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NFL cut-down day has come and gone. The cut-down day is the final day for all 32 NFL teams to trim their rosters down from 90 players to the regular season limit of 53. Along the way, every team has to make a number of gut-wrenching tough decisions. Some cut-down day decisions are more surprising from the outside looking in than others, though.
In this article, we are going to look at the 10 most shocking roster moves that were made on cut-down day. This obviously includes players who got waived/released that we didn't expect, but it also includes other surprising transactions such as trades.
1. Texans release Noah Brown
Most NFL teams keep six receivers on their 53-man roster, but some teams open up another roster spot by rostering only five pass-catchers. The Texans were an exception this year, as they added seven receivers to their opening roster. Despite this, Noah Brown was released before the cut-down deadline.
This was a shocking decision, as we thought Brown would make the team even if they kept only six players at his position. Brown had a great year during the Texans breakout campaign last season. He racked in 33 catches and 567 yards as one of C.J. Stroud's favorite targets.
Houston has one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL, though, which meant at least one solid receiver was going to have to be cut. That receiver ended up being Brown, but he will now be one of the most sought-after free agents on the open market.
2. No trade is found for Tim Patrick
After cut-down day, we ranked Tim Patrick as the second-best free agent available. He has since found a new home, as the Detroit Lions proved our belief that he would be coveted correctly by making him one of the first cut players to sign with a new team. The fact that Patrick was even cut in the first place was surprising, though.
The Denver Broncos made it well known that they didn't have a roster spot available for Patrick, so they were going to release the receiver if they weren't able to find a trade for him. The fact that no team was willing to part with a late-round draft asset to secure Patrick's services came as a surprise, though.
Patrick has missed each of the last two seasons because of injury, but he appears to be back to full strength and ready to make an impact this season. The last time he was on the field, he was a great possession receiver who was an absolute weapon on third downs. Regardless, Detroit should make for a good home for Patrick, as the team was desperate for more depth at the receiver position.
3. No trade is found for Samaje Perine, either
Our third cut-down day surprise is an extension of our last pick. The Broncos also wanted to trade Samaje Perine, and they were similarly unable to find a partner to do business with, which led to them releasing the running back. Like Patrick, Perine thrives most on third downs, but his third-down success was on display last season.
The former Cincinnati Bengals running back is great in pass protection and thrives as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. That made him a key player in late-game situations for the Broncos last year.
Denver is known for keeping undrafted players on their active roster (they've kept at least one on the initial 53-man roster 20 of the last 21 seasons), so it became evident that the team was going to keep Blake Watson on the team over Perine, despite the successes that the latter ball-carrier had last year. Denver assumed they could get something back for at least one of Patrick or Perine, but they thought incorrectly. Instead, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
4. Browns keep four QBs
The injury risk in football means that backup quarterbacks are essential. However, few teams keep three quarterbacks on their roster because only one can play at a time, and if the backup (or third-stringer) ever enters a game, that means that something went horribly wrong. Additionally, rostering only two quarterbacks means that a team can keep another player on the roster at a different position.
That made the Cleveland Browns' decision to keep four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster incredibly surprising. Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jameis Winston, and Tyler Huntley are all too talented to justify releasing, so the Browns decided to carry all four of them on their roster.
It is unlikely that all four will remain with the team, as the Browns have already started to look for trades involving Winston and/or Huntley. Even so, keeping those extra quarterbacks meant that one or two other talented players who could/should have made the team had to be cut.
Because of their quarterback surplus, the Browns were forced to cut D'Onte Foreman, which means they currently only have two running backs on the roster. There is clearly more work to be done to construct the roster that Cleveland will deploy during Week 1, but it was a little surprising that the Browns couldn't get things more in order before the cut-down deadline.
5. Ernest Jones is traded
Ernest Jones is not only a talented linebacker, but he is one who is getting better, too. The 24-year-old has been a key player for the Los Angeles Rams over the last three years. He racked up 145 tackles last season, and he even helped the Rams win the Super Bowl during his rookie season.
