For all the superstars the Eagles had on offense during their two Super Bowl title runs over the past decade, the players who were in what are commonly characterized as situational roles might have played just as big of a part in their victories.
In February, it was third defensive tackle Milton Williams tormenting the interior of the Chiefs’ offensive line and slot corner Cooper DeJean returning a Patrick Mahomes pick to the house. In 2018, it was reserve pass-catching back Corey Clement racking up 100 receiving yards, third-string tight end Trey Burton throwing a touchdown pass, and, of course, backup quarterback Nick Foles adding to his touchdown catch with 373 passing yards and three scores.
Let’s celebrate what I like to refer to as the NFL’s luxury players. No organization builds a roster prioritizing its swing tackle or fourth wide receiver, but it can sure be useful to have in a weekly game plan. These players might have been limited to one role or certain snaps, and they aren’t necessarily going to be that caliber of performer if given a larger role in 2025. We should laud them for what they are and how effective they were at what they were asked to do last season, though.
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Keep in mind that we’re focusing here on players in specialized roles. The best third-down back in the league might be Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs or Christian McCaffrey, but those guys are great on all downs. This would be the place to celebrate someone like Ameer Abdullah, an unsigned veteran who has been solid as a pass blocker and special-teamer, caught 85% of the passes thrown in his direction in 2024 and even chipped in a 115-yard performance as a starter in Week 17. Some of these players are already household names, but others are respected around the NFL for what they do in a specialized role.
Jump to a position:
Sixth OL | Blitzing off-ball LB
Slot CB | Kickoffs | Gunner
Blocking TE | Short-yardage RB
Fourth WR | Gadget player | QB2 | Two-down DT
Sixth offensive lineman
Some teams bring extra offensive linemen onto the field in short-yardage and goal-line situations, hoping to use the added bulk to generate more movement at the line of scrimmage. Over the past couple of years, though, the Bills have used the sixth offensive lineman tactic as something close to a core offensive concept.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady utilized six linemen 93 times on first-and-10 last season, more than twice as often as any other offense. The league’s other 31 teams did that an average of just over 10 times on first-and-10 in 2024. And while the Bills went with six linemen to help their run game, the extra lineman also forced teams into the same bind we’ve seen defenses struggle with against multi-TE groupings. Play nickel and dime sub packages versus a six-lineman set and the Bills will run it. Play base defense and the Bills were happy to throw; Josh Allen averaged 9.4 yards per attempt out of those six-lineman groupings last season, up nearly two full yards from his mark with five linemen on the field (7.6).
All of those personnel grouping mismatches look great on paper, but offenses need the personnel to actually pull them off. While the Bills used David Edwards in this role before he moved into the starting lineup in 2024, Anderson has taken it to another level. The 305-pound tackle spent two years on the Buffalo practice squad before making his debut last season. Brady carved out a regular role for Anderson immediately, as he averaged 14 snaps per game, excluding the Week 18 game in which the Bills played their backups against the Pats.
Anderson has been a sound run blocker, but he has excelled protecting Allen on the edge. Amid his 79 pass-blocking snaps, the 25-year-old allowed just one quarterback pressure and zero sacks, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Being able to rely on Anderson as a solid pass blocker allows the Bills to take shots downfield out of those jumbo packages, which then scares defenses into protecting against the deep passing attack and creates softer boxes for Allen and James Cook in the run game.
Blitzing off-ball linebacker
During his final season in New Orleans in 2022 and over his first two seasons in Atlanta, Elliss has been one of the league’s most unique defenders. The Saints used him as more of an edge rusher for significant stretches than the Falcons have, but both defenses found ways to maximize his ability to get after the quarterback.
Elliss’ athleticism and timing have made him a valuable player on “green dog” rushes, where a defender adds onto a pass rush if his coverage responsibility stays in as part of the pass protection unit. Coach Raheem Morris also had some success using him on twists last season, including a snap in which he was the lead rusher in a twist/stunt and managed to get around the guard assigned to block him and strip-sack Drew Lock.
As a one-on-one pass rusher, though, Elliss is much better than people realize. How good was he in 2024? By reducing the threshold for ESPN’s pass rush win rate to include players who had at least 100 plays with a win or loss, his 26.4% PRWR was tied with Danielle Hunter for second in the NFL, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson. Over the past two seasons, setting the limit at 150 plays with a win or loss, Elliss’ 23.6% PRWR is the league’s fourth-best mark.
