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Rutgers football week one depth chart

The Knights will be without some key players for the opener against Washington State.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Flood released the depth chart for week one over the weekend, and the players listed pose some questions leading into the opener. Here's the two-deep from the game notes:

Offense

Pos. Starter Backup
QB Gary Nova Chris Laviano
RB Paul James Desmon Peoples
FB Michael Burton Sam Bergen
TE Tyler Kroft Matt Flanagan
WR Leonte Carroo Carlton Agudosi
WR Janarion Grant / John Tsimis / Andrew Turzilli
LT Keith Lumpkin Marcus Applefield / Zack Heeman
LG Kaleb Johnson Dorian Miller / Tariq Cole
C Betim Bujari Derrick Nelson
RG Chris Muller Ryan Brodie
RT Taj Alexander J.J. Denman

Defense

Pos. Starter Backup
DE Dave Milewski Quanzell Lambert / Kemoko Turay
NT Kenneth Kirksey Daryl Stephenson
DT Darius Hamilton Sebastian Joseph
DE Djwany Mera Julian Pinnix-Odrick
WLB Steve Longa T.J. Taylor
MLB Kevin Snyder L.J. Liston
SLB Quentin Gause Brandon Russell
CB Gareef Glashen Dre Boggs
FS Delon Stephenson Johnathan Aiken
SS Lorenzo Waters Davon Jacobs
CB Justin Goodwin Nadir Barnwell / Anthony Cioffi

Special Teams

Pos. Starter Backup
P Joseph Roth Tim Gleeson
PK Kyle Federico Nick Borgese / Nick DeLouisa
KO Kyle Federico Nick DeLouisa
PR Janarion Grant Desmon Peoples
KR Janarion Grant Justin Goodwin
KR Robert Martin / Josh Hicks Desmon Peoples
H Mike Bimonte Nick DeLouisa / Nick Borgese
LS Alan Lucy Kevin Snyder

Former running back Justin Goodwin must have shown some serious athleticism in training camp to hold onto one of the starting cornerback spots. Although Barnwell and Cioffi are still coming off of injuries, so it might just be a precaution for them. Secondary actually doesn't look terrible, as Glashen has tons of experience and has Boggs backing him up, while free safety has good depth with Stephenson and Aiken. The only real unknown is Goodwin, so he'll have plenty of eyes on him come Thursday.

On offense, wide receiver remains in flux. Andre Patton would have been the starter but will sit out week one with an unspecified injury. That leaves Leonte Carroo as the only wideout with extensive game experience, although Tyler Kroft remains a safety net for Gary Nova. Other than that, not a ton of surprises here. The starting lineup shouldn't change much on either side of the ball throughout the season if projections are correct, but the backup situation could see some movement within a couple of games. Good to see SJD moving to the three-tech position. If he's as beastly as everyone is making him out to be, he should be in a position to disrupt the pocket.

What do you think about the depth chart? Confident? Worried? Share your thoughts below!