NFL Backups Who Deserve More Playing Time in Week 7 and Beyond

The NFL world is a fluid one, especially when it comes to roster makeup and player roles. Players spend months during the offseason trying to solidify their positions on a team, but that doesn't mean their roles won't change once meaningful games are played.

In fact, regular-season performances are realistically the best indicator of what a player's role should be. Performing on the practice field and in vanilla preseason games is one thing—shining with a definitive game plan in place is quite another. 

This is why opening-day backups often find themselves in significant roles by season's end or earlier. Today, we're going to take a look at a handful of players who already appear to be doing exactly that.

These are players who have served primarily as backups during the 2015 season—with one or fewer starts through Week 7—but deserve more playing time moving forward. We're talking about players like Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman, who have done enough to earn more playing time and guys like Saints cornerback Kyle Wilson, who deserve an opportunity because of the poor performance of players ahead of them on the depth chart.

Have any other backups stood out to you this season? Feel free to let us know in the comments section. 

Kyle Wilson, CB, New Orleans Saints

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints managed to get their second win of the season last Thursday night against the rival Atlanta Falcons. The victory came in large part due to a number of takeaways from the defense. 

However, the Saints defense has been a weakness this season, definitely not a strength. Overall, the unit is ranked dead last in the NFL with 409.7 yards per game allowed. 

The Saints defense has consistently been gashed by big plays, and prized offseason acquisition Brandon Browner has been one of the biggest culprits responsible for allowing them. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed 404 yards passing and an opposing quarterback rating of 106.3. Pro Football focus also rates him last in the league among 171 cornerbacks. 

That isn't just bad, it's awful.

If Browner isn't going to turn things around—and there's no evidence to suggest he can—then the Saints ought to give more playing time to fellow free-agent addition Kyle Wilson. 

Wilson, a first-round pick of the New York Jets in 2010, has barely seen a quarter of the playing time (119 snaps versus 399) as Browner. However, he has been much more efficient in pass coverage. 

Wilson has only been targeted three times in 119 snaps, which suggests his coverage has been tight enough that opposing quarterbacks don't want to test him. Browner has been targeted a whopping 31 times—7.7 percent of his snaps—which suggests his coverage has been about as tight as a pair of Zubaz pants.

Something has to change with the New Orleans defense if the Saints are going to have any shot at getting back in the playoff race. Giving more playing time to the defenders who are actually defending might be a good start. 

Chris Thompson, RB, Washington Redskins

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The 2-4 Washington Redskins are technically in the NFC East race right now but could quickly fall out of it if they can't find some consistency on offense. Considering that consistency doesn't appear likely from quarterback Kirk Cousins (passer rating of 77.4), it will likely have to come from the running game.

The problem is that Washington's rushing attack appears headed in the wrong direction. After rushing for 121 yards and 4.8 yards per carry in the season opener, starting back Alfred Morris has been on the decline. He has topped 50 yards only twice since then and has averaged just 1.9 yards per carry in each of the past two games.

Backup Matt Jones has suffered a similar decline. He rushed for 123 yards in Week 3 but has gained just 69 yards on the ground since. He averaged 1.6 and 1.8 yards per carry in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively. He missed this past week with a toe injury. 

Third-stringer Chris Thompson also struggled this past week against the Jets, but at least he averaged more than two yards per carry (2.4, to be exact). He has also looked like Washington's most explosive runner recently, with a season-long average of 6.3 yards per carry. 

This isn't exactly breaking news, either. Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post pointed out Thompson's effectiveness prior to the Jets game:

"

Thompson, listed at 5-foot-8 and 193 pounds, has been the most effective player out of the backfield over the last three games. While the run game has struggled in that span, Thompson has led the Redskins’ trio with 97 rushing yards on 11 carries. Compare that to Morris, who has 31 carries for 96 yards, and Jones, 29 rushes for 69 yards, and it’s no wonder why Thompson’s role has expanded to more than just a third down back. 

"

If Morris and Jones (when healthy) are going to continue struggling, Washington needs to do more than expand Thompson's role. The team should strongly consider making him the focal point of the ground game. 

Colt McCoy, QB, Washington Redskins

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Since we're talking about a struggling Washington offense here, we might as well bring up backup quarterback Colt McCoy. 

Now, we'll admit that we're cheating a bit here because McCoy hasn't exactly played himself into a larger role—in fact, he has yet to take a snap this season. However, Cousins has been such a disappointment as a starter that it's time to give McCoy a shot.

This isn't a unique take, either.

"Colt McCoy now deserves a chance," former Redskin Brian Mitchell said after the team's latest loss, per CSNMidAtlantic.com.

It's kind of hard to argue with Mitchell on this point. Cousins is rated just 40th among all quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus. He has thrown eight interceptions and fumbled twice while tossing just six touchdowns. 

McCoy isn't quite as turnover-prone (he had four in four starts in 2014) and seemed to have a better command of the offense a year ago. He went 2-2 as a starter in 2014 and actually produced a respectable passer rating of 96.4.

Since former starter Robert Griffin III has his entire $16.155 million 2016 salary guaranteed for injury, it's unlikely that the Redskins will turn to him. 

It's time for McCoy to get another opportunity. 

Jamie Meder, DE, Cleveland Browns

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Here's a statistic that should surprise exactly no one.

The Cleveland Browns defense is ranked last in the league (149.8 yards per game allowed) against the run.

The Browns have struggled against the run for years and were ranked last in this category in 2014. The selection of mammoth defensive tackle Danny Shelton in the first round of the draft was supposed to help, but the Browns are again a virtual sieve against the ground game.

