What's new
The latest changes to Depth Chart, newest first.
How this page works
Each time something you can see or use goes live, it is added to What's new the same day, dated on Denver time like the rest of the league. Behind-the-scenes work is left out, and nothing there gives away a game result.
A player FAQ
The Guides page has a new Player FAQ: twenty short answers to what new players ask most, from your first check-in to retiring. It also sits under the first-week list on home.
Storylines in the league paper
The weekly paper now has a Storylines section: streaks, the rookie race, comebacks, rivalry trophy games and, from the middle of the season, an awards watch. Everything comes from games that have finished playing out.
The draft day room
Watch the offseason draft live in the draft day room: the team on the clock, a ticker of the latest picks, the teams picking next and what each team still needs. Picks can be filtered by round, team and position, and nothing shows before it airs.
More to say in the booth
Hal and Dee now have many more lines for every kind of play, and they notice close finishes, overtime, blowouts, rivalry games, comebacks, goal-line stands and big days, without repeating themselves within a game.
Your first pay, explained
When you join, your inbox says the day your first pay arrives, and another line says what it earned and bought once it lands. The Money page opens with Your first weeks, the plan choices say plainly what each one costs and does, and your first-week list has a line for your first pay.
More guides
The Guides now cover the draft, popularity and endorsements, your inbox, injuries, league leaders, compare, league history, legends, league news and weekly highlights, each with a closed How it works panel on its own page.
Out injured, said plainly
A game you missed because of an injury now says you were out injured, in your weekly email, your inbox, the film room and your snaps page, instead of saying you were not on the field. The injury line also says how long you are out.
Easier to read orange
Buttons and orange links now use a darker orange, so white text on them is easier to read, including the playoff machine's pressed buttons and the emails. The brighter orange stays for decoration.
A faint trail on the ball in 3D
In the 3D view the ball no longer has a ring around it. Instead a faint trail follows it through the air, and large screens start on the sideline camera while phones start top-down.
A long injury keeps your popularity
Games you miss injured are now left out of your popularity instead of counting as games with no stats, so a long injury no longer drags it down or stops endorsement offers.
Part-time staff for smaller contracts
Personal trainers, coaches, nutrition, physios and film now come part-time, priced as a share of your own pay, so a rookie on a small contract can afford some help; they do half of what the first full tier does. A freelance publicist works the same way.
Insurance cover is your choice
Insurance cover now starts at None and is picked in one place on your Money page: picking a tier turns on disability insurance in your plan, and None turns it off. The Money page shows what your cover has paid you this season.
Disability insurance repriced
Disability insurance now costs 4 percent of your salary a season instead of 2, so it pays back its premium only after about four weeks hurt: it is cover, not a way to make money. Your Money page now shows what it has paid you this season.
What your salary buys
Your Money page now has a section for spending your salary: lifestyle, a foundation, a hometown youth camp, insurance cover, a local business, a publicist, off-season retreats and honors, each small, capped and paid in in-game money earned by playing. Contracts now have a pay scale floor for your rating, and you can take a small hometown discount to stay with your team.
Big moments in 3D
In the 3D view a game watched from the kickoff starts with the coin toss at midfield, a banner marks the two-minute warning, and at halftime the teams jog off while a card shows the first half's stats. After a touchdown teammates mob the scorer, and replays near the end zone add pylon and goal line cameras.
Officials on the field
A seven-person officiating crew now works every game, in 3D and on the top-down field: touchdown, first down, incomplete and time-out signals, the referee's call after a flag thrown at the foul spot, the chains on the sideline, and the two officials under the posts signalling every kick good or no good. They signal only once the play's result is on screen.
Real builds and home and away uniforms in 3D
In the 3D view every player now has his own build from his height and weight, so the linemen are big, the receivers lean and the kicker smaller. The home team wears dark jerseys and the visitors white, each helmet carries the team's crest, and up close you can read the name on a player's back.
A real crowd in 3D
The 3D stands now fill to each game's real attendance, with home fans in home colors and a block of visiting fans. The home crowd stands on third downs and for big plays once they are on screen, and late in a blowout the seats start to empty.
Stadiums and weather in 3D
In 3D each home team now plays in its own city's stadium, a dome, an open-air bowl or a retractable roof that closes for bad weather, with end zones in the home colors. Rain and snow fall, the flags and goal post streamers blow with the wind, the field gets muddy as a wet game goes on, and late kickoffs turn to night under the lights.
Team sidelines
In 3D, each team now has its own sideline: the players not on the field standing and sitting on the benches, coaches in headsets with play sheets, coolers, a kicking net, and heaters or fans for the weather. The bench gets up for big moments and celebrates its team's touchdowns once you have seen them, and Watch from above the field switches sidelines.
3D game view
Watch a game in 3D: board-game players in team colors on a painted field in a stadium, from the TV camera high on the sideline or from behind the quarterback. Pick Top-down, 3D sideline or Behind the QB above the field: large screens start on the sideline camera and phones start top-down, and a slow device lowers its detail before the top-down field takes over.
Privacy policy and terms of use
The privacy policy and the terms of use are now public, linked from the footer and the sign-in page. They say in plain words what we keep, what the league's rules are, and that the game never uses real money.
18 or older to sign up
Creating an account now asks you to confirm you are 18 or older. We check the date of birth you enter and never store it, and accounts made before this are not asked again.
Kick thumps and name graphics
With Sound on, the 3D view adds a thump on every kick, a PA chime and caption after a touchdown, and a crowd that rises with the big plays, and when your own player scores, sacks, intercepts, kicks a field goal or breaks a long gain, a name graphic shows his number, position and stat line for a few seconds, both following only plays already on your screen.
Huddles and motion in 3D
In the 3D view the offense now huddles between plays, breaks and jogs to the line, the defense shifts, and on some plays a receiver goes in motion before the snap. It all fits in the old walk to the line, so the game runs exactly as before, and Skip to snap jumps straight to the snap.
Coach's challenges and replay review
Officials now and then miss a close call, and head coaches can throw the red flag to challenge it. Watch for the challenge banner and the referee's ruling after the replay; the stats always count the final ruling.
What if, in the film room
Pick one of your plays from a finished game and rerun it hundreds of times with a different instruction, to see how often each way gains 4 or more, picks up the first down or turns it over. It is for learning only and changes nothing about the game.
Media nicknames
After a run of big games, the league's writers can give a player a nickname that recaps and news use. If it is your player, you can keep it or decline it on your player page.
3D replays and slow motion
Replays can now be watched in 3D from four cameras: the sideline, the end zone, behind the quarterback and a high skycam that follows the ball. You can slow any replay to half or quarter speed, on the instant replay, the film room, Your snaps and shared clips, and shows only plays you have already seen.
A second screen during games
Under the field there is now a win chance line and a momentum meter. It marks the three biggest swing plays, names which team has the momentum, and only ever shows what the field has already shown, so it never gives the ending away.
Add to calendar
A team's schedule and team page now have an Add to calendar card: one click subscribes your phone or computer calendar to its games, with kickoff times and no scores. It updates itself, and nothing is added unless you choose it.
Accessibility settings
A new Accessibility page, linked at the bottom of every page, offers colorblind-safe field colors and a reduce motion choice that follows your device by default. Box score tables now read cleanly with a screen reader, with captions, spelled-out column labels and a short summary first.
Record book and Hall of Fame
The Records page now has sections for single game, single season and career records, career leaders, each team's franchise records and the Hall of Fame by class, with links to every player and team. A record shows up only after its game has finished playing out.
Career timeline
Your player page now tells your career as a short story, newest first and grouped by season: your first start, first touchdown, awards, records, moves and titles. A moment shows up only after its game has finished playing out.
Training progress chart
The Train page now draws every rating over the last four weeks, one small line each, with a short coach's note on what moved this week and why.
Franchise tags
Teams can now keep a star for one more season with a franchise tag. A tag never pays a player less than his best free agency offer would have.
Holding out
Badly underpaid in the last year of your deal? You can now hold out of camp, but it costs you pay, training and trust, so read the guide first.
Counter an offer
Ask for more on a free agency offer and the team answers, up to its final offer. An agent gets you an extra round and a read on how far the team will go.
What matters to you in free agency
Tell your agent what matters most: loyalty, a ring or money. Every offer now shows what you give up against the best-paid one.
