came off the nickel line after going to the reserve/PUP list with a calf injury. Denver swapped the order of its top two receivers, listing Jaylen Waddle first and Courtland Sutton second. On the return units, Ray Davis replaced Keon Coleman as Buffalo's punt returner, Jayden Price took over for New Orleans after Mason Tipton went to the reserve/PUP list, and KC Concepcion was added as Cleveland's punt returner.

Who is out before Week 1 starts

Green Bay's list is the longest among contenders. General manager Brian Gutekunst said on September 1 that Micah Parsons and Luke Musgrave are out, Savion Williams went on injured reserve the same day, and Josh Jacobs is listed as out with a court date that was moved up. Cleveland quarterback Dillon Gabriel is on injured reserve with a back injury. Houston placed Tank Dell and tackle Braden Smith on injured reserve. Washington lost tackle Laremy Tunsil, triceps, and tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, pectoral, to injured reserve on August 31. Carolina's line is short both Ikem Ekwonu, reserve/PUP, and Taylor Moton, reserve/non-football injury. Detroit's safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch both opened on the reserve/PUP list, and running back Isiah Pacheco is on injured reserve with a back injury. Denver linebacker Jonathon Cooper is listed as out after pleading not guilty to domestic violence charges.

Among the questionable names as of Sunday: Puka Nacua, core, and Myles Garrett, knee, for the Rams; TreVeyon Henderson, ankle, for New England; Sam LaPorta, hip, for Detroit; and D'Andre Swift, abdomen, and Rome Odunze for Chicago. Suspensions: Jeshaun Jones, Minnesota, three games; James Pearce Jr., Atlanta; Phidarian Mathis, Buffalo; and Cam Taylor-Britt, Indianapolis.

How this is compiled

Depth-chart changes come from a diff of each team's published chart, dated the day the change first appeared on ours. Injury designations come from a separate feed and carry their own "as of" date. When the two disagree, as they do twice this week, we say so rather than pick a side. Team-by-team lists follow, and every team's full chart and injury list is one tap away.

This week at a glance