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There comes a point when a roster hole is no longer an oversight. The team saw it, discussed it, and decided it could live with the risk. Unfortunately, too many teams decided to live with the risk instead of fixing their problems this offseason. That sounds reasonable in June. Nobody is hitting the quarterback in June. Week 1 has a way of dragging those decisions back into view. Washington, Miami, and Dallas each had a problem waiting when last season ended. After an entire offseason, no one can confidently say it found the answer. The Commanders Made Their Offensive Line Younger, But Not Safer Washington replaced four starters up front. Perhaps the new group eventually becomes an upgrade. It also enters the season with almost no room for trouble, especially in the middle. Nick Allegretti is taking over at center after primarily playing guard during his NFL career. He spent much of training camp dealing with a calf injury, which forced rookie Matt Gulbin and Julian Good-Jones into larger roles. Neither calmed the situation. That should have pushed Washington toward another veteran. Instead, the Commanders released Tyler Biadasz and committed to the original plan. Allegretti now has to stay healthy, adjust to a new position, and hold together a line filled with new pieces. All of this is happening directly in front of Jayden Daniels. The Commanders have spent two years talking about protecting their quarterback, yet one injury at center could leave them snapping the ball with an undrafted rookie. Not an ideal offseason if protecting your franchise quarterback was the goal. Miami Spent the Offseason Collecting Cornerbacks The Dolphins approached their offseason by zeroing in on their secondary like somebody digging through the kitchen junk drawer for a battery that might still work. Darrell Baker Jr., A.J. Green III, and Lonnie Johnson Jr. arrived on short-term deals. Johnson did not survive the final cuts. Baker and Storm Duck landed on the physically unable to perform list. Miami then claimed Marcellas Dial and Julius Wood after rosters were reduced to 53 players. The Dolphins claimed seven players altogether, more than any other team. That was not some clever finishing touch. It looked like a front office discovering its roster was not finished. There are young defensive backs in Miami who could develop. The Dolphins need several of them to develop immediately. Week 1 will bring an opponent willing to spread the field, create one-on-one matchups, and keep throwing at the same corner until Miami stops it. That is when “young and promising” can become “why is he still out there?” rather quickly. The Cowboys Waited Until August to Find Dak Prescott’s Backup Dallas entered the offseason with Joe Milton III and Will Grier behind Prescott. It left camp with Sam Howell, who was not acquired until late August. That is quite a journey to arrive at an answer nobody seems especially excited about. Howell has started 18 NFL games. During his only full season as a starter, he threw 21 interceptions and was sacked 65 times. Some of those sacks belonged to Washington’s offensive line. Plenty belonged to Howell. The Cowboys still moved him ahead of Milton, then waived Milton to create room for running back Emari Demercado. Perhaps Howell has improved. Dallas had only a brief look at him before deciding he was ready to take over if Prescott got hurt. That possibility cannot be dismissed. Prescott has missed games in four of the past six seasons. Dallas knew it needed better insurance in January and waited until the clearance rack opened in August. No team enters Week 1 without a flaw. These three are different because the problems were visible before free agency, before the draft, and before training camp. They had time. They made their choices. Now somebody gets to test them. The Last Word The offseason gives every front office months to explain why its plan will work. Week 1 removes the sales pitch and leaves only the result. Washington, Miami, and Dallas do not need perfect rosters to justify their choices. They need the positions they neglected to survive the first real test. If those weak spots crack immediately, nobody should call it unexpected. The warning signs were sitting there all throughout the offseason. All three simply decided to live with them. Good luck now. More NFL News: NFL’s Bizarre Week 1 Schedule Exposes Growing Disregard for Competitive Fairness ESPN’s NFL Rankings Reveal Fans Are Choosing Chaos Over Quality Armed With Subjectivity: Why NFL’s New Suspension Rule Grants Refs Too Much Power