Every-Down Linebacker Review: What the Preseason Told Us Before Week 1

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Every-Down Linebacker Review: What the Preseason Told Us Before Week 1

Steve Hungarter, The Huddle · The Huddle

Tue, Sep 8, 2026 ·

22 min read

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We made it.

No more trying to assemble linebacker depth charts like a Temu toy. We have three linebackers, two starting spots, four extra pieces and instructions that somehow skipped from Step 3 to Step 11.

The preseason is over. Put the tiny screwdriver down. It is time to see who actually stays on the field.

Over the last few weeks, we have tracked green dots, starter treatment, nickel packages, substitutions and enough linebacker rotations to make me question several life choices. Some situations became crystal clear. Others somehow became more confusing.

With Week 1 approaching, here is my final look at all 32 linebacker rooms, who I expect to stay on the field, and most importantly, who should wear the green dot.

One reminder before we start: starting linebacker does not automatically mean every-down linebacker.In IDP, we are chasing snaps. Base packages are nice. Ninety-plus percent of the defensive snaps are nicer.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona spent the preseason treating the LB2 job like a Temu package. With Jack Gibbens appearing to have won it, Cody Simon is an extra LB3 piece, and we are still not completely sure the finished product is supposed to look like this. Because Arizona runs one every-down player, the rest might not matter for you in shallow leagues.

Mack Wilson is the linebacker who wears the green dot because he has an every-down role, playing every snap for this team. He is commonly regarded as a top-30 linebacker, yet one of my takes this offseason is that you could get him in the last round of the deepest of drafts for some strange reason.

Jack Gibbens appears to have won the LB2 job after Cody Simon was ahead of him earlier in camp. Gibbens eventually started alongside Wilson, and both were held out later in the preseason.

The only concern with Gibbens is whether he is truly an every-down player. When we saw the starters, he played around 70% of the snaps and came off in certain passing situations. Simon now looks like the LB3 after playing while Wilson and Gibbens were getting the night off. Give me Wilson as the every-down LB and green dot, Gibbens for deeper leagues as the LB2 with a 70-85% snap ceiling, and Simon as the dynasty stash next man up.

Atlanta Falcons

The final preseason game gave us more information to process here.

Atlanta decided we had not suffered enough this preseason after all. Divine Deablo is the only Falcons linebacker I am completely comfortable calling an every-down player. Atlanta has already handed him the green dot, and that is not changing. The real question is what happens next. Except for Deablo's rookie season (where he started five games), he has never played a full season. If he is my starting LB1, I would be worried about my team.

Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins rotated with the starters in the preseason finale, with Perkins actually getting the start next to Deablo. Daniels, however, spent two weeks wearing the green dot with the first-team defense while Deablo was injured and continued getting starter reps after Deablo returned.

I still lean Daniels as the LB2, but Perkins is going to make this messy. Atlanta has moved Perkins around and used him as a pass rusher, so I see him more as a Temu version of Jalon Walker-lite. Daniels has the cleaner path to becoming the second every-down LB, but until Atlanta stops rotating them, Deablo is the only one I am drafting with complete confidence.

Baltimore Ravens

Roquan Smith is the unquestioned centerpiece, and Teddye Buchanan looks positioned to join him when healthy. However, the Ravens' current depth chart has Trenton Simpson as the starting WLB next to Smith, with Buchanan recovering from a torn ACL.

The question is not whether Buchanan starts; it is how close he gets to every-down usage. If Baltimore keeps both linebackers on the field in nickel as expected, Buchanan could quickly turn into one of those late-round IDP picks we look back on and wonder why he was so cheap.

Buchanan has been one of my favorite late-round linebacker targets because the path to snaps is sitting right in front of him. If Baltimore gives him the second full-time job, his acquisition cost is going to look silly a few weeks from now.

No detective work required here. Let's move on.

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo gave us one linebacker we can trust and then threw the rest of the depth chart into a blender. Terrel Bernard is the easy one. He is the green dot and the linebacker I expect to stay on the field in Buffalo's nickel-heavy defense. The LB2 spot is where things get interesting. Dorian Williams spent part of the preseason behind Kaleb Elarms-Orr, but then Williams didn't play in the finale while KEO did, which certainly looked like starter treatment for Williams.

