Preseason has come and gone and NFL teams have now cut their rosters to the required 53-man size ahead of the regular season, which kicks off on Thursday, September 6.
There were a few surprises on Saturday, with prominent names being struck off rosters around the league.
The Denver Broncos cut Paxton Lynch, who looked to have done enough to avoid the cut and was initially named on the Broncos 53-man roster. However, Denver subsequently cut him after they signed Kevin Hogan, who had been waived from Washington.
Once considered the franchise quarterback, Lynch, a 2016 first-round pick, has never lived up to expectations.
Having agreed a surprise trade to send 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack to Chicago, there was more bad news for the Raiders.
Oakland cut Martavis Bryant, despite giving up a third-round pick to land the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver during this year's draft.
The Buffalo Bills, meanwhile, released Corey Coleman, despite trading for him only a month ago. However, they will end up paying for Coleman even if he's not on the roster.
The wide receiver wasn't the only player to be discarded shortly after signing for a team. The Arizona Cardinals cut Brice Butler, who had signed a two-year deal in April, while the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions cut Ron Parker and DeShawn Shead respectively, who had both signed with them in free agency.
Breshad Perriman made unwanted history in Baltimore, as he became the first first-round pick in Ravens' history to be cut. The number 26 pick of the 2015 draft was beset by injuries and never quite cut it in Baltimore.
The Cincinnati Bengals released defensive end Michael Johnson along with veterans George Iloka and Brandon LaFell, although coach Marvin Lewis hinted the trio could return.
The Cowboys also parted way with a veteran, cutting kicker Dan Bailey, who holds the franchise record for field goals made and ranks third in points scored.
The move will save Dallas $3.4 million but they will have to place their fate in the boot of Brett Maher, who has never kicked in a regular season game.
Over in Cleveland, Hard Knocks favorites Devon Cajuste, Carl Nassib, and Nate Orchard got the chop, while Green Bay cut running back Aaron Ripkowski.
Ripkowski would have bolstered the Packers' offensive rushing unit, which currently contains eight receivers and only two running backs.
The Patriots have the opposite problem, with only three receivers on the roster after cutting Riley McCarron and Paul Turner.
The Houston Texans cut seven-time Pro Bowl selection Shane Lechler and at 42 years of age and after 18 seasons in the NFL, one wonders whether there's any way back for him.
In New York, the Giants cut Davis Webb and opted to keep four quarterbacks, while the Jets cut three 2017 draft picks in Jeremy Clark, Chad Hansen and Dylan Donahue.
Quarterbacks were also high on the agenda in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers cut Landry Jones as they went on all-in on rookie Mason Rudolph and 2017 pick Joshua Dobbs to be Ben Roethlisberger's back-up.
Brock Osweiler survived the cut in Miami, while the Vikings cut veteran Brian Robison and Kendall Wright and rugby-league convert Jordan Mailata made the Eagles roster despite being getting his first taste of football only in January.
Seattle held onto Earl Thomas, who has attracted interest from multiple teams and is holding out for a lucrative extension, while Joe Williams became the first pick of the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch reign to be let go by the 49ers.
Finally, Adrian Peterson made the team in Washington, while Kapri Bibbs was released despite impressing in preseason.
You can find the full list of players who have been cut here.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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