- The NFL’s roster cutdown deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
- Teams aren’t waiting until the last minute, however, with several already taking action over the weekend.
- Several backup quarterbacks and former high draft picks could be on thin ice for their respective teams’ final roster spots.
For many NFL teams, Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline marks perhaps the biggest hurdle remaining before preparation for the regular season begins in earnest. For hundreds of players, however, the paring down can mark a painful end of the line.
Established starters and early draft picks typically have nothing to fear as teams set their initial 53-man rosters, but the culmination of the preseason schedule necessarily leads to some disappointment and difficult decisions. Some long shot bids will officially come to an end. But those who set out to scrape for a spot at the end of the roster are signing up for a transient lifestyle, and this might just be the first – or latest – in a series of setbacks. But hope remains, as any notion of finality with the cutdowns is quickly dispelled by additional waiver moves, trades and practice squad transactions in the coming days, weeks and months.
Here’s a look back at all of the notable moves from Monday:
Broncos roster cuts: Backfield reshuffling continues
The Denver Broncos continue to reshape their running back rotation.
The team plans to waive backup Audric Estime, according to multiple reports.
Estime, a fifth-round pick last April out of Notre Dame, ranked fourth on the team in rushing yards with 310 as a rookie. But with veteran J.K. Dobbins and second-round rookie RJ Harvey coming aboard to pace the ground game and backup Jaleel McLoughlin returning a change-of-pace option, Estime became the odd man out in Sean Payton’s attack.
Buccaneers roster cuts: Kyle Trask out, Teddy Bridgewater in as QB2
Baker Mayfield has a new backup.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported.
Trask was the Buccaneers’ second-round pick in 2021, which was Tom Brady’s penultimate season with the team. But the former Florida standout couldn’t beat out Baker Mayfield in the 2023 preseason after Tom Brady retired, and Trask has attempted just 11 passes in his career to date.
Tampa Bay then signed veteran Teddy Bridgewater on Aug. 5 and seemed to quickly favor him for the backup role. Bridgewater started the second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and threw two touchdown passes. He was held out of the finale with an illness.
Raiders roster cuts: Familiar figures not sticking around
The Las Vegas Raiders’ initial round of cuts didn’t feature any surprises, but some recognizable names won’t be on the 53-man roster.
Wide receivers Marquez Callaway, Phillip Dorsett II and Collin Johnson were all released Monday, as was linebacker Jaylon Smith.
The three veteran wideouts provided depth in camp, but Las Vegas looked to other options in its receiving corps, with multiple reports indicating Monday that five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper is heading back to the franchise that selected him No. 4 overall in 2015. Meanwhile, fourth-rounder Dont’e Thornton Jr. could potentially play a sizable role as a rookie while second-rounder Jack Bech and sixth-rounder Tommy Mellott wait for their turns as backups. Meanwhile, leading wideout Jakobi Meyers is seeking a trade amid a contract standoff, per reports.
Smith was signed in May after a tryout at rookie minicamp, but the former Dallas Cowboys standout will have to look elsewhere as he tries to find his first game action since 2023.
Commanders roster cuts: Michael Gallup’s comeback hits a roadblock
A bevy of former Dallas Cowboys players have followed Dan Quinn to Washington. Michael Gallup, however, won’t be among those joining the Commanders’ roster to start 2025.
The wide receiver was among six players released by the team on Monday.
Gallup, 29, was attempting to make his comeback with the team after announcing his retirement last summer. He broke out by recording 1,107 receiving yards for the Cowboys in 2019, but a 2021 anterior cruciate ligament tear proved to be a sizable setback. The former third-round pick signed with the Las Vegas Raiders last year but stepped away from football last June.
Washington, meanwhile, appears to have its receiving corps set with Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel Sr., Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey and rookie Jaylin Lane.
Buccaneers roster cuts: Desmond Watson’s trial run is up
The Buccaneers are waiving the undrafted free agent defensive tackle from Florida, according to multiple reports.
Watson, who was listed by the team at 449 pounds, had remained on the non-football illness list throughout the summer as the team pushed him to cut weight. Unable to do so, he was released outright rather than moved to the reserve-NFI list, suggesting that a return to Tampa Bay’s practice squad is unlikely.
Lions roster cuts: Hendon Hooker’s time is up
The Detroit Lions are cutting bait on the Hendon Hooker project.
The team is releasing the quarterback, according to multiple reports, in a move that could position journeyman Kyle Allen to secure the backup spot behind Jared Goff.
