Franchises across the NFL landscape are in for a good ride, and the first moves already started to pop up on Sunday: roster-trimming day is quickly approaching and getting here on Tuesday, exactly at 4 p.m. ET.
The Baltimore Ravens, like all other 31 franchises, will need to cut down their roster from the training camp size allowing 90 warm bodies to only 53 players they will carry into the regular season. Yes, that's nearly cutting half of their rostered players, as hard (and harsh) as that sounds.
Here is a quick explainer of how roster cuts work in the NFL, when teams are expected to announce their final squads, special rules, and everything you need to know ahead of Roster Cut Day.
When are the roster cuts happening?
Moves have already started, and they have involved flashy (veterans) and unknown (UDFA) players getting released by all 32 NFL franchises.
There is one deadline set in stone for the submission of the final 53-man roster that will come at the same time for everyone in the NFL: Tuesday, Aug. 29. Precisely, 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 29.
What is the exact timeline franchises follow when making the cuts?
This season, NFL roster cut rules have been simplified and turned into a one-day event in which teams must go straight from 90 to 53 active players in their roster.
Teams have the liberty to carry fewer than 90 players on their rosters before the deadline and can release players gradually according to their discretion, which has been happening across the NFL for the full summer already.
Prior to 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 29, teams must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List, and submit the names to the NFL.
Players on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) or Non-football Injury (NFI) lists are excluded from the 90- and/or 53-player roster count during both the offseason and regular season. Consequently, activating a player from either list necessitates freeing up a roster spot to accommodate their return.
Should a player remain on the PUP list at the time of the roster cuts, reactivation can only occur after the team's fourth regular-season game making the player available to play ahead of Week 5. Players placed on Injured Reserve (IR) before the final cut day are ineligible to return during the season.
Once the 53-player roster deadline has elapsed, players can be placed on IR with the option to return at any point within the regular season.
Are teams really limited to having those 53 players under contract starting Tuesday?
There is a little quirk to the roster cuts deadline. Franchises have to name a 53-man roster, yes, but they are allowed to name 16 bonus players to add to their Practice Squad.
The PS players need to meet some criteria, though. No more than 10 players of those 16 can have more than two more seasons of professional NFL experience. The other six have no experience constraints, which allows franchises to carry some veterans in their Practice Squads.
Players that start the season with the PS can be moved to the active roster three times per season. If a franchise wants to use one of those players for a fourth time or more, they have to be added to the 53-man roster and therefore the franchise would need to cut someone already in it.
Do we know the full Practice Squad rules and limitations?
For sure!
Franchises can carry 16 players in their PS on top of their active 53 active, main-roster players. Among these, 10 players must have fewer than two seasons of NFL experience. This was approved so NFL franchises can accommodate as many as six veterans on their practice squads.
The prerequisites for the practice squad are as follows:
- Players with no prior NFL experience.
- Players who featured on the active list for fewer than nine regular-season games in past NFL seasons.
- Up to four players per team who have no more than two seasons of NFL experience.
- Up to six players per team with no restrictions on the number of past NFL seasons.
Players stationed on the practice squad can be elevated to the active roster for games on a maximum of three occasions throughout the regular season. To facilitate a fourth elevation, the team must incorporate the player into the 53-man roster.