Night games and muddy fields
The 4:25 PM game now dims into evening under the stadium lights, and the field shows mud in rain and scuffed snow in snowstorms, building up as the plays are run.
Meet the broadcast booth
Every game now has two announcers: Hal Brindle on the play-by-play and Dee Marchetti with the color. Their tags show beside the commentary under the field, each with a few signature calls.
TV graphics
The game viewer now has a score bar with each team's timeouts, a drive chart under the field, and a banner with your stat line when your player scores, sacks, breaks up a pass or makes another big play.
Sunday red zone channel
During the 1:00 PM and 4:25 PM games, the new Red zone channel shows one live game at a time and cuts to a team in the red zone or a game that turns tense, with a ticker of every game above it. Open it from the League menu, no account needed.
Awards night
Every finished season now has an awards night page with the Most Valuable Player, the other major awards and both All-League teams, plus the top five candidates for each with their voting shares and stats. Open it from the League menu.
Record chase
Game previews and the Watch page now point out players who are close to a league or team record, like how many yards a quarterback needs to break the season record. They only use games that have already finished playing out.
Earned gear and celebrations
Players now wear gear their record has earned, like a gold wristband for a first touchdown, and celebrate their own touchdowns. See what you have earned under Gear earned on your player page.
Your scouting report
Before a game you play in, the preview now has a scouting report on the other team: how it runs, blitzes, covers and goes for it on fourth down, and who lines up across from you.
The playoff picture machine
Pick winners for the games still to come and watch the playoff seeds, clinches and eliminations change under the league's real tiebreakers. Find it from the Playoffs and Standings pages, and share your picks with a link.
Sideline camera
Tap Sideline camera above the field to watch from a high camera on the sideline that follows the ball, like a TV broadcast. The top-down view is still the default.
Your snaps after each game
A new Your snaps tab in your own finished games lists every play you were on the field for as good, okay or rough, with a filter and a replay on each one.
The weekly league paper
Each finished week now has a paper with a front-page story, game recaps, power rankings and a player of the week. Find it under League, then League paper.
Why am I on the bench?
Home now has a "Why am I #N at your position?" panel under your depth chart spot. It explains in plain words how your coach ranks you against the player ahead of you, and what would most likely flip it.
A fair-play rule: one person, one account
The Guides now spell out the fair-play rule and what Depth Chart checks to keep it, with no outside tracking. A check never bans anyone on its own, and families and friends on one home network are welcome.
Owner leaderboard
The new Owners page in the League menu ranks the people who run teams by franchise value, with titles, playoff runs and seasons in charge. Tap a name for that owner's season by season history.
Share a play
Every play in a finished game's play-by-play and film room now has a Share clip link. It opens a public page that replays just that play with the score, clock and team logos, with a link preview that shows them too, and games still being revealed never show a clip.
Replays keep up with the speed you pick
When you replay a finished game, the speed control now sets the pace of the field as well as the scrubber, and the field keeps playing if you scroll it off screen. "Replay again" only shows once the field has shown the last play.
Your season card shows your team's logo
The shareable season card now draws the logo your team's manager built, letters included, instead of the old crest.
Position changes: one a season
After your coach approves a position change, the form now tells you to ask again next season instead of offering moves the coach must refuse.
Long field goals stay in the picture
A good long kick now comes down inside the picture behind the posts instead of flying out of it.
Tackle totals match the box score
The compare page and the game preview now count tackles the way the box score does, which leaves out two-point tries.
Watch without an account
Anyone can now open Watch and see the games being played, the next kickoff and the latest finished games, with no sign-up. Create a player whenever you like.
Your team always makes you an offer
When your contract runs out and your team has a spot for your position, it now always puts an offer on the table. You still choose where to sign.
A salary cap
Every team now has a salary cap, set each offseason from what the league's rosters are worth, and each team's page shows its payroll against it. Your own team can always re-sign you, so the cap never forces you off the team you play for.
Coaching staffs
Every team now has a head coach and offensive, defensive and special teams coordinators, each with a style that shapes how the team plays, and each team's page links to its staff. Coaches are hired and fired every offseason, and the moves are in the league news.
