The NFL waiver wire order is going to be a major storyline after all 32 NFL teams cut their rosters down from 90 to 53 ahead of the Aug. 29 deadline.
We’ve seen teams pick up big-time contributors in recent years on the NFL waiver wire. Given some of the surprises this summer, that promises to continue. Below, we’ll look at the updated order with initial waiver wire claims heading into Week 1. But before that, let’s break down what it means.
What is the NFL waiver wire?
Teams have to place players on waivers when they have not accrued four years of vested experience. Those who have, are outright released. This means that they are able to hit NFL free agency and sign with a team of their choosing.
Should a player pass through waivers, he can hit the open market or re-sign to the practice squad with his current team. The NFL waiver wire order is based on overall league standings from the previous season. A team can pick up any number of players off the waiver wire. This means that if a certain squad is No. 1 in the order, it can pick up 10 before the team that’s No. 2 has a go at it.
2023 NFL waiver wire order
- Chicago Bears
- Houston Texans
- Arizona Cardinals
- Indianapolis Colts
- Denver Broncos
- Los Angeles Rams
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tennessee Titans
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Jets
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Washington Commanders
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Detroit Lions
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Miami Dolphins
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Baltimore Ravens
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New York Giants
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
Related: 10 most surprising roster casualties around the NFL
Top players available on the NFL waiver wire
A total of more than 1,000 players lost their jobs on active rosters ahead of the cut down day. A large portion of them ended up being placed on the waiver wire ahead of the NFL day closing on Tuesday.
Within 24 hours, we’ll know which players were claimed and where they went. Here is a look at some of the top names available.
- Bailey Zappe, QB, New England Patriots (reverted back to Patriots practice squad)
- Max Duggan, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (reverted back to Chargers practice squad)
- Kellen Mond, QB, Cleveland Browns
- Matt Corral, QB, Carolina Panthers (claimed by the New England Patriots)
- Snoop Conner, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (reverted back to Jaguars practice squad)
- DeWayne McBride, RB, Minnesota Vikings (reverted back to Vikings practice squad)
- Zonovan Knight, RB, New York Jets (claimed by the Detroit Lions)
- Demetric Felton Jr., RB/WR, Cleveland Browns (signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad)
- Trey Sermon, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (reverted back to Eagles injured reserve)
- Ben Mason, FB, Baltimore Ravens (reverted back to Ravens practice squad)
- Parker Hesse, TE, Atlanta Falcons (reverted back to Falcons practice squad)
- Shi Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers (reverted back to Panthers practice squad)
- Jalen Mayfield, OL, Atlanta Falcons
- Logan Bruss, OL, Los Angeles Rams (reverted back to Rams practice squad)
- Jake Hanson, OL, Green Bay Packers
- Jason Poe, OL, San Francisco 49ers (signed to the New York Jets practice squad)
- Alex Leatherwood, OL, Chicago Bears (signed to Cleveland Browns practice squad)
- Deonte Brown, G, Carolina Panthers (reverted back to Panthers practice squad)
- Jimmy Morrissey, OL, Houston Texans (reverted back to Texans practice squad)
- Trevis Gipson, EDGE, Chicago Bears (signed with the Tennessee Titans)
- Tarell Basham, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
- Jabril Cox, LB, Dallas Cowboys (signed to the Washington Commanders practice squad)
- Tanner Muse, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers (claimed by Los Angeles Chargers)
- Josiah Scott, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
- Keith Taylor, CB, Carolina Panthers (reverted back to the Panthers practice squad)
- Robert Rochell, CB, Los Angeles Rams (reverted back to Rams practice squad)
- Qwuantrezz Knight, CB, San Francisco 49ers (reverted back to 49ers practice squad)
- K’Von Wallace, S, Philadelphia Eagles (claimed by Arizona Cardinals)
- Matthew Wright, K, Carolina Panthers
- Cade York, K, Cleveland Browns (signed to Tennessee Titans practice squad)
- Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers