When Will NFL Teams Make Final Cuts?

After four weeks of preseason games, NFL teams must trim their rosters from 90 players to 53. Here’s a look at when teams have to make their final cuts.

Introduction

At long last, the NFL preseason is over. Starting Thursday, September 5th, all 32 NFL teams will be making their final cuts to get down to the 53-man roster limit. This is always a tough day for players and coaches alike, as promising careers are often ended abruptly. Let’s take a look at when each team will be making their final cuts.

NFL Teams Make Final Cuts

NFL teams will make their final cuts on August 31st. This is the date when all teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players. Some players will be released, while others will be placed on the practice squad. This is a crucial time for all NFL teams, as they must decide which players will help them win the most games.

What is the final cut?

The final cut is the last round of cuts that an NFL team makes to their roster in order to get down to the 53-man limit. These cuts are typically made on the Saturday before the start of the regular season.

How do teams make final cuts?

All NFL teams must reduce their rosters from 90 to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 5.

After the preseason finale on Thursday night, August 31, each team has until 3 p.m. ET on Friday, September 1, to trim its roster down to 75 players.

The final 53-man roster is reached by a combination of waiver claims, trades and releases. Some teams will opt to keep only two quarterbacks on their roster, while others will decide to hang onto three or even four signal-callers.

What factors go into making final cuts?

When it comes to making the final roster cuts, every NFL team has their own process and philosophy. Some teams opt to keep the majority of their starters and key contributors intact, while others focus on building depth and developing young talent. Regardless of the approach, there are a few factors that all teams must consider when making their final cuts.

First and foremost, teams must assess the overall talent level on their roster. This includes not only starters and key backups, but also those players who are buried on the depth chart. If a team believes they have enough talent at a certain position, they may elect to release a player who is considered expendable.

Another factor that teams must consider is salary cap space. In order to stay under the salary cap, teams may need to release high-priced veterans in favor of cheaper options. This is often done in order to create additional cap space that can be used to sign free agents or extend the contracts of key players.

Finally, teams must also take into account the likelihood of a player being claimed off waivers by another team. When a player is released, they are subject to waivers where they can be claimed by any other team in the league. Teams will often times elect to keep a player on their roster whom they believe will be claimed off waivers as opposed to someone who will likely go unclaimed.

Conclusion

After four preseason games, most starters will have played very little. The fifth and final preseason game is when we see the most starters, as they get ready for the regular season. For example, in 2016 the Green Bay Packers played their starters for a total of 36 snaps in the final preseason game. Once the regular season starts, we won’t see many starters playing at all.