NFL Teams Make Final Roster Cuts Ahead of Deadline

NEW YORK, NY — NFL teams are facing a crucial deadline as they must trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 26. This process sets the stage for the initial 53-man rosters ahead of the upcoming season, which kicks off in less than two weeks.

Each of the 32 teams is expected to cut approximately 37 players, resulting in around 1,182 players being waived across the league in the next few days. While all teams must finalize their active rosters, released players may still have a chance to stay in the league through the practice squad.

Teams can carry up to 16 players on their practice squads, with an exception of one additional player if they have a participant from the International Pathway Program. This allows for a maximum of 70 players per team (53 active, 16 practice squad, and 1 international).

Players with fewer than four accrued seasons must pass through the waiver wire before becoming unrestricted free agents. An accrued season is defined as having been on a team’s 53-man roster, injured reserve, or physically unable to perform list for six or more games. Conversely, those with four or more accrued seasons are immediately free agents.

Teams have until noon ET on Wednesday to claim any players with less than four years of service time that get cut. This gives teams a narrow window of approximately 20 hours to make any claims they desire.

The roster cut process is celebrated as the busiest day of the NFL offseason, offering teams the chance to finalize their player selections for the regular season. Fans and analysts alike are closely monitoring which players will stay and which will be waived.

The article will be updated continuously over the next several days with the latest roster decisions.