When Elliss gets matched up against running backs, he is too explosive to block. Watch him spin and run through Aaron Jones to take down Sam Darnold a year ago. Not many off-ball linebackers have that sort of burst or wriggle, and he does a good job of finishing the play by keeping Darnold in his grasp and getting the Vikings quarterback down with a Jake Roberts-esque DDT.
Elliss finished last season with five sacks and a team-high 16 knockdowns of opposing quarterbacks, excellent numbers for a player who rushed the quarterback only 148 times. It’s a little bizarre to think of an Atlanta pass rusher as a luxury given that the organization has struggled for so many years to find its primary edge rushers, but consider Elliss to be the world-class sound system in a car whose brakes and engine don’t work. He’s doing his part.
Slot cornerback
Yes, he’s already there. DeJean spent the first month of his rookie season on the sideline, but after Philadelphia’s Week 5 bye, his move into the starting lineup coincided with a massive defensive improvement. After ranking 26th in expected points added (EPA) per play on defense before the bye, the Eagles were comfortably the league’s best defense by the same metric afterward — the second-place Texans ranked closer to 13th than they did to first.
It would probably be unrealistic to suggest DeJean was the single driver of those improvements, but he certainly served as a revelation in the secondary. From Week 6 onward, his minus-22.7 EPA allowed as the nearest defender in coverage ranked second in the league, with fellow rookie standout Nate Wiggins the only cornerback ahead of him, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He didn’t allow a single touchdown on 68 targets. And while he didn’t record any interceptions during the regular season, you might remember what he did to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl.
With the Eagles releasing Darius Slay, DeJean will play outside more often in 2025, as he’ll likely start outside in their base defense and work out of the slot in sub packages. He was in coverage as an outside cornerback on just six snaps last season, none of which came during the postseason. He moved all around the backfield in college at Iowa, which should help his chances of handling the added responsibilities. A dominant rookie season also bodes well for his chances of being a great NFL cornerback regardless of where he lines up pre-snap.
Kickoffs
The various changes to the league’s kickoff rules over the past few years have changed the way kickers approach their jobs. With touchbacks on kickoffs pushing the ball to the 30-yard line last season, there was added value in both kickoff distance and placement. With the new dynamic kickoff preventing teams from covering kickoffs until the ball is caught, the goal for kickers is to produce a kick that is deep enough to force a meaningful return without pushing the ball into the end zone for a touchback.
Nobody did a better job of that last year than Grupe, who produced touchbacks on a league-low 26.9% of his kicks. He ranked 31st among all kickers in yards per kickoff, but a lack of touchbacks, good placement and reliable coverage by the Saints meant that his average kickoff produced a drive that started 71.9 yards from the end zone. That was the league’s best rate among kickers with at least 40 kickoffs. New Orleans ranked second in EPA per kickoff, trailing only the Jets, who got a great half-season from Anders Carlson.
In 2025, the league is further incentivizing kickoff returns and discouraging touchbacks by pushing the ball 5 yards forward, giving offenses the ability to start on the 35-yard line if the opposing team kicks the ball into or through the end zone. The Saints lost special teams coach Darren Rizzi to the Broncos this offseason, but if Grupe and his coverage team can continue to avoid touchbacks and consistently cover returns, the difference will be even more meaningful under the even-more-dynamic kickoff rules.
Special teams gunner
While the once-vaunted Patriots special teams fell apart and ranked among the worst in football by the time Bill Belichick was fired after the 2023 season, the third facet of the game was one of the few places where the Pats held their own a year ago. New England ranked second in special teams EPA, trailing only the Steelers, who forced an unreal 11 fumbles on kickoff and punt plays, the most by any team since 2004.
The most significant force behind that special teams performance was Schooler, who was rewarded for his efforts with a first-team All-Pro nod. Schooler is not quite as consistent of a tackler as Nick Bellore (Commanders) or J.T. Gray (Saints), but the 28-year-old was unblockable at times on punt duties last season; he played a significant role in helping the Patriots upset the Bengals in the opener with his coverage work. He’s also an excellent blocker when called upon to do so.
In addition to blocking a punt in an October game against the Dolphins, Schooler added something to his résumé: defense. The Patriots used Schooler on 50 snaps, and while half of them came in a meaningless Week 18 win over the Bills, he was used more regularly to spy opposing quarterbacks. In limited time, he managed to chase down a pair of sacks, which left him tied for fourth on the team in that category.
Signed to a three-year extension last fall, Schooler is one of the few Patriots to come out of 2024 looking like he would have fit in during New England’s dynasty.