Box scores, both teams together
A game's box score now goes category by category with both teams in each, side by side on a wide screen, so you never scroll past one team to find the other. A switch at the top shows both teams or just one and is remembered, and a bar jumps straight to Defense or Special Teams.
Real play calls
Every snap is now a named play against a named coverage, such as Shotgun Mesh vs Cover 3, shown on the Watch tab, in the play-by-play and in the film room. Turn on My route to see your player's route or assignment drawn as the play develops.
No trainer bill while you are away
When your training plan pauses after a long break, your personal trainer is no longer paid for those days, and he is paid again once the plan starts again. The Money page has a new How money works guide.
Your debut, and reasons to come back
New players now play a short preseason debut a few minutes after they are made (it never counts), earn a badge for finishing the first-week list, and get a daily media question to answer in their own words. Game day adds a matchup card, a watching-now count and a grade with one thing to work on, your player page adds rivals, a legacy score and season goals, and you can invite a friend onto your team, share your season in review and get a catch-up when you come back.
Game day feel
Touchdowns and turnovers now replay in slow motion from a second camera, and you can turn on game sound: whistles and a crowd that roars, groans and builds in close games. Rivals play for trophies with their own page, game previews scout the other team, and you can turn on a weekly Sunday email with your game and the league's headlines.
Your contribution you can see
Box scores, recaps and your player page now show how much each player added to his team's chance of winning, and the Watch tab tags your moments: big snaps with you on the field. Your player page adds badges for what you do on the field, signature moves you unlock by training that show up on the field, and a timeline of your ratings with your best games and plan changes marked.
Your first week, and always a game to watch
New players now get a short first-week list at the top of home that ticks itself as you train, read Start here and watch your team, with Training up top and a shorter My player page. Watch opens your team's last game when the next one is more than a day away, team pages list their games, and the schedule opens on your own team.
A training plan that always runs
Your player now trains every day on a plan you set (focus and light, normal or hard), even when you are away, and checking in adds a full session on top. Saved sessions are gone: any you had were worked in once at their old half value, and hard training now builds fatigue you can see on the training page and game preview.
Easier first steps
New here? A short Start here guide now opens the Guides page and sits on the create screen, the position buttons spell out each position, and signing up leads straight to creating your player.
Life after playing
A retired player can now coach his old position group on a team, a small boost to their training, or work as a scout with his own scouting desk. Your next player can start as his son: a family link on both pages, with no head start.
Drops on the play-by-play, film room links fixed
A dropped pass now reads as dropped on the play-by-play, the ticker and the field caption. The Watch links in the film room now open the play they name.
A shorter top bar
The top bar now has one Menu for your player (Home, Train, My player, Money, Team and Watch) and one League menu for the standings, schedule, news and everything else league-wide. Watch takes you straight to your team's game, a live one first.
Fairer grades on drops, smarter fourth downs
A dropped pass now counts against the receiver, not the quarterback, so it no longer shows up as a quarterback mistake in the film room. Teams trailing in the last seconds now go for the sticks or the end zone on fourth down, and wind stays within each city's real range.
Bans for serious abuse
For serious abuse, an account can now be banned from posting in the locker room, the forum and watch parties until the ban is lifted. A banned account can still read, play and make picks, and the Conduct rule guide explains how it works.
Training bars read right after a new point
When a session takes a rating past a whole point, its bar on the training page now settles on the progress toward the next point, instead of sometimes stopping at a full bar.
Locker rooms, a forum, watch parties and pick'em
A new Community page has your team's own locker room chat, a league forum, and a weekly pick'em with season standings, just for bragging rights. Every game's Watch tab now has a live watch party chat that only ever shows what was said up to the play you are watching.
Guides for every feature
A new Guides page explains how training, game-day instructions, coach's trust, camp, the film room, incentives, stats, weather, the All-Star game and more work, with a search box. Each of those pages also has a short How it works panel with the same guide.
Playoff history and past seasons
A new Playoff history page lists every season's playoff games and champion, and the standings and playoff pages can now show any past season. They fill in as seasons finish, and career leaders count every season the league has played.
What's new, and clearer calls
This page is new: it lists what changed, newest first. The Watch tab now says who recovers a fumble the offense keeps, and the play-by-play drive arrows show properly again.
