The NFL preseason is in full swing, but tough decisions loom. Soon, rosters will have to be pared down from the exhibition limit of 90 to the regular season standard of 53.
Most of the players released will be of limited notoriety. They’ll be pretty good college players who went undrafted or NFL practice squad veterans unable to play more than a minor role on Sundays. But in the midst of these long lists of discarded players will be a handful of recognizable names. A few will be traded from teams that either cannot afford them or who have a glut of talent at their respective positions. But many will be on the unfortunate side of their executives questioning if the juice is, in fact, worth the squeeze when it comes to their paycheck and production.
Let’s talk about those guys, ranging across the spectrum of all 32 NFL teams. Some players are set to be, if not already, dangled in trade talks. Others will be quietly let go as their teams hope they slide through waivers and onto the practice squad. But every team has at least one player they’d hoped would be a contributor who is destined to depart before cut down day on August 27. I’ll run through them in alphabetical order.
Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman L.J. Collier (91) runs through a drill during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Monday, July 29, 2024.
Cap savings: $993,382
Potential replacement: Roy Lopez
The Cardinals continue to build up a depleted roster and are in position to surprise, but maybe not contend, in 2024. Collier was a lottery ticket, a former Seattle Seahawks first round reach in 2019 who failed to pan out. He’s made just one start (and played 19 total games) over the last two seasons and while that lone start came with Arizona last fall, he could lose his place in the middle of the team’s 3-4 to Lopez and Khyiris Tonga.
Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons safety Richie Grant (27) during warmups against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $3,115,998
Potential replacement: DeMarrco Hellams
Atlanta has the league’s least cap space headed into August, which could lead to a tough financial decision. Case in point; Mike Hughes has played some of his best football as a pro in a rotational role for the Falcons, but releasing him would nearly double the team’s cap space (to $6.4 million). Taylor Heinicke could be shown the door after a step backward in 2023 and the arrivals of Kirk Cousins and Penix (in slightly baffling, high profile ways). But Grant would be the most disappointing cut; a former second round pick who ceded playing time late in 2023 and may be unable to live up to his potential.
Jan 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears free safety Eddie Jackson (4) defends the pass of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: ç
Cap savings: $500,000
Potential replacement: Beau Brade
Jackson is a former All-Pro, but his play fell off even as the Bears’ defense rose up around him to finish the 2023 season. His coverage was lacking and his 17.8 percent missed tackle rate was the worst of his career. He languished in free agency until July, and while Brade is an undrafted free agent, the former Terrapin’s upside could earn him a roster place ahead of a declining veteran.
Oct 8, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chase Claypool stands on the field prior to the game against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,060,000
Potential replacement: Mack Hollins
The Bills’ wideout depth chart is a mess, leaving room for a handful of former vaunted prospects to battle for a roster spot. While Claypool is most notable among them, this spot could also go to fellow second round picks KJ Hamler or Andy Isabella and even former Packer/Chief Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Of course, the combination of Josh Allen and Buffalo’s gaping vacuum of wideout production creates a massive opportunity for someone in this group to reclaim their relevance as well.
Dec 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (6) breaks the tackle attempt of New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) and safety Jordan Howden (31) during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $200,000
Potential replacement: Jonathon Brooks
Take your pick of underwhelming Panthers: Terrace Marshall Jr., Tommy Tremble or Brady Christensen. Sanders would save the team more than $6.2 million if traded, but he’s also at the lowest point of his pro career. Cutting him would be admitting the four-year, $25 million deal he signed in 2023 is a sunk cost, but … he averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season and Carolina selected the first running back of the 2024 draft so it’s possible the Panthers are eying a write-down.
Oct 1, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (12) makes a catch against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,196,448
Potential replacement: Deandre Carter
Jones has been a disaster as a pro. A former high-upside third-rounder buoyed by 4.31-second 40 speed, he’s been unable to translate his athleticism into positive outcomes, earning the ire of Bears fans along the way. Carter’s special teams skills and the additions of Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze to the wideout corps makes the third-year receiver expendable. The Bears are experimenting with moving him to running back, which generally isn’t a great sign for his future (but hey, it worked for Cordarrelle Patterson).
Jan 29, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Jackson Carman (79) reacts after running back Samaje Perine (34) scored a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter of the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,675,904
Potential replacement: Trent Brown
Carman was a second round pick in 2021, but played just 16 offensive snaps the last two seasons as backup tackle and guard. After signing Trent Brown and drafting Amarius Mims, Cincinnati has the depth to cut bait on its underwhelming former prospect.
Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin celebrates a David Njoku first-half touchdown against the Steelers, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Cleveland.
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Cap savings: $728,824
Potential replacement: Dawand Jones
The Browns need cap relief — more so in 2025 than 2024, where they’re an estimated $60 million over next year’s salary cap (per Over the Cap). That makes Conklin, on the hook for cap hits of nearly $19.5 million in 2025 and 2026, a potential casualty. The high-profile free agent signing has played just 22 games over the last three seasons and will turn 30 years old before the season begins. Cleveland could opt for savings while plugging Dawand Jones into his spot at tackle.
Jul 31, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Nahshon Wright (25) breaks up a pass intended for wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) during training camp at the Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge playing fields. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,055,000
Potential replacement: Eric Scott
Dallas needs to get its financials right in order to address looming extensions for Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb. Chopping off Wright’s modest salary barely makes a dent, but the 2021 third round pick played just seven percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season and has likely run out his string with the Cowboys.
Oct 29, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (33) runs the ball as tight end Adam Trautman (82) defends in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: up to $3,000,000
Potential replacement: Jaleel McLaughlin/Audric Estime
One of Perine or Williams is going to be let go. Will Denver keep the reliable receiver from the backfield who turns 29 in September? Or will it be the 24-year-old who briefly looked like a building block before a devastating knee injury sapped his explosiveness and left him to average just 3.6 yards per carry last fall? Neither is under contract for 2025 and Perine creates more savings, but the decision will come down to who looks best in training camp.
Jan 21, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell with defensive end Levi Onwuzurike (91) before a 2024 NFC divisional round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,771,212
Potential replacement: Mekhi Wingo
Wingo slid to the sixth round of the 2024 draft, but he’s a penetrating interior pass rusher who could push Onwuzurike out of a roster spot behind Alim McNeill. Onwuzurike was a 2021 second round pick who has yet to make a start in his NFL career and has played only 10 games since 2022.
Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon (28) is all smiles while riding a young fans’ bicycle during training camp Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at Ray Nitschke Field in Green Bay, Wis.
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Cap savings: $1,125,000
Potential replacement: MarShawn Lloyd
Moving on from Dillon would be a minor surprise, but the Packers have been proactive about cycling through their tailback rotation. Aaron Jones was swapped out for Josh Jacobs and the selection of Lloyd in the third round of this year’s draft could spell the end for Wisconsin’s Quadzilla. Dillon’s yards per carry have declined each season since his pro debut and, despite his powerful build, he’s averaged just 1.7 yards after contact per carry each of the last two seasons — good for 32nd best among 44 qualified running backs.
Sep 17, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Robert Woods (2) runs the ball during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $4,955,882
Potential replacement: Noah Brown
Bobby Trees is winding down an 11-year NFL career and is a valued veteran presence. He also averaged just 5.7 yards per target and 1.02 yards per route run — behind Jalen Tolbert and Nelson Agholor last season. Houston is flush with capable wideouts, making him an easy, cost-effective cut (or the Texans could opt to keep him around, given a comfortable amount of cap space headed into the 2024 season).
Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox (81) reaches to keep the ball inside the pylon as he moves past Houston Texans safety Lonnie Johnson (1) and into the end zone for a touchdown Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
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Cap savings: $5,920,000
Potential replacement: Jelani Woods
The Colts can wipe Alie-Cox’s entire salary from the books should they decide a shade under $6 million is too steep for a player with just 13 catches in 17 games last fall. Alie-Cox is a useful blocker and viable safety valve for a young quarterback, but his salary and production aren’t balanced.
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Cap savings: $1,920,000
Potential replacement: Mac Jones
Will the Jaguars roster three quarterbacks? They have a pair of useful backup in Jones and Beathard, who you wouldn’t trust to start a game but can at least appreciate as short-term emergency options. Beathard has been efficient as a Jaguar while mostly attempting short, low-risk passes… which is pretty much the only way to make Jones viable. There’s minor savings to be had by jettisoning the former 49er, though there’s likely room for both behind Trevor Lawrence.