I am leaning toward Williams getting the first crack at the LB2 job, but I am not convinced it stays like that, nor does that mean an every-down role. KEO played well enough to keep himself in the conversation, and Buffalo has little reason to force its second linebacker onto the field in every personnel package. Bernard is the only Bills linebacker I am confidently starting in shallow leagues. Williams is the upside gamble, KEO is the name I am keeping on my watchlist, and Week 1 should finally tell us whether either one gets enough snaps to matter.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina spent the summer letting Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus battle for the job next to Devin Lloyd . Then Bobby Okereke walked through the door. That tells me plenty.

Okereke immediately becomes my favorite for the LB2 job and should be capable of roughly 80-85% of the defensive snaps. I am not automatically projecting him as a true every-down linebacker, however. The player I want is still Lloyd, clearly in the every-down role. Cherelus, who has teased us with flashes and an above-15% tackle rate, should fill in for leftover snaps.

Chicago Bears

Dennis Allen likes to keep just two linebackers on the field. That is great news for T.J. Edwards and Devin Bush . Edwards always comes with injury concerns, but he will be wearing the green dot and moved well.

Devin Bush's 2025 season landed him this job, but he has been a mixed bag of nuts during his NFL career. Bush looks like the running mate. The secondary is already expected to struggle, so we need to see more of Bush and Edwards competently holding down the linebacker unit.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have given us the rare preseason linebacker room that does not require a flowchart. Second-year players Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight are the guys. This time behind a rebuilt defensive line. Carter is another late-round gem who will receive the green dot and every-down role.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is one of those linebacker rooms where I don't need to pull out the calculator. Carson Schwesinger is back at practice and remains the linebacker I want. He should handle the every-down role and the green dot, while veteran Quincy Williams slides into the LB2 spot next to him. After those two, Cleveland's final roster gets thin quickly, which only strengthens my confidence in the top pairing.

Williams is the interesting one. We know he can produce tackles when given snaps, and Cleveland should give him plenty of opportunities in nickel. I am not putting him in Schwesinger's neighborhood, but if Williams settles into an 80%-plus role, he's absolutely relevant again. Schwesinger is the entrée. Williams might be worth ordering as a side.

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas spent August giving us just enough information to make us dangerous. Dee Winters did not play in the preseason finale while Jaishawn Barham did, which certainly looks like starter treatment for Winters. DeMarvion Overshown remains the linebacker I trust most. He should handle the green dot, but the battle next to him is where things get interesting. Then Von Miller showed up.

I am still not convinced Winters owns that job for the entire season. Barham has enough talent and upside that I would rather stash him than spend much on Winters, especially if the second Dallas linebacker isn't truly every-down. Overshown is the guy for mid-shallow leagues. Winters gets the first shot, but Barham is the name sitting on my waiver-wire speed dial.

There have also been rumors and at least two released stories that Bobby Wagner expressed interest in coming to the team. In typical Dallas form, we have to see which horse they ride with. Stay tuned.

Denver Broncos

Alex Singleton highlights this section. He wore the green dot during the preseason and enters Week 1 as the Denver linebacker I am interested in for IDP. Denver has other linebackers, of course, but I am not drafting participation trophies.

Singleton has already shown us what happens when he is healthy and playing every down: tackles. Lots of them. Sometimes we spend August looking under every rock for the next breakout when there is a proven tackle machine standing directly in front of us. Don't overthink this one.

A huge portion of Justin Strnad 's play produces splash plays, so I like to scoop him up in big-play scoring formats later in drafts. He seems like a decent add, but his role will be limited; he knows the team's scheme well.

Detroit Lions

Detroit has enough linebackers to start its own small country, but Jack Campbell is the only one I really care about for IDP. Campbell should be the every-down linebacker and wear the green dot, while Derrick Barnes , Malcolm Rodriguez and Devin White fight over the work around him. The competition for that third linebacker spot even continued late into camp, with Rodriguez taking first-team reps. In leagues where your league mates can slot him in as a DL, that eligibility matters. In a 32-team league, a handful of tackles at a desolate position is sometimes all you need to win.

Believe it or not, I want all four of these players. The system favors linebackers. In the deepest of leagues, I use Barnes' DL/LB eligibility because of his SAM linebacker role.

