Barnwell Builds 53-Man Roster of NFL Backups
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- Bill Barnwell built a full 53-man 'Team Backup' roster by selecting one or two reserves from each NFL team, limiting himself to at least one backup per club with a cap of two, while requiring special-teams contributors, a 2026 draft rookie from each round, multiple tight end sets, and a Vic Fangio-style four-man pass rush defense.
- Nick Herbig was Barnwell's first selection off the board, slotted as the star pass rusher; the Steelers edge rusher led all qualified edge rushers in pass rush win rate at 25.0% and added 7.5 sacks, 18 QB knockdowns and 13 tackles for loss across 610 snaps despite playing behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
- Joe Flacco, 41, was chosen as the veteran in Team Backup's quarterback room after posting a 45.5 QBR while bouncing between the Browns, Colts and Bengals over the past three seasons — described as a strong-armed, sack-avoiding short-term option who will also throw 'truly painful interceptions.'
- Wide receiver emerged as Team Backup's most concerning position, with DeMario Douglas potentially serving as the top target despite finishing just 13th in ESPN's receiver scores as a fourth wideout in New England last season.
- Lloyd Cushenberry III was taken at center — a position Barnwell flagged as 'perilously thin' league-wide — after the former big-ticket Titans free-agent signing was released this offseason following a torn Achilles.
- Rico Dowdle made the roster on the strength of a back-to-back 206-yard and 183-yard rushing outburst against the Dolphins and Cowboys, with Barnwell slotting him in as a rotation back and noting he is not someone you want on the field often as a pass blocker.
Why it matters: Barnwell's exercise concretely maps where the league is deepest and thinnest beyond its starters: center is flagged as 'perilously thin,' the wide receiver reserves grade out as subpar (the team's likely WR1 finished 13th in ESPN's scores), while backup edge rushers like Herbig (25.0% pass rush win rate) carry genuine starter-caliber disruption. For NFL roster-building, the takeaway is that teams hoard premium talent at WR while developing real pass-rush depth on the bench.
