Tag: NFL roster cuts

Panthers 2024 roster cuts tracker

Keep it here as we track each move the Panthers make in getting to their initial 53-man roster

Despite the difficult decisions that lie ahead, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales isn’t shying away from the challenge of getting down to his very first 53-man roster.

“Yeah, it’s hard. And I’m excited for it,” he told reporters after last Wednesday’s practice. “When you respect and regard the whole unit and you’re kinda bringing everybody up at the same time—with the teaching, with the practices, the drill work and all those things as we improve everyone—it makes the decisions harder and harder.

“So I’m really excited about doing this with Dan [Morgan], with Brandt [Tilis], with the coaching staff. We’ve kinda had our touch-points throughout camp to evaluate where we’re at right now, and then we’ll have that culmination after we get through this last game.”

Well, they got through that game—besting the host Buffalo Bills in their final preseason outing of the summer on Saturday. So now, the “excitement” begins.

Keep it here, from now until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, as we track each of the team’s moves in the path to their initial 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

Cuts:

  • G Jack Anderson (waived)
  • WR Sam Pinckney (waived)
  • S Rudy Ford (released)
  • WR Michael Strachan (waived)
  • OLB Luiji Vilain (waived)
  • TE Feleipe Franks (waived)
  • RB Jaden Shirden (waived)
  • LB Chandler Wooten (waived)
  • CB Dicaprio Bootle (waived)
  • QB Jack Plummer (waived)
  • RB Mike Boone (released)
  • OLB Derrick McLendon (waived)
  • TE Jacob Hollister (released)
  • G Mason Brooks (waived)
  • OLB Kenny Dyson (waived)
  • WR Terrace Marshall Jr. (waived)
  • TE Jordan Matthews (released)
  • CB Willie Drew (waived)
  • DT Junior Aho (waived/injured)
  • OT Tyler Smith (waived/injured)
  • DT Ulumoo Ale (waived)
  • LB Aaron Beasley (waived)
  • S Alex Cook (waived)
  • OT Jeremiah Crawford (waived)
  • OT Ricky Lee (waived)
  • CB Quandre Mosely (waived)
  • DT Walter Palmore (waived)
  • DT T.J. Smith (waived)
  • CB Chris Wilcox (waived)
  • G Ike Boettger (released)
  • TE Jesper Horsted (released)

Injury placements:

  • RB Jonathon Brooks (NFI)
  • OLB D.J. Wonnum (PUP)
  • OLB Amaré Barno (PUP)
  • CB Dane Jackson (IR/designated for return)
  • S Sam Franklin Jr. (IR/designated for return)
  • LB Tae Davis (IR)
  • OLB Cam Gill (IR)

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Riley Dixon wins punter competition; Broncos will cut Trenton Gill

The Broncos plan to cut Trenton Gill, so Riley Dixon has won the punter job in Denver.

The roster cuts have begun and the Denver Broncos have a winner in their punter competition.

Broncos incumbent Riley Dixon has won the starting job by default after the team notified Trenton Gill on Monday that he will be waived.

Dixon punted five times in preseason for 233 yards with an average of 46.6 yards per punt. Gill also got five punts and totaled 268 yards, an average of 53.6 yards per punt. Gill’s impressive average was boosted by a 73-yard long in the team’s preseason finale. Gill’s net average of 48.6 yards per punt ranked No. 1 in the NFL during preseason.

Despite having a better average, Gill gets the boot. After showing off his strong leg in preseason, Gill could get picked up by another club this week. Because the cut is not yet official, it’s still possible that Denver could look to trade Gill before Tuesday’s 53-man roster deadline.

After winning the punter job, Dixon will also serve as the Broncos’ holder this season and he is the emergency place kicker behind Wil Lutz.

Gill is one of five players who have been told they are being let go. We are tracking all of Denver’s roster cuts on Broncos Wire.