That is great for the Lions and not nearly as exciting for our fantasy teams. Barnes' ability to move around and rush off the edge gives Detroit plenty of ways to get creative. Unless we see a second off-ball linebacker consistently staying on the field in nickel, I am not chasing the rest of this room in shallow leagues. Campbell gets the snaps, the dot and the tackle opportunity. Everyone else can fight over the leftovers.

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay may have done us a favor this preseason. Zaire Franklin and Edgerrin Cooper played together throughout their starter reps, with Franklin wearing the green dot. Franklin gives Green Bay the veteran presence in the middle while Cooper gives them an athletic linebacker who can make plays all over the field.

This one is pretty clear; let's move on.

Houston Texans

Houston apparently looked at the rest of the league's linebacker rotations and said, "We're good." Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o remain the pair, and Houston's decision to extend To'oTo'o tells you how it feels about him. Al-Shaair should continue handling the green dot and remains the linebacker I want first.

To'oTo'o is where the value could be. If he is staying on the field alongside Al-Shaair in nickel, he does not need the green dot to become a useful IDP option. There is not a mystery box here. Sometimes two linebackers start, two linebackers play and fantasy managers get to enjoy their Sunday without checking personnel packages every six minutes.

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis gave everybody a turn at linebacker this preseason except the guy selling popcorn. Akeem Davis-Gaither received starter treatment in the finale; if you listened to me, you should not be shocked by this. The news, though, was that the ghost of Jaylon Carlies opened alongside him.

ADG is the closest thing I have to a preferred option. It is a weird thing to say, but I am not forcing this one. The Colts could rotate the second spot enough that nobody besides ADG becomes consistently useful, and we might even see the green dot remain with Camryn Bynum at safety. This is exactly why Week 1 snap counts exist so we can revisit and see where everything lands.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville spent the entire preseason teasing us with Ventrell Miller versus Branson Combs and then refused to give us a proper ending. Neither played in the finale, which makes the situation even more interesting.

Foyesade Oluokun remains the easy part. He is the every-down linebacker, the green dot, and the guy I am drafting without losing any sleep.

I am leaning Miller for the first shot next to Oluokun, but Combs made enough noise that I am not treating the job as permanent. Until we see it, Oluokun gets the steak dinner in all formats, while Miller and Combs can split the appetizer in all-IDP leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs

Nick Bolton remains the center of Kansas City's linebacker universe. He is the green dot, the tackle producer and the linebacker I trust to stay on the field.'Drue Tranquill should remain alongside him and is a sneaky name I pick up off waivers, while Jeff Bassa has been working toward the role previously occupied by Leo Chenal .

That is an important distinction for IDP. Bolton has the clean every-down path. Tranquill can still have (close) every-down value if Kansas City keeps two linebackers on the field consistently, but Bassa's role could steal enough situational snaps to limit everybody behind Bolton. Draft Bolton. Steal Tranquill. Everything else comes with assembly instructions.

Las Vegas Raiders

Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker spent the preseason attached at the hip, playing every snap together when the starters were on the field. Dean wore the green dot, and that is enough for me to make him the linebacker I want first from this defense.

Walker is still very interesting. If Vegas stays primarily in two-lineback nickel, both could have significant IDP value. My concern comes when the Raiders reduce to one linebacker. Dean's green-dot responsibilities make him the obvious candidate to stay on the field, leaving Walker vulnerable to losing those snaps because of his lack of coverage skills. Dean is the safer purchase; Walker is the one where I am checking the return policy.

Los Angeles Chargers

Daiyan Henley remains the main character here. The Chargers have already identified him as the leader of the room and the player expected to wear the green dot. After everything we saw this summer, I don't see another Chargers linebacker threatening Henley's every-down workload.

The second linebacker is another tragic story. Junior Colson was cut, then Denzel Perryman was placed on injured reserve. By process of elimination, that would leave Troy Dye for the Chargers, but I am not paying for the privilege of guessing which one gets 55% of the snaps unless it is a depth role or all-IDP leagues. Give me Henley and let somebody else adopt the rest of the family.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams treated their linebacker depth chart like classified government information. Nate Landman , and that is all you need to know. Omar Speights and Shaun Dolac gave us very little preseason work to evaluate, although Dolac did receive first-team opportunities. Landman remains the one I trust; he should handle the green dot.