Not only is the linebacker talented at what he does, he was also a team leader. Jones was team captain for the Rams, and it only took a fifth-round pick for the Tennessee Titans to acquire him. The team was even able to get an additional sixth-round pick in return for taking on Jones' services.
The Rams traded Jones because contract talks with their linebacker stalled, but his trade was surprising nonetheless, considering he went for so cheap. The Titans now have a starting linebacker who can lead their defense for years to come, assuming they can meet his contract demands.
6. Lewis Cine is waived by the Vikings
Lewis Cine hasn't done much for the Minnesota Vikings. The team's decision to waive him was still surprising, though, because the safety was the team's first-round pick as recently as 2022.
Cine had a stellar collegiate career, but injuries have limited him to only 10 games (and one tackle) during his first two professional seasons. The Vikings clearly grew tired of waiting, but Cine still has tons of potential, and any decision to move on from a first-rounder so quickly is a big one. Minnesota has been one of the most injury-riddled teams in recent seasons, so perhaps trying to shake the injury bug is one reason the team made this move.
7. Mike White loses quarterback competition
It was widely assumed that Mike White would be Tua Tagovailoa's backup on the Miami Dolphins this year. He ended up losing the quarterback competition for backup duty to Skylar Thompson, though, which led to the Dolphins cutting White.
Tagovailoa has always been an injury risk, and White has starting experience. He wasn't horrible when he started seven games for the New York Jets in 2021 and 2022. Thompson, on the other hand, is unproven as an NFL player. Because of Tagovailoa's injury history, we thought the Dolphins would keep a reliable backup like White. Instead, White was cut, but he has already landed a new gig with the division rival Buffalo Bills.
8. Cowboys cut Carl Lawson
The Dallas Cowboys brought in Carl Lawson late into training camp because they needed help along the defensive line. Sam Williams tore his ACL, which opened up a spot on the defensive line, and it was assumed that spot would go to Lawson. Instead, Lawson didn't make the cut, and he is now in the open market trying to find a new job.
The defensive end is a pass-rushing specialist, and considering he is only 29 years old, there is a good chance that he will still land on his feet.
9. Malik Willis is traded
The 2022 NFL Draft was a disaster for the quarterback position. Nine quarterbacks were selected in that draft, with Kenny Pickett being the only one who was a first-rounder. Now, only two signal-callers are still with the team that drafted them. Ironically, those two quarterbacks are Skylar Thompson (pick 247) and Brock Purdy (pick 262), who were the last two quarterbacks taken in that draft.
Malik Willis was regarded by many as the best quarterback prospect from that draft class, although he was polarizing as a prospect. The gunslinger from Liberty has a rocket of an arm, but his decision making, awareness, and accuracy were all concerns regarding his NFL outlook.
The Tennessee Titans took Willis in the third round with the intent of him eventually becoming their franchise quarterback. It didn't work out that way, though, as the team traded Willis to the Green Bay Packers before the cut-down deadline. It only took a seventh-round pick to acquire Willis' services, and now he has no clear path to finding NFL minutes.
Green Bay's quarterback is Jordan Love. During his first season as the starter, Love finished second in touchdown passes (32), and he was rewarded with a massive four-year extension that makes him one of the highest-paid players in league history. Love's deal pays him a league-record $55 million a year, so the Packers don't have much of an incentive to play Willis.
10. Panthers cut Terrace Marshall
Terrace Marshall has struggled with the Carolina Panthers, so his production is not what makes his release from the team a surprise. Instead, Carolina's decision to move on from the receiver is a surprise because the team was the worst team in the NFL last season, so they are clearly lacking playmakers on the roster.
Marshall's standout collegiate career at LSU led the Panthers to draft him in the second round in 2021. Carolina did bring in some other receivers to improve their passing attack (Xavier Legette and Diontae Johnson), but the presence of more competition could have helped unlock Marshall's game. Instead, the Panthers decided to move on from a recent second-rounder despite the fact that they are still in the rebuilding stages.