Weather, stadiums and an All-Star game
Every stadium now has its own weather from its city's real climate for that month, with domes and retractable roofs, shown on the field, the game preview and the recap. The league also plays an All-Star game, and the News page follows each season's storylines.
Why every incomplete pass fell
The Watch tab and play-by-play now say why a pass fell incomplete, such as a drop, an overthrow or a hit as the quarterback threw. New stats count pressures, quarterback hits and drops, and the film room shows them for your own games.
Team logos on the field
Every team has a logo on its badges across the site. Home fields are painted with the logo at midfield and the team's name in the end zones.
Stats by offense, defense and special teams
Stats are grouped by Offense, Defense and Special Teams on the stats page, player and team pages, the leaders page and the box score. New columns include forced fumbles, special teams tackles, coverage stats and long snaps.
Film room and contract incentives
After each of your games is fully shown, the film room goes over your graded snaps with the reasons and suggests a training focus you can pick with one tap. Contracts now carry incentives for stat targets, All-League teams and the playoffs, tracked with progress bars on your money page.
Livelier commentary
The Watch tab commentary has far more variety, so the same lines no longer come back play after play.
Your place on the team
Your coach's trust in you, chemistry with your teammates, mentoring for rookies, team captains with a C patch, and requests to change position. In games, injured players now leave the field, and teams go for the tying field goal late more often.
A more lifelike field
The ball spins, arcs and casts a shadow, fumbles bounce, and you can see contact, kneels and the touchdown signal. On long field goals the camera cuts to the posts as the kick flies.
Smoother games to watch
Players no longer jump across the field, every play shows 11 players a side, even penalties before the snap, and kickoffs stay in view.
Real cities
The league now plays in 16 real cities in two conferences, and game pages show each team's local kickoff time. Players, schedules and standings carried over unchanged.
Training camp is coming
From next offseason, rosters grow to 90 for a 40-day camp after the championship, then teams cut to 53. A banner on the home and standings pages says when camp starts, and a player without a team gets his own page to find one.
Game-day instructions
Before each game you can give your player instructions, such as protecting the ball or taking shots downfield. Each one pays off against some opponents more than others, and the game preview says which way this week's matchup leans.
A play-by-play Watch tab
The Watch tab now shows each play as its own card, newest on top, with scores, turnovers and flags marked and your player's plays called out.
More realistic football
Tackles come from players who can actually reach the ball, missed tackles show up as their own moment, overtime follows the current NFL rules, and kicks and the play clock behave like the real thing.
Training and text fixes
Banked training sessions count for half again, and the training page shows your progress more clearly. Jersey numbers follow NFL position rules and you can choose yours, and drafted rookies stay hidden until their pick is announced.
Stats, history, the draft and fame
Career pages, team and league history, and sortable season leaderboards. The draft airs pick by pick, games have highlights and instant replays from a second angle, and good play brings popularity, endorsements and postgame interviews.
A full game center
Every game has tabs for the recap, box score, play-by-play and team stats, and every player has a page. The scoreboard now shows the final score when a game ends on its last play.
Money, and smarter training
Your player earns a weekly salary in in-game dollars and can spend it on services like a trainer or a nutritionist on the new money page. Training can repeat yesterday's session in one tap, your player page suggests what to train next, and you can compare two players and browse the league leaders.
Development league and the season's big moments
Backups now play their own games on Saturdays. There is a playoff bracket, a championship week, a season in review with a card to share, and team crests, colors and rivals.
Careers, legends and your inbox
Injuries, contracts and offers from other teams when yours runs out, plus awards, a records book and a Hall of Fame. Your inbox collects your training results, depth chart moves and game recaps, and a short walkthrough helps new players start.
Easier sign-in, and on your home screen
Invited players can sign in with email and password or with Google, and forgot password now works for every account. You can also add Depth Chart to your phone's home screen.
The Sunday league
A new league with every football position and a Sunday schedule. The game viewer shows all 22 players doing their jobs on every snap, and your player's contribution is measured in points added.
Depth Chart opens
Create your player, train every day, follow your team and the league, and watch games play out live without spoilers.