Ranking NFL roster cores: Stacking all 32 teams' top five players - ESPN

An NFL roster is made up of 53 players, but there are a few core playmakers who serve as the cornerstones for every team. And some of these cores are better than others. We set out to rank them, as is our legal obligation for all June football musings.

A core was defined as the five most important players to a team — the guys each roster is built around. The ranking is for 2023, but there was a consideration of age in deciding which players made each team's core. For some teams, there were too many good candidates to choose from, while even getting to five was tough for others.

Let's dive into the rankings. Average ages were calculated by taking each player's age as of Sept. 7, 2023 — when the Lions and Chiefs are set to kick off the 2023 NFL season.

Jump to a team:ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CINCLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | INDJAX | KC | LV | LAC | LAR | MIA | MINNE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SFSEA | TB | TEN | WSH

Roster core: QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones, C Creed Humphrey, G Joe Thuney

Average core age: 28.6

It'd be very possible for another NFL team to have a better five-man core than the Chiefs if they were solely relying on Mahomes; the 27-year-old QB is a true star, but many rosters are loaded with young talent. But finding a core better than one with Mahomes, Kelce and Jones? That would be awfully tough. Having the league's clear top quarterback, a high-end receiving threat and an elite interior pass-rusher is just too big an advantage for the Chiefs to rank anywhere but No. 1 overall.

Mike Tannenbaum and Louis Riddick talk about whether the Chiefs are currently a dynasty and if four titles is realistic for Patrick Mahomes.

Roster core: QB Joe Burrow, WR Ja'Marr Chase, WR