The cutdown deadline landed on a Sunday for the first time in more than two decades, a scheduling quirk driven by the San Francisco 49ers' trip to Melbourne, Australia, this week for their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams. The earlier deadline gave the 49ers more time to travel, but left the Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans, who played their final preseason game Saturday night, with less than a day to finalize their rosters.
Among the more notable moves, the Dallas Cowboys released second-year running back Jaydon Blue, while the Indianapolis Colts opted to retain quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. heading into the season. Tennessee's cuts included veteran quarterback Will Levis, one of the more prominent names let go across the league.
What Comes Next
With cuts complete, attention now shifts to the waiver wire, where teams can claim released players in an order matching this year's draft order, giving the league's lowest-finishing teams from a year ago first priority. Claims are due by 1 p.m. ET Monday, and any team that claims a player must simultaneously release someone else to stay under the roster limit.
Players with four or more accrued NFL seasons who were released bypass waivers and become free agents immediately, giving contending teams a chance to add proven veterans to fill out their rosters in the final stretch before the regular season begins.
Why the first roster is only a snapshot
The deadline creates an official 53-player list, but teams immediately continue moving personnel through waivers, trades, injured reserve, and practice-squad signings. Some cuts are procedural: a veteran may be released briefly so a younger player can be placed on injured reserve and then re-signed. That makes the initial list a useful checkpoint rather than a permanent depth chart.
The most revealing choices often sit near the bottom of the roster. Special-teams value, position flexibility, contract guarantees, and the risk of losing a developmental player can outweigh a narrow comparison at one position. Readers should watch who is claimed, who returns on the practice squad, and which injuries alter game-day roles before treating a surprise cut as the final judgment on a player.
Next checkpoint
What to watch
Waiver claims, reserve-list moves, veteran signings and official Week 1 injury reports.
Evidence
Sources and editorial notes
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