On Saturday, all NFL teams have to cut their rosters from 75 to only 53 players by 4pm Eastern time. That means hundreds of players, both rookies and veterans, all hit the waiver wire at the same time. Twenty-four hours later, teams are allowed to sign up to ten players to their practice squads. Few names that anyone outside the local area will be mentioned, but it’s worth noting that the 53 players who initially make the roster may not be quite the same ones who are on the roster for their team’s first regular season games. In most cases, the top 45-50 will be the same, but the poor guys at the end of the depth chart are still at risk of being cut if the team sees someone cut from another team as being potentially more valuable.
Here are my best guess at who will still be on the roster on Saturday evening (early cuts are listed as of 10pm Eastern time):
| Position | Starter(s) | Backup(s) | On the bubble | Notes | IR/PUP/NFI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL |
LT Matt Kalil 75 LG Alex Boone 76 (FA) C/G Joe Berger 61 RG Brandon Fusco 63 RT Andre Smith 72 (FA) |
RT T.J. Clemmings 68 C Nick Easton 62 LG Zac Kerin 67 |
LT Jeremiah Sirles 78 LG Willie Beavers 64 (R) RG Isame Faciane 69 |
Boone signed 9 March (previously with 49ers). Smith signed 17 March (from Bengals). Beavers drafted in the 4th round (121st overall) from Western Michigan. Faciane changed jersey number to 69 (from 76), 3 May. Hickey signed, 27 July. Shepherd and Hickey released 29 August. Sullivan released 30 August. Bykowski released 2 September. | Loadholt decided to retire before training camp (26 July), after spending the entire 2015 season on IR. Guard Mike Harris began training camp on the NFI list and was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on 30 August. |
| QB |
Shaun Hill 13 |
Joel Stave 2 (UDFA) |
|
Sorensen signed 20 August, released 29 August, re-signed to roster after Bridgewater’s injury, then cut again 2 September. | Heinicke started training camp on the NFI list with an ankle injury that may keep him out for two to three months. Bridgewater injured 30 August in non-contact drill during practice. Placed on season-ending IR 31 August. |
| TE | Kyle Rudolph 82 |
TE/HBack Rhett Ellison 85 TE/HBack Mycole Pruitt 83 TE/HBack David Morgan 89 (R) |
Kyle Carter 86 (UDFA) |
Leonhardt signed 17 March. Morgan drafted in the sixth round (188th overall) from UTSA. Leonhardt waived 29 August. | Ellison started camp on the PUP list, recovering from injury suffered late in 2015, activated from PUP list 23 August. |
| RB | Adrian Peterson 28 |
Jerick McKinnon 21 Matt Asiata 44 |
C.J. Ham 30 (UDFA) Jhurell Pressley 42 (UDFA) |
McKinnon changed jersey number from 31 to 21, 3 May. Ham signed 10 May. Ross waived 23 May. Monangai signed 4 August, waived 20 August. | |
| FB | Zach Line 48 | Blake Renaud 49 | |||
| WR |
Stefon Diggs 14 Charles Johnson 12 |
Adam Thielen 19 Laquon Treadwell 11 (R) Jarius Wright 17 Cordarrelle Patterson 84 |
Isaac Fruechte 15 Moritz Böhringer 81 (R) |
Wallace released 8 March, signed with Baltimore 15 March. Treadwell drafted at #23 in the first round out of Ole Miss. Böhringer drafted in the sixth round (180th overall) from the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns of the German Football League. Stoudermire signed 9 May. Michel released 29 August. Sinkfield and Stoudermire released 30 August. | |
| DL |
RDE Everson Griffen 97 NT Linval Joseph 98 UT Sharif Floyd 73 LDE Brian Robison 96 |
LDE Danielle Hunter 99 DT Tom Johnson 92 RDE Justin Trattou 94 NT Toby Johnson 69 NT Shamar Stephen 93 (IR in 2015) NT Kenrick Ellis 66 |
LDE Stephen Weatherly 64 (R) |
Weatherly drafted in the seventh round (227th overall) out of Vanderbilt. Ellis changed jersey number to 66 (from 72), 3 May. Raciti signed 23 May. Gaston signed 31 May to fill Dubose’s roster spot, then waived 16 June. Louis signed 30 July. Cockran and Louis released 29 August. Chrichton waived/injured on 30 August, added to IR after clearing waivers. | DE B.J. Dubose waived/injured 29 May with ACL tear. Added to IR after clearing waivers. Ellis started camp on the PUP list, then activated 31 July. |
| LB |
WLB Chad Greenway 52 MLB Eric Kendricks 54 SLB Anthony Barr 55 |
MLB Audie Cole 57 (IR in 2015) SLB Edmond Robinson 51 WLB Emmanuel Lamur 59 (FA) |
MLB Kentrell Brothers 40 (R) WLB Brandon Watts 58 SLB Jake Ganus 56 (UDFA) |
Lamur (Bengals) and Lewis (Lions) signed 9 March. Plummer and Singleton released 13 April (Plummer re-signed, 4 August, then released again on 29 August). Brothers drafted in fifth round (160th overall) out of Missouri. Lewis waived 16 June. Whittingham signed 27 July. Whittingham was noted as “left squad” on 1 August. | |
| CB |
LCB Xavier Rhodes 29 RCB Terence Newman 23 |
SCB Captain Munnerlyn 24 LCB Trae Waynes 26 RCB Mackensie Alexander 20 (R) LCB Marcus Sherels 35 |
RCB Tre Roberson 36 (UDFA) RCB Jabari Price 25 (IR in 2015) |
Alexander drafted #54 overall in the second round out of Clemson. White waived 25 August. | Keith Baxter began camp on the NFI list and was waived 1 August. |
| S |
FS Harrison Smith 22 SS Andrew Sendejo 34 |
SS Jayron Kearse 27 (R) FS Anthony Harris 41 |
SS Michael Griffin 33 (FA) |
Griffin signed 9 March (formerly with the Titans). Blanton signed with Buffalo, April. Kearse drafted in the seventh round (244th overall) out of Clemson. Lowdermilk waived 10 May, claimed by Tampa Bay, then placed on TB’s reserve/retired list 24 May. Exum waived/injured on 30 August, added to injured reserve 31 August. | |
| P | Jeff Locke 18 | N/A | Locke is also the holder for field goal attempts. | ||
| K | Blair Walsh 3 | N/A | |||
| LS | Kevin McDermott 47 | Audie Cole 57* | |||
| PR | Marcus Sherels 35* |
Stefon Diggs 14* Jarius Wright 17* Adam Thielen 19* |
|||
| KR | Cordarrelle Patterson 84* |
Marcus Sherels 35* Stefon Diggs 14* Adam Thielen 19* Captain Munnerlyn 24* |
Colour coding: Free agent signing (or acquired in trade), Drafted in 2016, Undrafted free agent in 2016, On the NFI, PUP, or IR list (does not count against the 53), Waived, cut, or left team.
* Already listed on roster at main position.