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2024 Raiders roster cuts tracker: Tracking moves at cutdown deadline to reach 53-man roster

Tracking Raiders moves at cutdown deadline to reach 53-man roster

The deadline for all NFL teams to get from 90 players to their initial 53-man roster is coming up on Tuesday at 1pm (4pm ET). Those cuts have begun already and we will track them all right here as they come in.

Waived

QB Carter Bradley (per report)

WR Terrell Bynum (per source)

S Jaydon Grant (per report)

DT Marquan McCall (per source)

QB Nathan Peterman (per report)

S Phalen Sanford (per source)

DT Noah Shannon (per source)

DE Charles Snowden (per report)

DE Ron Stone Jr (per source)

CB Sam Webb (per source)

CB Rayshad Williams (per source)

All moves now official:

4 potential cut candidates the Panthers could trade for

Here are four players the Panthers may be interested in scooping up over the next few days:

Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan clearly intends on taking advantage from atop the NFL’s waiver wire.

The team’s 2-15 record from 2023 has awarded them the first crack at each player placed on waivers up through the third week of the regular season. And Morgan, who’s looking to build a fearsome roster, has stated that he’ll be “aggressive” with that positioning.

But what if they’re a little more aggressive, particularly on the trade market over the next few days?

As the league-wide cutdown to initial 53-man rosters continues, players may also depart their teams via trades. If another front office wants to prevent a potential target of theirs from even reaching the waiver wire, they might try to swing a deal—essentially cutting ahead of Carolina.

So if the Panthers want to get ahead of themselves, here are four players Morgan and company could try a trade for:

WR John Metchie III (Houston Texans)

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Even after his solid preseason performance, Metchie has seemed like the odd man out in Houston’s receivers room for quite some time. Not only is he looking up the depth chart at the likes of Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, but the 2022 second-round pick has also had to battle for a spot against some solid competition in Robert Woods and Noah Brown.

Carolina’s outlook at the wideout position is brighter than it was a year ago. In fact, head coach Dave Canales said the group was a strength of the roster this summer.

But if the Panthers want to continue to make life easier for second-year quarterback Bryce Young, reuniting him with the No. 1 target from his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Alabama should certainly help.

EDGE Azeez Ojulari (New York Giants)

Al Bello/Getty Images

The Panthers signed former Minnesota Viking D.J. Wonnum to a two-year, $12.5 million deal this spring in hopes of starting him off the edge. But the 26-year-old is still working back from a torn quad, and has remained on the active/physically unable to perform list throughout the summer.

That’s left Carolina’s defense with a hodgepodge of outside ‘backers behind starter Jadeveon Clowney. As of now, the team’s top complements are K’Lavon Chaisson, DJ Johnson and Eku Leota. Yeah.

Ojulari, who has racked up 16.0 sacks in his three NFL seasons, has become somewhat of an extra for the Giants—especially after their acquisition of some dude named Brian Burns. The 24-year-old not only offers promise to a Panthers roster looking to grow, but also a more experienced pass rusher—at least compared to their current options.

LB Jamin Davis (Washington Commanders)

Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Davis is a pretty intriguing case. Despite being a productive inside linebacker for the first three years of his pro career, the Commanders and new head coach Dan Quinn have tried the athletic 6-foot-3, 234-pounder on the edge this offseason.

The transition seemed to yield some decent results this preseason—as Davis, per Pro Football Focus, recorded four pressures and a 68.1 pass-rushing grade over 42 attempts. Nonetheless, the 2019 first-round pick is still a cut candidate for the fresh regime.

Perhaps the Panthers may be interested in Davis, either on the outside or in the middle—where they’re currently developing another young and promising Kentucky Wildcat.

CB Caleb Farley (Tennessee Titans)

George Walker IV-USA TODAY Sports

Like Carolina’s outside linebacker position, the cornerback spot is without a defined No. 2. The favorite to start alongside Jaycee Horn was free-agent signee Dane Jackson, who is expected to miss a handful of weeks after sustaining a “significant” hamstring injury.

