The NFL is a brutal place. With only 22 players on the field at a time, competition for spots is fierce. There’s always someone waiting to take your place, even if you’re a future Hall of Famer.
That’s never more evident than on cut-down day — the date on the league calendar when teams have to separate wheat from chaff in order to go from 80 players to the 53-man limit they’ll stick to through the regular season. After weeks of practices and a handful of preseason games, veterans and prospects on the roster bubble had their fates (mostly) decided by 3 p.m. ET on August 30.
For some of these players, it will be the end of their NFL careers. Others will sweat out a brief stay on the waiver wire before either being claimed or signing elsewhere — and taking someone else’s roster spot. Either way, these are the most notable names to be released in the lead-up to — and on — the 2022 NFL roster cut-down day.
TE OJ Howard, Buffalo Bills
The former first round pick failed to live up to his potential in Tampa Bay, and had his spot usurped by Rob Gronkwoski’s un-retirement in 2020. Buffalo was supposed to be a fresh start, but he failed to outplay Tommy Sweeney as the Bills’ TE2 and was cast back into free agency.
WR Josh Gordon, Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs rebuilt their wide receiver depth chart this offseason and decided the 31-year-old Gordon no longer had a place in it. The oft-suspended former All-Pro had just five catches in 12 games with Kansas City in 2021.
CB Malcolm Butler, New England Patriots
Butler’s return to New England after a brief retirement was supposed to bring stability to a young secondary that lost star corner JC Jackson in free agency this spring. Instead, he was sliced from the roster two days before the cut-down date.
LB Joe Schobert, Denver Broncos
Schobert was a 2017 Pro Bowler who signed a five-year, $53.75 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He lasted one season in Florida before being traded to the Steelers who released him this spring. The Broncos have a decent inside linebacker combination, which led them to move on from the Wisconsin alum.
RB Phillip Lindsay, Indianapolis Colts
Lindsay ran for 1,000+ yards in each of his first two seasons as a pro. However, a wrist injury sapped his pass-catching effectiveness from the backfield, leaving him a run-first (and sometimes run-only) option in a league where running back targets are on the rise.
S Tony Jefferson, Baltimore Ravens
Jefferson spent two seasons as a starter in the Ravens secondary in 2017 and 2018 where he played a key role on a pair of top 10 defenses. He’s made only five starts since 2019 and at age 30 found himself replaced by younger options including 2022 first round pick Kyle Hamilton.
RB Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders
Vegas has spent much of 2022 purging the roster of Jon Gruden’s mistakes. The final season of a confusing two-year, $11 million contract for Drake to split carries with Josh Jacobs was one of those moves. He’s already reportedly moved on to the Baltimore Ravens, whose tailback depth continues to be haunted by injury.
S Anthony Harris, Philadelphia Eagles
Harris is coming off one of his better seasons in coverage, notching a 68.4 passer rating when targeted in 2021. But Pro Football Focus only gave him a 61.4 grade thanks to struggles getting to open wideouts and he will turn 31 this season. With Chauncey Gardner-Johnson arriving via trade Tuesday and slated to handle some safety duties on top of his role as a corner, Harris was served his walking papers.
RB Sony Michel, Miami Dolphins
Michel was a useful piece of the Patriots’ 2018 Super Bowl run as a rookie and performed admirably as a last-second fill-in for an injured Cam Akers in Los Angeles last season. However, he failed to stand out in a rebuilt Dolphins backfield packed with veteran talent and now heads back to free agency.
RB Marlon Mack, Houston Texans
Mack ran for 1,000-plus yards in 2019, but hasn’t been the same player since tearing his Achilles in 2020. He had a chance to claim an open spot atop the Texans’ depth chart, but instead was beaten out by electric rookie Dameon Pierce.
OT Alex Leatherwood, Las Vegas Raiders
Leatherwood was a surprise first round pick in 2021 who struggled as a rookie. He was deemed so hopeless by Josh McDaniels and Las Vegas’ coaching regime that he was released after a trade market failed to materialize this offseason.
They tried to trade him to eveyone. Got 32 nos. https://t.co/2BwfIyZs4H
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2022
