NFL roster cuts will be the name of the game around the league as teams have to trim their rosters to 53 ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
We’ve already seen a couple pretty surprising moves over the past few days, including the New England Patriots releasing veteran defensive tackle Carl Davis.
Which big name players will be roster casualties? Will we see any other surprises? Bookmark. Save. Do your thing. We’ll be updating notable NFL roster cuts throughout the league ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
NFL roster cuts: August 29
Veteran QB Will Grier hits NFL free agent market
After acquiring Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers late last week, the Dallas Cowboys gave Grier an opportunity to prove himself to other teams. The veteran played all of Dallas’ preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, tallying four total touchdowns in the process. With teams such as the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers likely looking for an experienced backup, Grier will soon find a new home.
New Orleans Saints release former Super Bowl champion
New England Patriots waive Bailey Zappe
In one of the most surprising moves of the deadline, New England waived this 2022 fourth-round pick. Zappe had performed well during limited action as a rookie last season. The quarterback completed north of 70% of his passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions while winning both of his starts. New England also waived rookie undrafted free agent Malik Cunningham, meaning that Mac Jones is the only QB on its initial 53-man roster.
Chosen Anderson released by the Miami Dolphins
A former 1,000-yard receiver with the Carolina Panthers, Anderson signed with Miami on a $1.32 million contract back in April. He faced an uphill climb to earn a spot on the 53-man roster with the talent the Dolphins have at this position. It remains to be seen if Anderson will be able to latch on with another team.
Bradley Roby started 11 games for the New Orleans Saints over the past two seasons, but his days in the Bayou are done after being released on Tuesday. The 31-year-old cornerback won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2015 but now is searching for his fourth NFL home. It shouldn’t be long before he gets a new gig.
New York Giants cut former third-round pick
Tuesday’s roster cutdown day brought a trade for the New York Giants, adding Boogie Basham to the team’s stable of pass-rushers. But his addition means former third-round pick Oshane Ximenes no longer makes the team. Ximines, 26, tallied 6.5 sacks across four seasons in New York and now will look to join another team in need of creating pressure.
Miami Dolphins cut safety Eric Rowe
After becoming a second-round pick in 2015, Eric Rowe had a slow start to his career before later thriving with the Miami Dolphins, starting 39 games over the past four seasons. He tallied 299 tackles, three interceptions, and six forced fumbles in that span. It shouldn’t take long for the safety to find a new home.
Washington Commanders cut Jake Fromm
The Commanders will be moving forward with Sam Howell as the team’s starting QB, leaving Jacoby Brissett as the backup. Now the team’s third QB, Jake Fromm has been let go, meaning the Commanders’ 53-man roster will feature just two QBs.
Carolina Panthers release former Pro Bowl linebacker
The Carolina Panthers added several veterans to their roster this offseason, hoping to take a leap forward in the NFC South. But now one of them, Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones, won’t be joining the effort during the regular season after being let go. After starting 88 games for the Falcons from 2016-21, Jones will look to join his third team in as many seasons.
Houston Texans release former All-Pro cornerback
Desmond King has started 25 games for the Texans at cornerback over the past two seasons, but his reign has come to an end. The 28-year-old has proven effective covering the slot and should have no trouble finding another job soon. He also has experience returning kicks and punts, bringing more value to the locker room.
NFL roster cuts: August 28
Houston Texans release team captain
Houston announced on Monday that it has moved on from veteran linebacker and 2022 team captain Christian Kirskey after two seasons. The former third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns recorded 217 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks in 30 games (29 starts) with Houston. The move saves the Texans north of $5 million against the cap.
Los Angeles Chargers waive rookie seventh-round pick
In what has to be seen as a surprising move, Los Angeles waived reigning Heisman runner-up and rookie seventh-round pick Max Duggan on Monday. He seemed destined to be QB3 behind Justn Herbert and Easton Stick. This decision likely means that the Chargers will look for a veteran QB2 in free agency or via the waiver wire.
Arizona Cardinals move on from veteran Colt McCoy
McCoy, 36, was projected to be Arizona’s Week 1 starter when training camp opened. Despite Kyler Murray (ACL) being placed on injured reserve to open things up McCoy’s roster spot did not prove to be safe. On Monday, the Cardinals moved on from the veteran. This means that the recently-acquired Joshua Dobbs or rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune will be Arizona’s starter for the opener against the Washington Commanders.
Cleveland Browns release kicker Cade York
A fourth-round pick back in 2022, York struggled to an extent as a rookie (24-of-32 on field goals). His struggles continued in training camp and the preseason. This led to Cleveland acquiring Dustin Hopkins in a trade with the Las Angeles Chargers, releasing York in the process.
Chicago Bears release former first-round pick
Chicago picked up former Las Vegas Raiders first-round pick Alex Leatherwood off waivers to open the 2022 season. After playing in four games (zero starts) a season ago, Leatherwood has been released by the Bears. It remains to be seen if he’ll have any real market given his struggles through two NFL seasons. Chicago also announced the release of veteran quarterback P.J. Walker.
Two veterans among Detroit Lions roster cuts
Detroit moved on from veteran offensive lineman Bobby Hart and Germain Ifedi ahead of final NFL roster cuts. The Lions figured both could have provided some sort of depth and experience with Hart having started 30 games in his career and Ifedi starting 83. It was not to be.