The problem is what happens next to him. The Rams have been perfectly comfortable using dime and single-linebacker packages. That is useful to know in the NFL. It is considerably less useful when I am setting an IDP lineup. Landman is the target; everyone else needs to show me the snaps first.

Miami Dolphins

Miami took one of our bigger preseason questions and answered it with a transaction. Tyrel Dodson was released during roster cuts, and rookie Jacob Rodriguez survived on the 53-man roster alongside Jordyn Brooks . That is a pretty significant development after Rodriguez spent the summer earning a larger role.

I am still viewing Brooks as the established linebacker, but Rodriguez now has a legitimate path to significant snaps. That is exactly the type of late-preseason change I am willing to gamble on. If Rodriguez gets the green dot or approaches every-down usage in Week 1, his price is going up quickly. He went from an interesting rookie stash to somebody who needs to be rostered while we find out. I was high on Rodriguez after interviewing him at the Senior Bowl. In drafts this offseason, his ADP was buried to the point that you could sneak up to get him in drafts, but I did not expect to see the rise this fast.

Minnesota Vikings

Blake Cashman remains the linebacker I want in Minnesota. He and Eric Wilson project as the primary pairing in Brian Flores' nickel defense, while Ivan Pace looks more like the third linebacker/base-package piece. Cashman should handle the green dot and has the cleanest path to staying on the field regardless of personnel.

Wilson is the one I am watching for shallow-league relevance. If he consistently reaches the 80-90% range, there is enough opportunity in this defense for him to matter. Pace is a good football player, but we have learned this lesson before: being good at football and being good for IDP are not one and the same.

New England Patriots

Robert Spillane is exactly what I want from an IDP linebacker: boring in all the right ways. He took over as New England 's defensive signal-caller last season and remains the leader of the room. He should wear the green dot again. When healthy, he's been a tackling machine.

Christian Elliss is the other name worth remembering. He started 13 games and recorded a career-high 94 tackles last season, and the two spent the spring working alongside each other. Spillane is the one I am drafting confidently in shallow leagues, but if New England consistently keeps Elliss on the field with him, we might have two usable linebackers here. Ellis gets a boost from me, higher than consensus, simply because of his DL/LB eligibility on Sleeper. That is a move I can get away with rather easily, especially in a tackle-friendly league.

New Orleans Saints

Kaden Elliss is the linebacker I am buying. He should wear the green dot and remain on the field when New Orleans reduces to one linebacker. Pete Werner can still have value in nickel and is a recognizable name for IDP owners, but I would rather look away and not take the chance. See if anyone remembers and use that as trade bait.

Danny Stutsman is the wild card. His role appears to be growing, which makes Werner's situation even less comfortable. Elliss gets the steak. Werner gets the side dish. Stutsman is standing next to the table asking if anybody is going to finish that.

New York Giants

The Giants might have one of my favorite young linebacker situations heading into the season. Tremaine Edmunds gives them the established veteran in the middle, while rookie Arvell Reese spent the preseason looking increasingly comfortable at his new position. Reese's progress has been one of the more interesting developments of the summer.

Edmunds is still the linebacker I want first and my favorite to handle the communication responsibilities, but Reese has legitimate IDP upside if the Giants turn him loose as the second every-down linebacker. I am not avoiding this LB2 situation. I am actively interested in it. Reese is exactly the kind of player who could cost considerably more after we see his Week 1 snap count.

New York Jets

The Jets did not make us work very hard for this one. Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood played together throughout their starter work, and Davis wore the green dot. New York enters the season with one of the more established off-ball linebacker pairings in the league.

I am comfortable with both for IDP. Davis gives you the communication role and a sturdy floor, while Sherwood has already shown the tackle production we want. If both continue playing every down, there is no need to choose sides. For once, the Jets gave us something that does not require a congressional investigation.

Philadelphia Eagles

Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell remain the favorites, but Jeremiah Trotter Jr. spent the preseason behaving like someone who missed the memo. Baun remains the safest linebacker in the room and should handle the green dot, but those with an untrained eye might not know his analytics are on the decline. Meanwhile, Campbell has the athleticism and draft pedigree to become the other every-down option. Campbell has a newfound path to snaps, and the team is committed to playing him at linebacker.