Blocking tight end
It’s clear that the Vikings see their second tight end as a critical part of the offense. As I was working on this piece, they signed Oliver to a three-year, $23.3 million extension, which would seem to be a lofty figure for a player with 701 career receiving yards across six NFL seasons with three different teams. It’s the second time the Vikings have paid Oliver, who joined the team on a three-year, $21 million deal two years ago.
The numbers back up the idea that Oliver is an elite blocker. He ranked fourth among eligible tight ends in ESPN’s run block win rate a year ago, finishing just behind a former teammate in now-Jaguars tight end Johnny Mundt. NFL Next Gen Stats credited Oliver with only two pressures allowed across 55 pass-blocking snaps, producing a pressure rate that was just about half the league average among tight ends.
Is that worth more than $7 million per year in a market where good blockers such as Mundt ($2.8 million) and Chris Manhertz ($1.4 million, Giants) are making way less? It’s tough to say. Oliver is just good enough of a receiver to give teams pause when he’s running routes up the seam and off play-action boot concepts. Combine that with great blocking and he’s a very useful player, one who lined up on just about half of the offensive snaps for the Vikings in 2024. As teams lean further into 12 personnel groupings, Oliver and John Bates (Commanders) could end up as undervalued examples of an archetype seeing the field more than ever before.
Short-yardage running back
The league’s best back in short yardage is about to become a luxury with an expensive contract in Los Angeles. If rumors hold true and Kyren Williams gets a new deal with the Rams, coach Sean McVay & Co. will be locking up a back who has gone 39-of-45 (86.7%) in converting third or fourth down with 1 or 2 yards to go over the past two seasons. He is more than just a short-yardage back, but he has been particularly valuable in that role for the Rams.
Limiting this pick to backs who aren’t standouts in other ways, the best option is Hunt, who was forced into a lead role with the Chiefs last season after Isiah Pacheco went down and rookie Carson Steele fumbled away his opportunity. Hunt wasn’t great, but the one thing he did well was convert in short yardage. He went 15-of-18 (83.3%) in those situations, one year after he went 15-of-20 (75%) in those same spots for the Browns.
Doing that for an offense that relied heavily on converting third downs and wasn’t willing to run Patrick Mahomes on sneaks was a critical piece of the puzzle for Kansas City. With Pacheco back to full health and free agent Elijah Mitchell joining the mix, it would be a surprise if the Chiefs relied on Hunt in a featured role again in 2025. However, he could still be a useful third running back in the right situations.
Gadget player
The idea of a gadget player means less than it did in the past, if only because offensive coordinators realized that using star players in the same places they once used situational playmakers is a great way to create mismatches. Just about every superstar “X” wide receiver (typically sets up on the line of scrimmage to the side of the field opposite the tight end) has seen a meaningful number of snaps from the slot and out of bunches and stacks, but we’re now seeing playcallers move wideouts such as Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb into the backfield to sow chaos and confusion for opposing defenses.
Thinking about the classic idea of an undersized gadget player who moves around the formation to thrive, catches all kinds of passes near the line of scrimmage and creates big plays with the ball in his hands, Mims comes to mind. Like many gadget players from years past, he adds value on special teams: He was the league’s first-team All-Pro return man in 2024, averaging an NFL-best 15.7 yards per punt return.
As a receiver, though, Mims was plenty valuable in his own role. After using him primarily on the outside as a rookie, coach Sean Payton moved him around more often in 2024. Mims averaged just 0.8 yards per route run on the outside last season, but that jumped to a whopping 5.5 yards per route run out of the slot and in the backfield, as he proved to be an interesting player when lined up next to Bo Nix.
From Week 11 onward, Mims’ 4.4 yards per route run was the best mark in the league for any player who ran 80 routes or more. While that came in a small sample and included some blown coverages along the way, he caught Nix’s best pass of the year on a seam route versus a Tampa 2 scheme for a 93-yard touchdown against the Browns. He also had one of the best catches by any wide receiver all season, outjumping two Bengals defenders on a fourth-and-the-game prayer with nine seconds left to push another late-season game to overtime.
Is Mims really going to produce like Puka Nacua over a full season? No. As a player who can get the most out of the many bubble and swing screens he runs, show enough speed to threaten linebackers and safeties vertically, and serve as a high-end return man, he doesn’t need to average 4-plus yards per route run to be valuable.
93 YARDS TO THE 🏡!!!!!!!!!!@marvindmims | 📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/DbkJnOqy7j
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 3, 2024
Fourth wide receiver
There are certainly bigger names who might fall fourth on a depth chart at wide receiver, such as Diontae Johnson (Browns) or Demarcus Robinson (49ers), but this is a spot where receivers are expected to do more than catch passes. Teams need their fourth and fifth wideouts to block in the run and screen games and still make an impact as a pass catcher when their number is called or when the top guys aren’t on the field.
