Which NFL Players Have the Biggest Shoes to Fill in 2016?

A robotic language is often the natural one spoken by many coaches around the NFL. Or at least that's the case for anyone not named Bruce Arians.

And heck, even Arians would probably say three all-too-familiar words when the head coach is asked how his team intends to replace any key player who left this offseason during free agency.

Say them with me now: next man up.

Those words were surely first to become scripture in the sacred bible of NFL cliches. Unfortunately, the rosy idea of sliding in whoever comes next on the depth chart doesn’t come close to meeting the real on-field implications.

When the Next Man Up becomes the current man because of an injury or offseason departure, his job isn’t necessarily to replace the production of a star player. Typically that’s not a task left to one man, so instead the Next Man Up needs to minimize the downgrade. He has to absorb the blow and do his part to keep the offensive or defensive wheels spinning.

In theory, that sounds like a low enough bar to clear. In practice it can become a frightening challenge, because the Next Man Up was usually lower on the depth chart for a reason. His talent level is several rungs below the guy above him who just left.

The torn and cratered battlefield of another offseason has left plenty of gaping holes to fill throughout the NFL in 2016. In some cases, the Next Men Up are fully capable of answering that call, but in many others, players are either followed by looming questions or face history, as daunting enemies and past play have told us they’ll struggle to stay afloat in new roles.

Let’s take a look at four key players who are being counted on to fill Shaq-sized shoes.

Eric Ebron

The Detroit Lions aren’t asking one person to replace retired wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Doing that would be unwise and a form of offensive suicide.

Instead, the load will be spread around evenly. Or that’s the hope at least, with wideout Golden Tate rising and newly signed receiver Marvin Jones giving quarterback Matthew Stafford a fresh target.

They’re two pieces of the equation—and reliable ones too. Both Jones and Tate have had productive seasons in the recent past. That’s especially true for Tate, who has posted 2,144 receiving yards on 189 receptions over his two seasons with the Lions.

But there’s less certainty with the third skill-position player needed to help conquer the mountain of talent Johnson took with him. Actually, there’s no certainty at all with tight end Eric Ebron, who’s close to fully immersing himself in the draft-bust mud pit.

Consider the company he keeps on the tight end receiving yards standings over the past two years.

Tight end	Rank	Receptions	Receiving yards
Eric Ebron	27	72	785
Jacob Tamme	28	73	766
Scott Chandler	29	70	756
Brent Celek	30	59	738
Richard Rodgers	31	31	735

On that list you see four second- or third-tier tight ends, one of whom just went through potentially career-ending knee surgery. Then you see Ebron, who was a first-round pick.

In a 2014 draft rich with wide receiver talent, the Lions made Ebron not just a first-rounder but a top-10 pick. At 10th overall, he came off the board two picks ahead of the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr.

In fairness, injuries have held him back somewhat, as the 6’4”, 255-pound brute has missed five games over two years. But when healthy, he’s been mediocre and not nearly the seam-stretcher the Lions thought they were investing in with such a high pick. Ebron has averaged only 10.9 yards per reception and 29.1 per game.

But there was a flicker of light in 2015 when Ebron recorded five games with 50-plus receiving yards. He started to use his natural athletic ability to corral deep balls and become a large, bounding target who can easily gain body position. Please note Exhibit A:

He also began to establish himself as a red-zone presence in 2015 while scoring five touchdowns. The need for a wide wingspan deep in opposing territory is glaring with Johnson gone.

There’s hope yet for Ebron, because the 23-year-old is still young and still maturing entering his third season. Which means there’s hope for the Lions offense, too.

Garry Gilliam

Garry Gilliam did little more than occupy space for the Seattle Seahawks at right tackle in 2015. So hey, why not try him at left tackle? Sure, that position is more important, but at least it’s also a far greater physical challenge.

There’s a punishment for being a good football team for a long time. There are a few actually, but the one that’s stung Seattle's offensive line the most is a draft slot consistently at the back half of the first round.

The Seahawks were priced out of retaining left tackle Russell Okung when multiple interested teams ratcheted up his value. The Seahawks were also concerned about committing to Okung given his lengthy injury history.

Ideally, they would have been grooming a young and cheap replacement to slide in immediately. But having that player on your roster is a tough ask with all those late-round picks after the premier tackles have been gobbled up. The best general manager John Schneider could do in 2016 was Germain Ifedi, who will likely start at guard.

Then later, Ifedi could bounce over to replace Gilliam. Anyone could, really, because pretty much any other currently rostered NFL tackle is a better option.

There were 59 tackles on the field in 2015 for at least half of their teams' pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Only two allowed more than Gilliam’s 58 pressures, and only two had a worse pass-blocking efficiency than his 92.3.

