The NFL's 9 most indispensable players

By SAM SPIEGELMAN
XN Sports

One of the biggest training camp stories for Wednesday was the beginning of Jamaal Charles' holdout. The Kansas City Chiefs dynamic running back won't report to camp until he gets paid accordingly.

In 2013, Charles was the focal point in the Chiefs offense, recording almost 1,300 yards rushing, nearly 700 yards receiving and 19 total touchdowns.

Without Charles, the Chiefs are probably a team picking in the top 10 for 2014. Charles headlines our list of the nine most indispensable players in the NFL today.

Here are players two through nine:

Why they didn't make the cut

Aaron Rodgers: Arguably the best NFL quarterback, Matt Flynn, Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace filled in and kept the Packers afloat en route to the playoffs.

Peyton Manning: If you plugged in even a mediocre quarterback under center, he could do well with overly talented offense. And the defense can certainly hold its own.

Richard Sherman: It's the Legion of Boom, and the title itself gives credit to the collection of talented defensive backs on the Seahawks, not just its best player.

Calvin Johnson: Now the team has Reggie Bush, Golden Tate and Eric Ebron. Matthew Stafford has a decent enough supporting case now that the Lions could still compete - not that they haven't underachieved the past five years.


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