Farley, who has appeared in just 12 games since being selected with the 22nd overall pick in 2021, may benefit from a change of scenery. The Maiden, N.C. native and Virginia tech standout had his fifth-year option declined by the Titans, setting him up for free agency in 2025.

At 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, Farley fits the mold of what Morgan was used to working with during his days in Seattle.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales reveals when team plans to make roster cuts

Panthers HC Dave Canales gave reporters an idea of when the team will start cutting down its roster.

We may have to wait another day for the Carolina Panthers to get to work on the chopping block.

Head coach Dave Canales spoke with reporters on Monday, about 30 hours before all NFL teams are required to cut down to their initial 53-man rosters. He revealed when he believes the team will start making their moves.

The Panthers could start parting ways with players, well, right now. But that sounds unlikely given Canales’ plan to speak with each roster casualty, as players are not in the building today.

This, obviously, is the first roster cutdown for Canales—who is in his first year as an NFL head coach. But despite the hardships this stage will present, the 43-year old seemed up to the challenge when speaking about it this past week.

“Yeah, it’s hard. And I’m excited for it,” he told reporters following last Wednesday’s practice. “When you respect and regard the whole unit and you’re kinda bringing everybody up at the same time—with the teaching, with the practices, the drill work and all those things as we improve everyone—it makes the decisions harder and harder.”

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Antonio Pierce lays out position groups Raiders could look to waiver wire to improve roster

Raiders will be scanning the waiver wire to improve these three position groups

Even when the initial 53-man roster is complete, the Raiders are likely not going to be done. In particular there are three position groups Antonio Pierce will be keeping an eye on once the over 1100 players from other NFL teams hit the waiver wire.

Those areas are the offensive line, defensive line, and cornerback.

“I’d like us to improve the line of scrimmage, both on the offensive line and defensive line,” Pierce said Saturday. “Talk about winning that and being physical and dominating up front.”

“When the game comes down to like it did last night and teams want to run the ball and you want to stop the run whether the situation is the four-minute, or taking the ball down into the red zone and you want to finish it off, you want to finish those drives the right way. And those are things we want to improve upon and I know [GM] Tom [Telesco] sees it the same way.”

Pierce was especially frustrated with the inability of the Raiders defensive line to stop the 49ers run game. Time after time, the 49ers offensive line was bullying the Raiders interior line. Even well after the 49ers took their first team offense off the field.

The only interior defensive linemen on this team whose spot is safe is Christian Wilkins, John Jenkins, and Adam Butler. Everyone else is going to have a nervous next few days, some even after the cutdown happens as the Raiders seek potential upgrades to their depth.

The cornerbacks have depth issues as well. After starters Nate Hobbs, Jack Jones, and Jakorian Bennett, the next players are rookies and fringe roster players. None of whom have proven they are ready to step into a starting role if called upon.

“It goes back to the depth at corner. Constantly improving that room,” Pierce continued. “Between wide receivers and DBs you constantly lose those guys throughout the season. And you want to add depth, you want to feel good about that.”

Brandon Facyson was originally in a competition with Bennett to start at outside corner. But that competition ended the moment Facyson went out with injury. Making this the second consecutive season Facyson was injured in camp. Last year he ended up missing basically the entire season. And with him not yet healthy, the team has to prepare for life without him.

“We got to get Brandon on the field,” Pierce said of Facyson. “I can’t even evaluate him because we haven’t had him out there. It’s just tough. It’s put a lot of these younger corners out ahead. And it’s good for them in preseason and in training camp to get reps, but I’m not a believer in throwing young corners out there early if they’re not quite ready. So, it would be good to get Brandon back in the fold and healthy.”

Until that happens, the Raiders must be vigilant in trying to add someone who they feel at least somewhat confident can be the next man up at cornerback. So, look for them to snag someone this week.

7 recently cut or waived players Raiders should consider adding

Still some talent out there to be had from roster cuts. Here are 7 of them the Raiders should consider adding.

