With the Super Bowl teams locked and loaded, the NFL will have to replace the 14 players from the Broncos and Panthers who won’t be going to Hawaii.
From Denver, cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib and linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware must be replaced. From Carolina, quarterback Cam Newton, running back Jonathan Stewart, tight end Greg Olsen, center Ryan Kalil, guard Trai Turner, fullback Mike Tolbert, linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, defensive tackle Kawann Short, and cornerback Josh Norman.
Already, the Colts have announced that Vontae Davis will replace Harris. That leaves only 13 more announcements to be made.
And that doesn’t include the Patriots or Cardinals players who were healthy enough to play on Sunday but who will be too injured to play a week from now. Not that we blame them; why would anyone want to risk injury in a meaningless exhibition?