Hooker, 27, was a third-round pick out of Tennessee in 2023 and sat out his entire rookie season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered late in his final collegiate season. In 2024, however, he played in just four games, and Detroit signed veteran Teddy Bridgewater late in the campaign to hold down the backup role.
Hooker struggled throughout the preseason, and Lions coach Dan Campbell seemed to suggest after the game that both sides might be best off moving on.
“How much development do you believe there is?’ Campbell said. ‘We’re talking about Hooker right now, how much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes, does the player need a change of scenery?”
Buccaneers roster cuts: Another key undrafted rookie dismissed
Shilo Sanders isn’t the only notable undrafted rookie whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be keeping on their 53-man roster.
The team decided to release linebacker Nick Jackson, according to multiple reports.
Jackson, who finished his college career at Iowa after transferring from Virginia, was a preseason standout who led the team in tackles (14) while adding two sacks and an interception. But even with the team parting with Anthony Walker Jr., who was recovering a lower left leg injury, Tampa Bay saw fit to turn to other options at inside linebacker. Jackson, however, could be a candidate for the practice squad if he goes unclaimed.
Titans roster cuts: 16 players sent packing
On Monday, the team parted ways with 16 players. Those who were waived included: WR Jha’Quan Jackson, WR TJ Sheffield, DT Josiah Bronson, DT TJ Smith, OLB Desmond Evans, ILB Amari Burney, CB Jalen Kimber, CB Clarence Lewis, CB Jermari Harris, CB Davion Ross, S Julius Wood, S Joshuah Bledsoe. Tennessee also released DE Joe Gaziano, G Arlington Hambright and C Sam Mustipher and waived WR Matt Landers with an injury designation.
Saints roster cuts: Cam Akers among 14 players dropped early
Cam Akers’ stint with the New Orleans Saints was a short one.
The running back was released Monday, Saints coach Kellen Moore confirmed. The team also waived 13 other players: punter James Burnip, wide receivers Roderick Daniels Jr. and Moochie Dixon, defensive ends Jasheen Davis, Jeremiah Martin and Omari Thomas, offensive tackles Josiah Ezirim and Jonathan Mendoza, tight ends Seth Green and Michael Jacobson, offensive guards Kyle Hergel and Mike Panasiuk, and linebacker Tyreem Powell.
Akers, 26, signed a one-year deal with the Saints in June after a minicamp tryout. But with New Orleans having sufficient depth behind Alvin Kamara with Kendre Miller, sixth-round rookie Devin Neal and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the team opted to move on.
Eagles roster cuts: Former first-round pick waived
Kenyon Green won’t be a part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ adjusted offensive line after all.
The offensive guard was waived Monday, according to CBS Sports, just five months after he was traded to the team by the Houston Texans in exchange for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Green, 24, was the No. 15 overall pick by the Texans in the 2022 NFL draft out of Texas A&M, but the 6-4, 323-pound blocker struggled throughout his tenure in Houston.
Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman was busy over the weekend reshuffling the backups for his offensive front, sending offensive guard Darian Kinnard to the Green Bay Packers while also acquiring offensive tackle Fred Johnson in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Dolphins roster cuts: CB Mike Hilton released
The team is releasing Mike Hilton, the cornerback’s agents told ESPN.
Hilton, 31, was signed to boost depth in the slot after Kader Kohou, the lone returning starter in the secondary, suffered a torn Anterior cruciate ligament. A longtime standout for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, he collected 13 interceptions in the last eight years, during which he also started 56 games.
Fifth-round rookie Jason Marshall Jr. now could be in line to take over the nickel role.
Offensive tackle Jalen McKenzie was also waived, according to ESPN.
Lions roster cuts: QB clarity coming?
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes don’t expect to keep any Detroit Lions players twisting in the wind, as the team plans to make the bulk of its cuts by end of day Monday.
‘There could be a couple that we don’t get to, maybe last minute tomorrow,’ Campbell said Monday. ‘But that is what it is and it’s – there’s nothing easy about it and it’s worse on them than it is us. I mean, it’s hard on us but there’s no woe-is-me here. I feel sorry for those guys, but at the same token, what I would tell them, man, use this as fuel and move onto the next step of this.’
The spot most closely monitored for Detroit is at backup quarterback, where journeyman Kyle Allen appears to have taken a lead on Hendon Hooker, the 2023 third-round draft pick who has played sparingly and struggled this summer. After the preseason finale, Campbell appeared to leave the door open to the team moving on from Hooker in some form.
“How much development do you believe there is?’ Campbell said. ‘We’re talking about Hooker right now, how much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes, does the player need a change of scenery?”
