When Do NFL Rosters Have to Be Cut to 53?

It’s that time of year again where NFL teams have to make the tough decision of cutting their rosters down to 53 players. Here’s a look at when that deadline is and how teams make their decisions.

Introduction

The NFL offseason is a time for rosters to grow. After the draft and through training camp and the preseason, teams can have as many as 90 players on their roster. By the end of August though, that number has to be cut down to 53.

There are a few different deadlines that teams have to keep in mind when trimming their roster. The first is August 31, which is when rookie contracts expire and all rosters must be at 53 players. This date is also generally when teams will finalize their practice squad, which can have up to 10 players.

The second deadline is September 1, which is when NFL teams must submit their initial 53-man roster to the league office. It’s also the date when veteran players who were cut can sign with other teams without having to go through waivers first

NFL Roster Cuts

Each NFL team has to submit their final 53 man roster by 4pm EST on the Saturday of Week 4 of the preseason. If a player is on the roster at that time, they will receive their full salary for the season. After that, teams can sign 10 extra players to their practice squad.

When Do NFL Rosters Have to Be Cut to 53?

At the end of every NFL preseason, each team must make roster cuts to comply with the league-mandated 53-player limit. These cuts are always a difficult decision for NFL coaches and front office personnel, as they must balance the need to field a competitive team with the reality that many capable players will be left without a spot on an NFL roster.

The process of reducing an NFL roster from 90 players to 53 is often referred to as the “final cutdown.” It typically takes place over a weekend in early September, after the conclusion of the preseason. Teams will often announce their cuts in batches, waiting until closer to the 53-player deadline to make their final decisions.

Players who are cut during the final cutdown process may be signed to a team’s practice squad, which is a group of up to 10 players who practice with the team but are not eligible to play in games. Practice squad players can be signed by any team at any time during the season, so it is not uncommon for players who are cut at the end of preseason to eventually find their way onto an NFL roster later in the year.

How Many Players Can an NFL Team Have on Its Roster?

At the start of the regular season, each NFL team is allowed to have a maximum of 53 players on its roster. However, teams are only required to have 46 players active on game day. The remaining seven players are inactive and cannot participate in the game.

During the offseason, NFL rosters can have up to 90 players. This number gradually decreases as training camp and preseason progress and teams have to get down to their 53-man roster limit by the start of the regular season.

Once the regular season starts, teams can sign free agents to their practice squad. Practice squad players do not count towards a team’s 53-man roster limit but they can only be signed to the practice squad if they have less than nine games of NFL experience.

What Happens to the Players Who Are Cut?

When NFL rosters are cut down from 90 players to 53, it’s always a tough day for the guys who don’t make the cut. But, for some, it’s not the end of their football careers.

Players who are cut can either choose to retire or sign with another team’s practice squad. The practice squad is a group of 10 players who are signed to a team but do not dress for games. They practice with the team and are used in case of injuries to starters or other players on the roster.

Players on the practice squad can be signed by any other team at any time during the season. So, if a player on the practice squad is doing well, another team may try to sign him to their active roster.

Conclusion

In the NFL, roster cuts are always a major story. They are a reminder that, for all the hype and excitement surrounding training camp and the preseason, these are essentially exhibition games. The real games, the ones that count in the standings, begin in September.

So when do NFL rosters have to be cut to 53? The short answer is that teams have to make their final roster cuts by 4 p.m. ET on the Saturday before Week 1 of the regular season. So for the 2018 season, that date is September 1.

But of course, there’s more to it than that. As we’ve seen in recent years, many teams wait until the last minute to make their cuts. Some players who seem like locks to make the team end up getting released, while others who seem like longshots end up sticking around.

The reason for this is simple: money. Players who are cut before Week 1 do not have their contracts guaranteed for the season. So if a team believes a player might be claimed off waivers by another team, they will often wait until after 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to release him so they don’t have to pay his salary for the season.

This can make things very nerve-wracking for players on the bubble. They might think they’ve made the team, only to find out hours later that they’ve been cut after all.

For fans, it can be just as frustrating. Many times, roster cuts are announced via social media or on a team’s website with no warning whatsoever. So if you’re rooting for a particular player to make his team’s roster, it’s always best to stay tuned right up until the deadline just in case he gets released at the last minute.