With the 2024 NFL preseason officially over, now comes the hard part – which is actually already well underway.
All 32 teams are embarking on the painful process of trimming their rosters from the 90 players they are allowed to have in the offseason to the 53 they will keep for the regular season. Several have already made initial cuts, with some notable players headed to the free-agent pool including OLB Randy Gregory (Buccaneers), S Ronnie Harrison (Colts), LB Deion Jones (Bills), RB Joshua Kelley (Giants), WR Denzel Mims (Jaguars), RB Boston Scott (Rams), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Patriots), TE CJ Uzomah (Eagles) and QB Mike White (Dolphins). Smith-Schuster already found a job with a new (and old) employer on Monday.
The deadline to meet roster requirements is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, meaning a slew of players will be released, traded, placed on injured reserve or subjected to other mechanisms while depth charts are finalized (for now). Another change will then occur when players are claimed off waivers — which will trigger corresponding transfers — before clubs begin filling out their practice squads.
Follow us here on Monday as we track all of the day’s notable trades ahead of tomorrow’s deadline:
Cowboys’ roster cuts include some familiar figures
Some familiar and notable names were among the 15 players released by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.
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Defensive tackle Albert Huggins was released less than two weeks after drawing the ire of coach Mike McCarthy for shoving a Los Angeles Rams staff member during a joint practice.
“Obviously his behavior is unacceptable,” McCarthy said, according to ESPN.com.
Linebacker Damien Wilson, who started 22 games for the team from 2016-18, was also released. Defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko Jr., a fourth-round pick in 2023, was released due to injury.
Browns roster cuts: 16 players released Monday
The Cleveland Browns are down to 78 players on their roster after waiving 16 on Monday: S Tyler Coyle, G Wyatt Davis, K Lucas Havrisik, CB Faion Hicks, LB Landon Honeycutt, LB Caleb Johnson, G Zack Johnson, DE Jeremiah Martin, T Roy Mbaeteka, LB Marvin Moody, T Chim Okorafor, RB Aidan Robbins, RB Jacob Saylors, LS Rex Sunahara, DE Isaiah Thomas and S Chase Williams (injury designation).
Most notably, the Browns reinstated five players — including starting offensive tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin and cornerback Greg Newsome II — to their active roster after all passed physicals.
49ers part ways with five players
Few rosters are as loaded as the defending NFC champions’ … which is probably why several of the San Francisco 49ers’ cuts Monday were so recognizable. The team released two players, veterans Matt Breida and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and released three others, including P Pressley Harvin III.
Breida is a veteran of seven NFL seasons, including the first three in San Francisco, and has nearly 3,600 scrimmage yards, mostly as a backup. Vaughn was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 but hasn’t done much. Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell remain the primary backups to All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey. Harvin, who won the 2020 Ray Guy Award as college football’s top punter while at Georgia Tech, spent the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers but couldn’t beat out Mitch Wishnowsky this summer.
Buccaneers roster change: Sterling Shepard is out… for now
Sterling Shepard is still trying to navigate his way back after a torn Achilles tendon in 2021 and a torn ACL in 2022 put his playing days in doubt. The receiver is being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported, but the team is looking to resign the 31-year-old to the practice squad.
Shepard caught just 10 passes in 15 games in his first season back from injury. But the Oklahoma product hopes joining former Sooners teammate Baker Mayfield will give him a boost.
Vikings roster cuts: Minnesota takes first steps
The Minnesota Vikings began trimming their roster Monday by waiving or releasing 14 players. Notable names included quarterback Matt Corral, a former Carolina Panthers third-round pick and UFL product who signed with the team after JJ McCarthy was lost to a season-ending knee injury, and running back DeWayne McBride, a 2023 seventh-round pick who was a standout at UAB.
The full list of players Minnesota released Monday:
- Quarterback Matt Corral
- RB DeWayne McBride
- TE Sammis Reyes
- RB Mo Ibrahim
- CB Jaylin Williams
- TE Neal Johnson
- WR Justin Hall
- OLB Owen Porter
- OL Chuck Filiaga
- OL Doug Nester
- OL Matt Cindric
- OL Spencer Rolland
- DL Tyler Manoa
- CB AJ Green III
Steelers roster cuts: Eight players released in first wave
The Pittsburgh Steelers have begun to cut their roster.
On Monday, the team released eight players: offensive linemen Tyler Beach and Devery Hamilton, receivers Jacob Copeland and TJ Luther, running back Daijun Edwards, defensive lineman Marquiss Spencer, linebacker Kyahva Tezino and defensive back Kiondre Thomas.
Seahawks complete new trade
After trading defensive end Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears and acquiring linebacker Michael Barrett in exchange for cornerback Michael Jackson in recent days, the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to another trade.
The team will bring in defensive end Trevis Gipson from the Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported.
Gipson, 27, had one sack for the Tennessee Titans last season but recorded seven for the Chicago Bears in 2021. He adds to Seattle’s depth after the Taylor trade. The Seahawks are still expected to rely primarily on Uchenna Nwosu, Dre’Mont Jones, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall.
JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signs with Chiefs
Perhaps the first high-profile player to hit the unemployment line in early August, Smith-Schuster, now entering his eighth NFL season, has already resurfaced in what appears to be a crowded Kansas City Chiefs receivers room. Why are the two-time defending champions bringing back a seemingly declining player — Smith-Schuster caught 29 passes for New England in 2023 — after letting him go after the 2022 season?
Learn more
When is the NFL roster cut deadline?
By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 27, all 32 teams must reduce their active rosters to 53 players.
What happens once the deadline for submitting lists has passed?
NFL teams have until noon ET on Wednesday, Aug. 28, to claim players who were released as part of league-wide roster cuts. Once those claims are resolved, clubs will begin filling out their practice squads.
How big are NFL practice squads?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams are now allowed to sign up to 16 players to their practice squad, which will complete the 53-man roster. Up to 10 players with two or fewer seasons of playing time can join a given practice squad, while up to six other players with unlimited NFL seasons are also eligible for roster spots.
A 17th international player can be added if he meets certain eligibility requirements.
