Tuesday, August 27 was one of the least desirable days in the NFL calendar, where nearly 1,000 players were informed that their time with their current team was coming to an end.
Roster cuts in the NFL are one of the most brutal parts of this business, as each year teams reduce their current setup to 53 players — a huge reduction compared to the 90 players that attend training camp.
As is the case every year, there were a few notable players who stood out during the roster crunch. Of course, those players would be free to sign with another team if someone is interested, or could sign back to the practice squad to stay involved in the organization.
Still, Tuesday's roster cuts saw some surprises across the league, with teams releasing interesting players to get their rosters down to the required size. We'll take a look at some of the most important moves.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially ended their Kadarius Toney experiment on Tuesday, informing the wide receiver that he would not be joining the 53-man roster. Toney's time with the Chiefs has been tumultuous, featuring some incredible highs — including his touchdown catch and 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII — as well as some major lows in the form of drops and costly penalties.
Overall, Toney played in 20 games for Kansas City, recording 41 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns. The former New York Giants first-round pick could find his way onto the practice squad, though other contenders may also be willing to take a chance on him.
The Houston Texans released Noah Brown after one season during which he caught 33 passes for 567 yards and two touchdowns in just 10 games. Brown had a solid season in Houston, but the wide receiver room eventually became so crowded that he couldn't find a spot on the 53-man roster. After Stefon Diggs came to town, Nico Collins emerged, and Tank Dale returned from injury, Brown found himself as an odd man out in the Texans' wide receiver room.
A few years ago, Allen Robinson was one of the best wide receivers in football. However, since 2021, his production has dropped off significantly. Robinson has been with three different teams since 2021, and the Giants felt he would be the fourth if he joined the roster. He hasn't topped 450 yards passing in any of the past three seasons, and despite the general lack of experience and talent in New York's wide receiver room, the team felt they would be better off with other options at the position.
The Cleveland Browns opted to cut ties with D'Onta Foreman despite Nick Chubb not starting the season on the roster due to a knee injury in 2023. Foreman was expected to play a role in the offense during Chubb's absence, but Cleveland ultimately decided to roll the dice with 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 wide receiver on Tuesday. Injuries have kept Patrick off the field since 2021, as an ACL torn cost him the 2022 season and an Achilles injury ruled him out in 2023. He has been extremely productive when healthy, but the team ultimately decided to move on after selecting a pair of wide receivers (Troy Franklin and Devon Vale) in this year's draft.
2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine saw his time with the Minnesota Vikings come to an early end on Tuesday, falling victim to league-wide roster cuts. Since being selected with the No. 32 pick out of Georgia, Cine has played in only 10 games over his first two seasons. The defensive back was used in a reserve role and ultimately failed to force his way into the starting lineup. He'll be hoping to find a spot elsewhere after the Vikings phased him out so quickly.
Desmond Ridder started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season. Now, he finds himself on the wrong side of leaguewide roster cuts after failing to connect 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 that Tune — who was in Arizona last season — was a better fit for their future plans.
Bailey Zap was forcing the New England Patriots to compete with Mac Jones for the starting quarterback role just last season. Now that Drake May has entered the fray and Jacoby Brissett is back with the Patriots, the team felt it was wise to move on from Zap. Now that teams are no longer able to carry an emergency quarterback without using a roster spot, New England felt it was best to cut ties with Zap, who would have been the team's third-stringer in 2024.
Puka Nacua's older brother, Samson, impressed as a returner during the preseason, but ultimately it wasn't enough to convince the New Orleans Saints to use a roster spot on him. Nacua's 106-yard return on a missed field goal was one of the highlights of the preseason, but ultimately the Saints felt more confident in their existing wide receivers.
The son of legendary running back Frank Gore was one of the biggest standouts of the NFL preseason, but it wasn’t enough to secure a roster spot with the Buffalo Bills. The practice squad seems a likely outcome for the freshman out of Southern Miss, otherwise he’ll end up with another team looking to add some depth at running back.