Every NFL team had to be at 53 players by 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, and the league spent the day doing what it does every year, which is quietly ending careers that were supposed to last a decade. Two former high draft picks got cut outright. Three quarterbacks changed teams. A former first round tackle got traded for less than the pick used to draft him.
The Titans Waived Will Levis
Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick in 2023 and once the presumed franchise answer in Tennessee, was waived Sunday. He had fallen to third on the depth chart behind Mitch Trubisky, signed in March, and Hendon Hooker, with Cam Ward locked in as the starter. Levis had not played a regular season snap since 2024. The Titans did not trade him. They just let him go and let the waiver wire decide. Tennessee spent a second round pick and two years of developmental patience on him, and the return on that investment is now whatever a rival team is willing to claim on a Monday afternoon.
The Giants Released Evan Neal
Evan Neal was the seventh overall pick in 2022 out of Alabama, a tackle who was supposed to anchor the line for a decade. The Giants cut him before his rookie contract even expired. That is the harshest verdict a team can issue on its own draft process, and New York issued it without much ceremony on a day when the news barely cleared the noise. Neal never locked down a position and lost significant time to injury during his four seasons in New York. Teams do not usually eat that kind of money on a top ten pick unless the staff has genuinely stopped seeing a path.
Pittsburgh Traded Broderick Jones to Dallas
The Steelers sent Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth round pick to the Cowboys for a 2027 third and a 2027 sixth. Jones went 14th overall in 2023 out of Georgia and is on a $1.5 million base salary this season after Pittsburgh declined his fifth year option in April. Dallas gets a 24 year old former first rounder for the price of a mid round swap. Pittsburgh gets to stop paying for a decision it already regretted. The Steelers declined his fifth year option back in April, which told everyone how this was going to end. Dallas has been rebuilding its line for two years and is betting a change of scenery does what coaching in Pittsburgh did not.
Three Quarterbacks Moved in a Day
Green Bay traded Kyle McCord to Miami for a 2028 sixth round pick, with general manager Brian Gutekunst announcing it Sunday. Miami then flipped Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville for another 2028 sixth, where he slots in behind Trevor Lawrence. Tampa Bay cut Jake Browning, who signed in March and lost the backup job to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. Backup quarterback is the most disposable job in professional sports and Sunday proved it three separate times. Two of the three moves cost a 2028 sixth round pick, which is roughly the going rate for a young arm with a pulse and a rookie contract. Browning did not even bring that much back.
The Bears and Falcons Swapped Starters
Chicago sent defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to Atlanta for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth round pick. Dexter is 24, a 2023 second rounder, started all 19 games last season and has 11 career sacks. That is a real player moving on cutdown day, not a roster filler, and it is the kind of trade that usually means a coaching staff wanted a scheme fit more than it wanted production. Phillips is a former fourth round corner with starting experience, so Chicago did not simply give Dexter away. Atlanta gets the more proven player and gave up the more replaceable one.
Johnny Hekker Lost His Job to a Rookie
Minnesota released punter Johnny Hekker, a four time All Pro who has been in the league since 2012. He lost the job to Brett Thorson, an undrafted Australian rookie out of Georgia and the reigning Ray Guy Award winner. Special teams jobs go to the cheaper leg more often than anybody wants to admit, and Thorson was both cheaper and, by the Vikings’ evaluation, better. Hekker has been in the league since 2012 and will almost certainly get another job, because there are only 32 of these positions and half of them are held by somebody nervous.
The Rest of the Names
Mazi Smith, a former Cowboys first rounder, was cut by the Jets. Elandon Roberts was released by Pittsburgh, Mecole Hardman Jr. by Buffalo, Cedric Tillman by Cleveland. Dallas cut running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. Arizona cut Trey Benson. The Jets cut Bailey Zappe and Carolina cut Kyle Trask. Roughly 1,100 players lost their jobs across the league in a single afternoon. Most of them were never going to make a roster and knew it. A meaningful number were told they had a real chance right up until the phone rang, which is the part of this day that nobody televises.
Waivers Clear Monday Afternoon
Every player with fewer than four accrued seasons goes on waivers, and claims are due at 1 p.m. Eastern Monday. Priority runs off the 2026 draft order, which means the Raiders pick first, then the Jets, Cardinals, Titans and Giants. After that clears, teams start building practice squads of up to 16, and most of the names above land somewhere within 72 hours. A few will not.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was the 2026 NFL roster cutdown deadline?
Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern. All 32 teams had to go from 90 players to 53.
Why did the Titans waive Will Levis?
He had fallen to third on the depth chart behind Cam Ward and Mitch Trubisky and had not played since 2024.
What did Pittsburgh get for Broderick Jones?
The Steelers sent Jones and a 2027 fourth round pick to Dallas for a 2027 third and a 2027 sixth.
Which quarterbacks were traded on cutdown day?
Kyle McCord went from Green Bay to Miami, and Quinn Ewers went from Miami to Jacksonville. Both trades cost a 2028 sixth round pick.
When do waiver claims process?
Monday, August 31 at 1 p.m. Eastern, with priority based on the 2026 draft order.
How big can a practice squad be?
Up to 16 players, formed after waivers clear.