To be fair, Shelton's presence has helped, as least against interior runs. The problem is that the Browns have been simply awful defending runs to the outside. Just watch a few minutes of Cleveland game tape and you'll spot defensive ends failing to seal the edge and outside linebackers out of position and unable to bring down ball-carriers.

Browns head coach Mike Pettine, who has shown no concern for draft status, needs to consider shuffling personal groupings in order to force a change. One tactic he should strongly consider is giving second-year defensive lineman Jamie Meder more playing time at end.

Meder has appeared in all six games for the Browns this season but has played behind Desmond Bryant, Randy Starks and John Hughes. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Meder has seen just 111 snaps this season. 

This is a workload that needs to increase because Pro Football Focus also rates him as Cleveland's top overall defensive end. More importantly, he earns the highest rating against the run. In fact, PFF rates Meder 23rd in the NFL among 3-4 defensive ends against the run. 

Getting Meder on the field more, especially in running situations, has to be a priority for the Browns moving forward. 

Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman is probably the most obvious choice on this list. In fact, if you have any interest at all in fantasy football, you probably saw his selection coming before you even clicked on the article link.

Hillman hasn't exactly been a superstar in 2015, but he has been solid and a whole lot more productive than starter C.J. Anderson.

Anderson has started all six games this season but has averaged a paltry 2.7 yards per carry on the season. Hillman has logged one fewer carry than Anderson but has nearly doubled his production in terms of both yardage (323 vs. 180) and average (4.9 yards per carry vs. 2.7).

Anderson, who many viewed as a first-round fantasy pick, was supposed to break out in 2015.

Alex Gelhar of NFL.com wrote the following back in August:

"

C.J. Anderson is 100 percent a top-10 fantasy back for 2015. He enters the season as the presumptive starter and potential bell-cow for Gary Kubiak's zone-running scheme. On tape, he was far and away the most impressive rusher in the Denver backfield [last season], and it would take several revelatory performances from Ronnie Hillman or Montee Ball for them to leapfrog Anderson in the pecking order.

"

Well, Ball didn't even make the team, and Hillman hasn't really been a revelation in any one game this season, either. The reality is that Anderson has been such a terrible disappointment that dropping him in the pecking order seems inevitable—at least if the Broncos have any common sense.

Continuing to start a struggling Peyton Manning is one thing—the guy is a future Hall of Famer—but there is every reason to give Hillman an opportunity to start at this point. 

Corey White, CB, Dallas Cowboys

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The Dallas Cowboys have struggled without injured quarterback Tony Romo and injured receiver Dez Bryant this season. Since Romo left with a broken clavicle in Week 2, the Cowboys have dropped three straight games and entered the Week 6 bye with plenty of questions.

One question was at quarterback, where struggling backup Brandon Weeden has been replaced by journeyman Matt Cassel. However, there are (or at least should be) questions about the defense. 

Dallas gave up late leads against both the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. Had the defense held in those games, the team could be coming out of the bye at 4-1 and in control of the NFC East.

One defensive position that seems ripe for a change is at cornerback, where former first-round pick Morris Claiborne continues to struggle. The one-time LSU standout has not quite lived up to his draft status and is again falling short in 2015, even though he continues to exude confidence. 

"I feel like I have the ability to go out and guard the best receivers," Claiborne told 105.3 The Fan (h/t the Dallas Morning News) earlier this month. "It's an honor for the coaches—to feel their faith in me to go out and do that. I just take on the challenge, go to work every day in practice like it's a game time rep, and just try to get the job done."

Claiborne has often been in position as the No. 1 corner, but he has rarely played like a true No. 1. We talked earlier about the Saints' Brandon Browner being the league's worst cornerback, per Pro Football Focus. Well, Claiborne is only rated four spots above Browner. 

Benching isn't and shouldn't be an option for the Cowboys, but changing up coverage assignments should be. Giving some more playing time to backup Corey White also wouldn't hurt. 

White is the highest-rated cornerback on the Cowboys roster, per Pro Football Focus, and he has allowed just three receptions for 13 yards this season. In fact he is the only Dallas cornerback who doesn't hold a negative rating in pass coverage.

Pass defense is kind of an important thing for cornerbacks, last time I checked. 

Getting the best players on the field should be the goal, even if your best guy isn't a former first-round pick. 

Shaquil Barrett, LB, Denver Broncos

Ben Margot/Associated Press

With DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller and Shane Ray on the roster, the Broncos aren't really hurting for pass-rushing help. However, they have gotten it in the form of second-year linebacker Shaquil Barrett. 

Barrett made his first NFL start this past Sunday in place of an injured Ware (back). He finished the game with 1.5 sacks, bringing his sack total to 3.5 on the year.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak named Barrett the defensive player of the game against Cleveland. The coach said, per Rich Kurtzman of BSNDenver.com:

"

This guy gets his hands on the ball—not only the turnover that he knocks loose, but he had another one. He tipped the quarterback’s hand and had a chance for an interception there. As coaches, and I know other players, too, watching their buddies become players like he has—he’s our defensive player of the game this week—it’s fun for everybody to see.

"

The reason we have Barrett on this list is because his emergence might just make it possible to place Ware in the role of pass-rushing specialist once he returns from injury. 

Ware has been productive since joining Denver last year (14.5 sacks since then), but he is also 33 years old. Putting him in more of a situational role could help keep him fresh late in games and late in the season.

Barrett is rated second by Pro Football Focus among Denver outside linebackers against the run, a spot behind Miller. Perhaps it's time to let the younger player start and play on early downs, which would allow the elder statesman Ware to do what he does best—chase the quarterback. 

At the very least, Barrett (22 tackles, three forced fumbles) has done enough to earn more time on the field and in the spotlight.