The NFL is returning to the days of multiple roster cutdowns. The league announced on Wednesday that there will be three separate stages of roster cuts in 2021.
It’s a return to the old system that made “surviving the first cut” a part of the NFL vernacular. The league did away with staged roster limits during the preseason, with just one massive cut day taking rosters from the summer 90-mna limit down to the 53-man limit in the regular season.
The system will now revert to having 90 players throughout camp, with a cutdown to 85 players on August 17th, after the first week of the preseason. One week later the rosters will reduce to 80 following the second week of the preseason.
The 53-man deadline is now August 31st, with waiver claims coming thereafter. The staggering of cuts should allow for players released early in the process to have a better chance of landing with another team.