This is when remembering a key fact of life for the Seahawks is important. Quarterback Russell Wilson might seem like an improvising magician when he’s out of the pocket. But he’s still a living, breathing human capable of breaking and twisting vital body parts after too much physical punishment.

Wilson has already taken 164 regular-season sacks. That’s an average of 41 per year, and only one other quarterback has been sacked 160-plus times since Wilson entered the league in 2012. (Pray for Ryan Tannehill.)

Quarterback	Sacks taken
Ryan Tannehill	184
Russell Wilson	164
Philip Rivers	155
Alex Smith	153
Cam Newton	150

Including the playoffs, there were eight games in 2015 when Wilson was sacked four-plus times. Gilliam was directly responsible for five of them, per PFF.

Maybe he can ease his way up to adequacy, and the Seahawks offensive line we saw in the second half of 2015 that gave up only nine sacks over a seven-game stretch will return.

Or maybe having a left tackle who's far below replacement level will threaten to derail another season. That seems more likely.

Bene Benwikere

Carolina Panthers cornerback Bene Benwikere is 24 years old. He’s been around for two NFL seasons and has started only 10 games during that time. His minimal game experience is a result of injuries, most notably a broken leg suffered in 2015.

Yet despite all of that, and the fact that he had to claw for a roster spot after being a fifth-round pick in 2014, Benwikere is a veteran leader now.

The offseason brought sweeping changes to the Panthers defensive backfield. Cornerbacks Charles Tillman and Josh Norman departed, and the latter loss would typically be a haymaker to most defenses.

The Panthers, however, are different in a few ways. First, their pass defense is anchored in aggression that starts with the front seven creating plenty of pressure; they finished sixth with 44 regular-season sacks in 2015.

And just as importantly, there’s also the promise of youth, which can either be uplifting or crushing in a real hurry.

Benwikere has suddenly been thrust into a leadership role after the Panthers used three draft picks in 2016 on cornerbacks (James Bradberry in the second round, Daryl Worley in the third round and Zack Sanchez in the fifth). He’s also slotted in to start alongside Robert McClain, who has bounced around the league for a while at the age of 27 but is now set to enter his first full season as a starter.

As Benwikere told the Charlotte Observer's Brendan Marks (h/t NFL.com's Conor Orr), he is embracing the burden of leadership, even though the responsibility of replacing Norman could lead to some serious cold sweats at night. Norman snatched four interceptions in 2015 and had 18 passes defensed (tied for seventh). He also finished first with a passer rating in coverage of only 54.0, per PFF.

And most impressively, Norman put himself among the league leaders in cover snaps per reception while being targeted significantly more.

Cornerback	Targets	Cover snaps/reception
Patrick Peterson	65	19.5
Richard Sherman	64	19.2
Desmond Trufant	56	17.1
Kyle Fuller	69	14.7
Josh Norman	96	14.1

Replacing that presence doesn’t fall to Benwikere alone.

It falls in part to a ferocious front that added first-round-pick defensive tackle Vernon Butler. And a handful of high draft picks lower on the cornerback depth chart will hopefully grow up fast.

But now by default, Benwikere has been given the title of top cornerback, which means he’ll face the top receivers and be asked to swat away passes thrown to them by some of the top quarterbacks.

How he responds will set the tone for the Panthers secondary.

Dwight Lowery

Eric Weddle spent nine seasons playing safety at a top-tier level for the San Diego Chargers. He was consistently durable and missed only seven games during his Chargers career, which included 19 interceptions and three Pro Bowl appearances.

Now Dwight Lowery will lead the effort to replace Weddle’s ball-hawking ways. Which is a problem, because instead of being an asset like Weddle, Lowery has become a liability.

Sure, Lowery recorded a career, single-season-high four interceptions in 2015. But in coverage, he still couldn’t be trusted. When targeted, the 30-year-old veteran allowed a reception once every 18.5 coverage snaps, per PFF, which ranked 19th out of the 28 safeties who played at least 75 percent of their teams' snaps.

Much like replacing Norman in Carolina, the job of moving on from Weddle doesn’t fall solely to Lowery. Fellow safety Jahleel Addae will do his part, and they’ll both be supported on the outside by rising third-year cornerback Jason Verrett.

But Weddle left a secondary that already gave up yards in bunches after allowing 7.9 yards per reception in 2015. The aerial pummeling isn’t about to get better without him.

Honorable mentions: Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (replacing Lamar Miller); Dolphins defensive end Mario Williams (replacing Olivier Vernon); Los Angeles Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines (replacing Janoris Jenkins); Denver Broncos linebacker Todd Davis (replacing Danny Trevathan); New York Jets nose tackle Steve McLendon (replacing Damon Harrison); and Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford (replacing Matt Forte).