One of the most dreaded dates for a large number of NFL players falls on Saturday this year. By then, the 32 franchises will have cut their rosters down from around 90 men to the 53 that will begin the regular season, leaving 1,184 players at least temporarily unemployed.
Here’s everything you need to know about cutdown day.
When is cut down day?
This year, cut down day falls on Saturday, August 31. The deadline for teams to finalize their rosters is 4 p.m. ET.
By then franchises must reduce rosters to a combined maximum of 53 players on the active and inactive lists. Most preseason rosters feature up to 90 players and teams are allowed to keep 10 practice squad players that don’t count towards the 53.
Players who are placed on the injured reserve list before the 4 p.m. ET deadline will be out for the entire 2019 season.
Are players all cut on the same day?
No. Teams have already begun to cut players who are surplus to requirements earlier this week.
With all 32 franchises playing their final preseason game on Thursday a lot of the cuts could be made on Friday, but Saturday is when the destiny of the large majority of players will be confirmed.
“It’s the worst day of the year,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers director of player engagement Duke Preston was quoted as saying by ESPN. “It’s just bad. Like even Thursday after the [final preseason] game, it’s like you’re on the plane and you know that there’s 37 guys whose dreams end in a matter of hours.”
What happens to players who are cut?
Players who have played four or seasons in the NFL will be placed on waivers if they are cut, where they can then be claimed by other franchises.
The waiver order mirrors the NFL draft order, which means the Arizona Cardinals have the first pick should they decide to claim a player off the waiver list.
The claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction expires at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 1.
Teams will again be permitted to claim players put on waiver from September 24.
Has any big star being cut?
Cut down day normally tends to affect veterans, undrafted rookies of rookies who have been selected in the final rounds of the draft but some relatively famous players can fall through the cracks too.
Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers released linebacker Malcolm Smith, the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII, who made just 12 appearances in two injury-riddled seasons.
The Miami Dolphins released safety T.J. McDonald, who played 14 games last season, while the New England Patriots parted ways with defensive lineman Mike Pennel and the Indianapolis Colts have cut running back D’Onta Foreman.
Any notable players who could be cut?
There are a number of relatively high-profile players who are in danger of being cut.
Veteran running backs Carlos Hyde and T.J. Yeldon could lose their jobs with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills respectively after sliding down the depth charts.
Quarterback Paxton Lynch looks to have lost out to Geno Smith in the race to be Russel Wilson’s back-up in Seattle, while DeShone Kizer could suffer a similar fate in Green Bay.
