Tuesday, August 27 marked one of the least desirable days on the NFL calendar, when nearly 1,000 players were informed that their time with their current team was coming to an end.
NFL roster cuts are one of the most brutal aspects of the business, as each year teams trim their current rosters to 53 players, a significant reduction from the 90 players who entered training camp.
As is the case every year, some notable players have found themselves sidelined from the competition. Of course, these players will be free to join another team, if there is interest, or re-sign to the practice squad in order to remain involved with the organization.
Still, Tuesday’s roster cuts threw up some surprises around the league, with some interesting players released so teams could trim their rosters to mandatory size. We’ll take a look at some of the most significant moves.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially ended their Kadarius Toney experiment Tuesday, informing the receiver that he would not be part of the 53-man roster. Toney’s time with the Chiefs was tumultuous, with some incredible moments, including his touchdown and 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII, as well as some very low moments in the form of falls and costly penalties.
In total, Toney played in 20 games for Kansas City, recording 41 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns. The former first-round pick of the New York Giants could find his way back to the practice squad, though other contenders could be willing to take a chance on him.
The Houston Texans parted ways with Noah Brown after one season, in which he caught 33 passes for 567 yards and two touchdowns in just 10 games. Brown had a solid season in Houston, but ultimately, the receiver room became too crowded to offer him a spot on the 53-man roster. With Stefon Diggs in town, Nico Collins healthy and Tank Dell back from injury, Brown found himself sidelined from the Texans’ receiver room.
A few years ago, Allen Robinson was one of the best receivers in American football. However, since 2021, his production has declined significantly. Robinson has played for three different teams since 2021, and the Giants figured to be his fourth if he made the roster. He hasn’t passed for 450 yards in the last three seasons, and despite a general lack of experience and talent in New York’s receiver room, the team felt they would be better off with other options at the position.
Despite Nick Chubb being absent from the roster due to the knee injury that ended his 2023 season, the Cleveland Browns have opted to cut ties with D’Onta Foreman. Foreman was expected to play a role in the offense in Chubb’s absence, but Cleveland ultimately decided to take a chance on the other running backs on the roster, including Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr. and Nyheim Hines.
Tim Patrick was a fan favorite in Denver, but the team made the difficult decision to part ways with the veteran receiver on Tuesday. Injuries have kept Patrick sidelined since 2021, as an ACL cost him the 2022 season and an Achilles injury sidelined him in 2023. When healthy, he was extremely productive, but the team ultimately chose to move on after selecting a pair of receivers (Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele) in this year’s draft.
A former 2022 first-round pick, Lewis Cine saw his time with the Minnesota Vikings come to an early end Tuesday, a victim of the league’s roster cuts. Since being selected with the 32nd pick out of Georgia, Cine has only appeared in 10 games over his first two seasons. The defensive back was used in a reserve role and ultimately failed to crack the starting lineup. He’s hoping to find another role after the Vikings quickly cut him from the lineup.
Desmond Ridder started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season. He now finds himself on the wrong side of the league’s roster cuts after failing to fit in with the Arizona Cardinals during the preseason. Ridder was competing with Clayton Tune for the backup role behind Kyler Murray, but the team ultimately felt Tune, who was at Arizona last season, was a better fit for their future plans.
Last season, Bailey Zappe was forcing the New England Patriots to compete for the starting quarterback role with Mac Jones. Now that Drake Maye has entered the fray and Jacoby Brissett is back with the Patriots, the team felt it was prudent to part ways with Zappe. With teams no longer able to sign an emergency quarterback without using a roster spot, New England felt it was best to cut ties with Zappe, who would have been the team’s third-stringer in 2024.
The older brother of Puka Nacua, Samson impressed as a receiver in the preseason, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to convince the New Orleans Saints to reserve a spot for him on their roster. Nacua’s 106-yard return on a missed field goal was a highlight of the preseason, but ultimately the Saints felt more confident in their current group of receivers.
The son of legendary running back Frank Gore has been one of the NFL’s most notable players of the preseason, but it hasn’t been enough to secure him a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster. The practice squad seems like a likely outcome for the Southern Miss rookie, unless he latches on to another team looking to add depth at running back.
