There’s a big difference in being waived or released. As the 32 NFL clubs whittled their way down to 53 players, the two terms are often bandied about, but not everyone knows the difference between the two. A player who has been in the league for a minimum of four seasons is considered a vested veteran. That player has to be released. He is immediately eligible to negotiate a contract and sign with any team that is interested in him.
On the other side of that coin is a player who has not yet accrued that many seasons. When a team cuts a non-vested veteran, they are waived. That means that his contract is still intact for the next 24 hours, with a deadline for teams to put in claims on that contract. This happens every day of the league year, and for 2022 the first waiver claims will be honored at 11:00 a.m. Central on Wednesday, August 31.
The order of the waiver claim is static for the first four weeks of the season, mirroring the original order of the 2022 NFL draft. Slots for picks traded away revert to the original team, obviously. For Dallas that means they sit No. 24 in waiver order.
If a player clears waivers — their contract isn’t selected by another team — then that player is free to negotiate a deal with anyone, including returning to the original team (or any team) on their practice squad. This is clearly what Dallas hopes happens to their young guys, but it isn’t completely up to them.
Here’s a look at the waiver order for 2022’s first few weeks.