Kenyan Drake among Indianapolis Colts roster casualties
Indianapolis announced the first of several moves ahead of Tuesday deadline, including releasing veteran running back Kenyan Drake. It is somewhat of a surprise given that Jonathan Taylor is likely to be traded here soon. Meanwhile, the Colts also moved off veteran receiver Breshad Perriman in their first round of roster cuts.
Julien Davenport among New York Giants roster cuts
New York signed Davenport earlier in the summer to provide some depth at tackle and guard. In fact, he saw extensive playing time in the team’s preseason finale. Unfortunately for the veteran, he was a surprise casualty. The former fourth-round pick had started 32 games in five seasons before missing the 2022 campaign to injury. New York also moved off running back James Robinson before NFL roster cuts deadline.
NFL roster cuts: August 27
San Francisco 49ers move on from former 1st-round pick
The 49ers signed former Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Taco Charlton earlier in the summer to provide depth out on the edge. Before he even appeared in a game, Charlton was placed on injured reserve. On Sunday, he was released from IR with an injury settlement. Charlton, 28, just has not panned out in the NFL. Since entering the league back in 2017, he’s recorded 11.5 sacks with six different teams.
Anthony Schwartz among Cleveland Browns releases
It’s not too much of a surprise that this former third-round pick was released. Schwartz had fallen behind several other players on the Browns’ depth chart, including impressive rookie Cedric Tillman. He was eventually placed on injured reserve and released with an injury settlement. The former Auburn star recorded all of 14 receptions in two seasons with the Browns.
Cleveland also annunced another series of moves as NFL roster cuts start to take hold around the league. Among them, tackle Derrick Kelly and linebacker Cam Bright were released.
Atlanta Falcons move on from former starter
Atlanta selected offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield with the 68th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He ultimately moved from tackle to guard, starting 16 games as a rookie. After spending the entire 2022 season on injured reserve with a back injury, Mayfield was released by Atlanta ahead of final cuts. He had fallen down on the depth chart with this move seemingly inevitable over the past couple weeks.
NFL roster cuts: August 26
New England Patriots surprisingly release Carl Davis
New England has moved on from defensive tackle Carl Davis. A veteran of eight NFL seasons, Davis had started six games over the past two seasons in New England. That span saw him appear in 33 of 34 games, recording 30 tackles and two sacks.
Philadelphia Eagles release three veteran offensive linemen
On Saturday, Philadelphia announced the releases of tackles Dennis Kelly and Brett Toth as well as center Josh Andrews. All three were seemingly long shots to earn a spot on the defending NFC Champion’s 53-man roster. Of that group, Andrews is the most-notable name. He started five games at guard for the New Orleans Saints. Kelly (54 starts) also has a ton of experience. Philadelphia also moved on from quarterback Ian Book as well as tight ends Tyree Jackson and Dan Arnold.
Related: Top 100 NFL players of 2023
NFL roster cuts: August 25
Buffalo Bills release former first-round pick
Former Denver Broncos first-round pick, edge rusher Shane Ray, was attempting to make a comeback. Ray, 30, last played in the NFL back in 2018. Unfortunately, the Missouri product suffered a hamstring injury in Buffalo’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was initially placed on injured reserve before being released with an injury settlement.
Pittsburgh Steelers release two wide receivers
In two moves that can’t be considered too surprising, the Steelers released wide receivers Hakeem Butler and Cody White. Both were recently played on injured reserve and released with injury settlements. Butler, a former third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, is the most notable name here. He had signed with Pittsburgh after starring for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2023 (51 catches, 599 yards).
Cincinnati Bengals move on from veteran Tarell Basham
A former third-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Basham seemed destined to make Cincinnati’s 53-man roster as a reserve edge guy. During a three-year span with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys from 2019-21, Basham recorded a combined 28 QB hits and nine sacks.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL power rankings
NFL roster cuts: August 24
Las Vegas Raiders move on from former starter
Former Raiders third-round pick and starting right tackle Brandon Parker was recently placed on injured reserve with a second consecutive season-ending injury. He was then released off IR with an injury settlement. Parker started 32 games over the course of four seasons with the Raiders.
Detroit Lions release recently-acquired wide receiver
Detroit acquired former New York Jets third-round pick Denzel Mims earlier in the summer. The trade came with a caveat. If Mims did not make Detroit’s 53-man roster, no picks would be exchanged. That came to fruition as he was released off IR with an injury settlement. Mims, 25, recorded 42 receptions for 676 yards in three seasons with the Jets.
Green Bay Packers release recent draft pick
Green Bay moved on from former sixth-round pick Jake Hanson ahead of the NFL roster cuts deadline. The Oregon product appeared in 11 games over the course of two seasons with the Packers, starting one outing last season at center.
N’Keal Harry released by the Minnesota Vikings
A first-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft, Harry has not panned out in the NFL. He recorded just 57 receptions for 598 yards in three seasons with the Patriots. Last season saw Harry catch just seven passes in eight games with the Chicago Bears. Despite Minnnesota’s depth issues at wide receiver, the team opted not to roster the former Arizona State star heading into Week 1.