There are always a few players that teams cut who instantly stun a lot of people. Many of those players are talented enough or fit another team’s need so well, that they are scooped up quickly or claimed off waivers. But not all of them.

Some players still slip through and either remain unsigned or join a team’s practice squad.

Either way, what many refer to as the “final 53-man roster” is anything but final. A better term is “initial 53” because more moves inevitably occur afterward.

Sometimes those moves are a team seeing a player or players become available that they like better than those they kept initially. Other moves include injured players who the team expects to have back in short order, but in order to be added to the IR Designated for Return list, those players must be on the roster after the initial cuts are made.

Now that the dust has settled from the cuts, signings, and claims, I have compiled a list of those players still out there who the Raiders should consider adding this week as they prepare for the season opener.

PODCAST: Final 53-man roster projections for Cardinals

Jess Root gives his predictions for the Arizona Cardinals’ final 53-man roster in the latest edition of the podcast.

Final roster cuts are coming Tuesday for the Arizona Cardinals and the rest of the NFL. This edition of the podcast is about predicting the final roster. Who makes the team after training camp and the preseason?

I give my projections and explain why. And while my cohost Seth Cox is not on the show, I share his projections as well.

Listen to the show, tell us where you think we have it wrong. Mock us after the fact, if needed.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

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Outside linebacker room to have toughest cuts for Cardinals

Seven guys are probably in line to make the team but the Cardinals probably can only keep six.

The Arizona Cardinals, like the rest of the NFL, will have to make final cuts Tuesday, trimming their roster from the offseason 90 to 53.

Most of the positions will be fairly easy. At some positions, there are questions as to which back-of-the-roster players they will keep.

At one position — outside linebacker — they will end up cutting a player they seem to either really like or were expected to be an important contributor.

There are seven players that fit this bill — Zaven Collins, Dennis Gardeck, rookie BJ Ojulari, Victor Dimukeje, Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders and Jesse Luketa.

Collins and Gardeck have been getting first-team reps all offseason. Collins is new to the position.

Ojulari was drafted in the second round this year.

Thomas and Sanders were drafted last year in the third round. Both showed promise and talent late last season as their playing time increased.

Sanders has not played in the preseason, suffering a hand injury early in training camp.

Luketa is loved by coaches. He was a team captain in the preseason finale, played offense, defense and special teams.

Dimukeje has been ahead of Sanders on the depth chart all of the preseason, has made plays and apparently is a core special teamer for coach Jeff Rodgers. He was held out of the preseason finale. Maybe it was because of an injury, but it might be because he is a lock to make the final roster.

The Cardinals likely can only keep six.

Would they cut Sanders? Perhaps he isn’t a fit in this defense.

Luketa or Dimukeje make sense, but if they are core special teamers, Rodgers will want at least one of them on the roster.

When final cuts are announced, we will see how this plays out.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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When do 49ers have to make final cuts?

Here’s when the #49ers will have to make final cuts, plus a couple other important dates in the lead up to the regular season:

The NFL offseason got a little bit of a shakeup when the league eliminated its multiple cutdown dates.

This year instead of requiring teams to trim their offseason rosters twice before final cuts, the NFL went back to requiring just one big cutdown from 90 to 53 players.

Teams have until Tuesday, Aug. 29 at 1:00pm Pacific Time to have their rosters down to 53 players, although the 49ers typically start releasing players before this deadline.

After that, teams will have until Wednesday 9:00am Pacific Time to claim players placed on waivers at final cuts.

Once all clubs have been notified that contracts not claimed on waivers are terminated, they can start signing players to their 16-player practice squads.

Another checkpoint that could be important for San Francisco is 1:00pm Pacific Time on Wednesday. That’s when they can place players on IR with a designation to return, which will open a roster spot on the 53-man roster. Any player placed on IR during training camp is not eligible to return for the 49ers in 2023.

Sept. 3 is when training camp officially ends, and then the preparations for Week 1 of the regular season will begin in earnest.

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