Trotter is why I am not writing Campbell's snap percentage in permanent marker yet. Philadelphia has three linebackers it can legitimately use, and that is wonderful for Vic Fangio and slightly less wonderful for us. Baun is the one I trust. Campbell is the upside play. Trotter is the guy standing behind them whispering, "give me a chance. " That is the way I have those three ranked.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The new defensive system this preseason showed us that they will be playing two linebackers on every down. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson gave us exactly what we wanted to see. Pittsburgh used both together in its nickel package, and both stayed on the field during that preseason sample. Queen wore the green dot, but Wilson does not need it if he is going to play alongside him every down.

With Queen being that usable redraft starter, and Wilson being the young dynasty bargain, I am hoping the current arrangement stays as is.v

This is one of the situations where I am willing to be aggressive on the LB2. Wilson already showed tremendous per-snap production, and now the path to volume looks considerably cleaner. As all IDP managers know already, this has not panned out yet, but the path to volume is there, and I am willing to take another chance.

San Francisco 49ers

Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw are back together again. Same movie, new season. I am perfectly fine watching the sequel. Warner remains the centerpiece of the defense and should continue wearing the green dot, while Greenlaw rejoins him. He is not the same player, though. Having 52 tackles in the last two seasons, largely in part due to suspensions and injuries, I tend to avoid him in drafts.

Jaden Dugger made some exciting splash plays, so I am interested in Big Three scoring. As the LB3/SAM, I'm not expecting him to threaten the primary nickel pairing. Warner is obviously the prize. Greenlaw can absolutely matter if he stays healthy and maintains the second every-down role. Sometimes the reunion tour is worth buying tickets for.

Seattle Seahawks

Ernest Jones might be one of the easiest green-dot calls in the league. He is the linebacker I am drafting first in Seattle and should remain glued to the field. I take him higher than the consensus, right after the top four linebackers due to his unique situation. The real preseason story was the competition behind him, where Drake Thomas appeared to gain ground while Tyrice Knight made his own statement with an excellent preseason opener.

Thomas sitting later in the preseason certainly looked like starter treatment, but I am not completely burying Knight based on that and what Knight has done in previous seasons. It was not that long ago when people thought Knight was going to be the guy.

At any rate, I do not want either player. Whoever wins the second job still has to prove Seattle will give him enough snaps to matter in shallow leagues. Jones is automatic. Thomas is the value swing. Knight is the name I refuse to delete from my watchlist in deep contests.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay spent the preseason hiding the answer key to an open book test. Josiah Trotter looks to start over the middle, but Alex Anzalone looks like the safest linebacker the team has. Meanwhile, SirVocea Dennis and Christian Rozeboom leave us with considerably more questions about the leftover scraps.

I am treating Anzalone as the linebacker to own until Tampa shows us otherwise. The LB2 might eventually produce value, but I am not burning a shallow-league roster spot trying to correctly guess when that is.

Tennessee Titans

And the award for Linebacker Room Most Likely to Ruin My Week still belongs to Tennessee. Cedric Gray playing 13 snaps in the preseason finale was strange enough to get my attention, while Cody Barton enters Week 1 with the inside track on the green dot. Then there is rookie Anthony Hill waiting behind them.

Gray is the linebacker I am most interested in long-term, but this room feels like it could change quickly. Barton might open with the dot but may not finish the season with it, and Hill is exactly the kind of rookie I am stashing where roster space allows. Barton has the job today. I am just not putting his name on the office door yet.

Washington Commanders

Washington saved one final headache for us. Frankie Luvu and Sonny Styles could both handle communication responsibilities depending on personnel, and Dan Quinn has openly discussed rotating the responsibility when substitutions occur. Apparently one green dot wasn't complicated enough.

And this is probably where I will lose some folks; I would much rather start Leo Chenal, whose LB2 role is safe for near-every-down work, as opposed to the sharing of the other two. This is a rare exception where I am staying away from both green dots and interested in the other player.

IDP Fun Fact: Luvu has been abysmal against the run, with 21 missed tackles and a terrible 20.8% missed tackle rate. There is no way he holds this job. Clever IDP owners should fade this noise. Once the season progresses, make the move to trade for Styles as he settles into the NFL and claims this role.

This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Every-Down Linebacker Review: What the Preseason Told Us Before Week 1

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