As the preseason officially opens, all teams will be required to publish unofficial depth charts.
And teams routinely downplay the unofficial depth charts as meaningless. That’s a load of crap, in my opinion.
At a time when there’s otherwise nothing that shows how the 90 pieces of a roster puzzle will begin to fit together, anything is meaningful. Every depth chart sends a message — internally and externally.
Some (like the Steelers) are even more meaningful. Theirs lacks the key qualifier of “unofficial.”
Regardless, they all have meaning. Even when they’re compiled by a team’s P.R. staff, they have meaning. Because in that case they reflect the conclusions drawn by people who are around the team all the time.
The only time they lack meaning happens when coaches deliberately make them worthless, but jumbling up the order or having four or five players as the starter at a given position.
Usually, that’s not the case. Usually, the depth charts published in the preseason carry some clues about where things stand. It helps the media and fans understand who ranks where, and it helps the players realize it, too.