While Zaccheaus might have been something closer to the second or third wide receiver for the Commanders last season, he is expected to slot in behind DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and rookie second-round pick Luther Burden III in Chicago. Don’t be surprised if Zaccheaus is on the field more often than you would expect — coaches love him.
Zaccheaus is undersized at 5-foot-8, 193 pounds, but he has still carved out a role in the NFL by being an aggressive, willing blocker. He was effective as both a blocker and receiver on the tunnel and bubble screens the Commanders ran last season; he was also capable of finding holes in coverage out of the slot. He averaged a respectable 1.9 yards per route run last season, just ahead of DK Metcalf (Seahawks) and Jordan Addison (Vikings). And while Zaccheaus is never going to command their sort of target share, the 27-year-old is one of the league’s most effective wideouts without the ball in his hands. He even ran through tackles in the Eagles’ secondary for a critical score in the fourth quarter of a December win over the eventual Super Bowl champs.
The only blemish on Zaccheaus’ 2024 record is his three fumbles, all of which came on punt return duties. The Bears signed Devin Duvernay to take over the return work in Chicago, and Zaccheaus had only one fumble in his career before last season, so I’m willing to write that off as a bit of a fluke. Zaccheaus won’t be the Bears’ wideout who sells the most jerseys this offseason, but he should be on the field plenty.
Backup quarterback
These rankings don’t include the financial investment made for players at each position. Obviously, teams would prefer to avoid paying their backup quarterback $27.5 million while guaranteeing him $10 million for next season, especially when he’ll be 38 years old and potentially playing for another franchise.
At this point, the 2025 season and what Cousins is owed is a sunk cost for the Falcons. Yet looking around the league, it’s pretty clear he would be the best choice of any backup passer to start one meaningful game.
The Falcons undoubtedly lost faith in Cousins during his late-season collapse in 2024, and reports afterward that he was battling a shoulder injury added some logical context to the situation. Before that stretch, though, his 59.3 QBR ranked 12th in the league, a reasonable figure since his early-season mobility was compromised by a torn Achilles injury in 2023. He led a late comeback to beat the Eagles in Week 2 and threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns in an October win over the Buccaneers. He also managed to make the occasional big throw, like this go route that travelled 50 yards in the air to Darnell Mooney against the Vikings.
Admittedly, Cousins missed or underthrew plenty of passes during that early stretch, but the hope has to be that the offseason has given his shoulder time to heal. Even with that disastrous end to his first year in Atlanta, he finished the season 23rd in QBR, ahead of starters C.J. Stroud, Dak Prescott and Aaron Rodgers. He averaged nearly 7.7 yards per attempt and completed just under 67% of his passes. Would I want to sign him to a contract for what the Falcons are paying him? Of course not. Then again, what’s more luxurious than paying too much for something you won’t use?
2:05
Mad Dog lets rip at Falcons’ front office over Kirk Cousins’ injuries
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo fumes at the Atlanta Falcons’ front office for saying they were unaware of Kirk Cousins’ injuries during the season.
Two-down defensive tackle
The Bengals signed Slaton to a two-year, $14.1 million deal this offseason, and while that’s not exactly Dak Prescott or Josh Allen money, it’s a testament to the difference the 2021 fifth-round pick made in his role with the Packers.
Listed at 330 pounds, it’s no surprise that Slaton was asked to do the dirty work on early downs against the run. Last season, he played about 45% of Green Bay’s snaps on first and second down, but that fell to just under 19% of the snaps on third and fourth downs.
With two sacks and seven quarterback knockdowns over his four seasons in Green Bay, Slaton isn’t going to show off a series of nuanced pass-rush moves. What he can do is control gaps and maul the player in front of him when asked.
In 2024, Slaton’s 45.5% run stop win rate on the interior led all defenders, just ahead of highly compensated tackles D.J. Jones, Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner. The highlight of his season might have been a fourth-and-goal snap in the fourth quarter against the Dolphins, where Slaton drove the guard backward, drew a holding penalty and pressured Tua Tagovailoa into the arms of Quay Walker for a drive-ending sack. It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was effective.
Slaton’s not going to be a replacement for Trey Hendrickson or even former Bengals tackle DJ Reader, but for a team that ranked 30th in EPA per play against designed runs last season, Slaton was a much-needed addition.