Cowboys roster cuts: A surprise in store?
First-year Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer created the kind of stir that bossman Jerry Jones would appreciate when he suggested last week that the team could throw a curveball or two come cutdown time.
‘We’ll sit down after we play Friday and we’ll make some decisions about the entire roster,’ Schottenheimer said last Monday. ‘There will probably be some surprises from some of the mock things that are out there in terms of, ‘Hey, I thought for sure this guy was gonna make it.”
There don’t appear to be many mysteries for a team that sat a huge number of starters and key contributors in the finale, though embattled 2023 first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith among those still in action. Schottenheimer said Saturday that the positions giving Dallas’ decision-makers the most trouble were cornerback, wide receiver, linebacker and defensive end.
No surprise here, though: Offensive tackle La’el Collins, a former linchpin of the offensive line who signed with the team just this month, was cut Sunday, per multiple reports.
Eagles roster cuts: Dorian Thompson-Robinson out as QB shuffle continues
Howie Roseman is never one to stand pat at a key moment for roster building. That aggressive mentality was on full display this weekend, as the executive vice president and general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles executed a slew of moves.
The most notable decision might be the reworking of his quarterback room. With backup Tanner McKee still sidelined by a finger injury, Roseman swung a trade with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Sam Howell. That led Sunday to the official ouster of Thompson-Robinson, who was acquired in the Kenny Pickett trade but looked unlikely to stick around after battling sixth-round rookie Kyle McCord for the presumed No. 3 job. McCord, however, was also released on Monday, per reports.
Buccaneers roster cuts: Shilo Sanders gets the boot, but could he return?
Shilo Sanders went down fighting – literally – in Tampa. The Buccaneers on Sunday waived the undrafted rookie free agent safety from Colorado, just one day after Sanders was ejected from Saturday’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills for throwing a punch against tight end Zach Davidson.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles made his stance clear on Sanders’ action, calling it ‘inexcusable’ in his postgame remarks. But Bowles has been largely complementary of the young defensive back, leaving open the question of whether he could land back on the Bucs’ practice squad if he goes unclaimed.
‘Shilo is very aggressive, very young, and very hungry,’ Bowles said last week. ‘He can make plays in the box and run down to give us 100% on special teams.’
Browns roster cuts: Tyler Huntley out, but four-QB approach seems to be a go
The Cleveland Browns are never short on quarterback news.
On Sunday, the team announced it had released Tyler Huntley, along with three other veterans and 17 players who were waived.
Yet things appear to be clear for the Browns to keep their quartet of quarterbacks – starter Joe Flacco, veteran Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders – on the 53-man roster, with general manager Andrew Berry indicating as much during his team’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams.
‘Honestly, it’s not much of a decision for us,’ Berry told Chris Rose and Joe Thomas on the Browns’ broadcast, per the Akron Beacon Journal.
Jets roster cuts: Former first-rounder dropped
Linebacker Jamin Davis’ attempt to revive his NFL career has hit another snag. The 2021 first-round pick of the Washington Commanders was released by the Jets on Sunday.
Davis, who re-signed with New York in March after being claimed on waivers by the team last December, wasn’t able to latch on with Aaron Glenn and Co. despite some promising flashes over the summer.
The Jets also waived six other players on Sunday: QB Adrian Martinez, DE Michael Fletcher, OT Liam Forandel, TE Zack Kuntz, DB Tanner McCalister and RB Lawrance Toafili. Six more were waived Saturday: CB Mario Goodrich, OT Samuel Jackson, TE Neal Johnson, WR Dymere Miller, DT Fatorma Mullbah and WR Ontaria ‘Pokey’ Wilson.
Falcons roster cuts: Atlanta moves on from DL Morgan Fox five months after deal
The Atlanta Falcons are parting ways with 12 players, including one who might come as a surprise to many.
Defensive lineman Morgan Fox was released Saturday despite having $3 million guaranteed in the two-year deal he signed with the team this offseason.
Rams roster cuts: Eleven players sent packing
Count the Los Angeles Rams among the teams not waiting until Tuesday to get started making cuts.
The team on Sunday announced it was releasing linebacker Tony Fields II and waiving 10 others.
When is the NFL roster cut deadline?
By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 26, all 32 teams must reduce their active rosters to 53 players. Official word for some teams’ moves, however, might not come until slightly later.
What happens once the NFL roster deadline passes?
NFL teams have until noon ET on Wednesday, Aug. 27, to claim players who are waived as part of league-wide roster reductions. Once those claims are resolved, clubs will begin filling out their practice squads.