Sep 7, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) drops a pass against the Detroit Lions during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $0
Potential replacement: Marquise Brown
Toney’s name is said in exasperation or frustration much more often than it’s ever spoken in elation, making it surprising he’s managed to last as long as he has in Kansas City. The Chiefs are hoping a move to running back can finally put his top level athleticism to use. It’s also a transition that rarely works out.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) runs out of bounds as Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Brandon Facyson (31) rolls at his feet Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Cap savings: $2,606,000
Potential replacement: Decamerion Richardson
Facyson played only three games in his 2023 return to the Raiders and wasn’t especially good in those limited snaps. The Raiders were proactive in addressing their secondary, using a pair of Day 3 picks on cornerbacks MJ Devonshire and Decamerion Richardson. If either exceeds expectations in training camp, it could make the $2.6 million in savings created by the soon-to-be 30-year-old Facyson’s release too tempting to pass up.
Sep 11, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans linebacker Bud Dupree (48) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the first half against the New York Giants at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: up to $1,055,000
Potential replacement: Rumph or Dupree
Dupree had 6.5 sacks last season — his most since 2020 — but his eight quarterback hits were more in line with his 2021 and 2022 campaigns, in which he failed to have more than four in a single year. He’s now 31 years old and battling with the more expensive and less impressive Rumph for a roster spot. Whomever fails to impress Jim Harbaugh is likely getting cut, and Rumph will have to make the case he needed a new coaching staff to finally break through as a pro.
Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tyler Johnson (16) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,055,000
Potential replacement: Tutu Atwell
Tyler Higbee’s recovery from a torn ACL means tight end Hunter Long, the man the Rams received in exchange for Jalen Ramsey (along with a third round pick) and who only has one catch in three seasons as a pro, may get to stick around a little longer. Johnson, however, is looking up at a receiving corps with a top four mostly set (Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell). Johnson showed flashes of potential in his first two seasons, but only has three catches in the two years since.
Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. (23) blows kisses to the fans after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Nov. 27, 2022.
Cap savings: up to $1,216,177
Potential replacement: Jaylen Wright
Wilson and Ahmed are both familiar faces to fantasy football managers looking for in-season help on the waiver wire. They’re also both firmly behind Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane in the pecking order and will likely be passed by rookie fourth round pick Jaylen Wright. One might stay thanks to injury concerns for the first two guys on this list, but with a bevy of veteran running back help likely to be available after cut-down day, it’s possible neither is a priority.
Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill (57) and Arizona Cardinals safety Chris Banjo (31) celebrated a play in the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,010,000
Potential replacement: Brian Asamoah
It’s possible Pat Jones gets lost in the turnover at edge rusher and falls to the wayside after three uneven seasons after being selected in the third round of the 2021 draft. Grugier-Hill could benefit from a lack of depth at off-ball linebacker in the Twin Cities, but his coverage has never been great and he’s coming off a season in which his tackling was a concern — his 15.2 percent missed tackle rate was a career worst.
Jan 8, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) tackles New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (11) to break up a pass during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $1,346,260
Potential replacement: Javon Baker, Ja’Lynn Polk
Thornton’s legacy will be as the final early round wide receiver Bill Belichick whiffed on. Or perhaps Juju Smith-Schuster will be Belichick’s final free agent wideout signing that failed to pan out. Maybe both! Either way, the Patriots have a dense core of iffy wideouts in need of a star to help speed Drake Maye’s development. Thornton, with 338 receiving yards in two NFL seasons, probably isn’t that guy.
Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner (98) reacts to recovering a fumble against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $2,367,918
Potential replacement: Chase Young
Turner has played 15 total games and has three career sacks since being a surprise first round pick in 2021. The Saints have already declined his fifth year option, and while giving him another shot isn’t out of the question — though it may come at the expense of fellow disappointing EDGE prospect Isaiah Foskey — he’d generate moderate savings with little risk of buyer’s remorse. Turner has a 3.8 percent pressure rate in his limited field time as a pro.
Sep 25, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon (37) blocks a pass intended for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Jalen Guyton (15) in the fourth quarter SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Cap savings: $985,000
Potential replacement: Nick McCloud
Herndon put together a six-year run as a key member of the Jaguars secondary. He also allowed a passer rating of 112 or higher in coverage each of his last four seasons and probably isn’t cracking the Giants’ two-deep at this point.
Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda slices through Duke’s defense on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 in Durham, N.C. (Mitchell Northam)
Cap savings: $915,000
Potential replacement: Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis
Allen Lazard has been unproductive, but releasing him saves no cap space despite his $10 million base salary (he had 23 catches in 2023). Isaiah Oliver could be jettisoned as well. But Abanikanda’s place on the roster was thrown into flux when the Jets took two high profile running backs early on Day 3 of this year’s draft. Abanikanda was a beast at Pittsburgh, but an underwhelming rookie year could leave him as the team’s fourth running back — an