The 10 most notable players released on NFL Cutdown Day 2024

Tuesday, August 27, was one of the most unpleasant days on the NFL calendar: Nearly 1,000 players were informed that their time with their current team was coming to an end.

NFL roster cuts are one of the most brutal aspects of the business, as teams trim their current roster down to 53 players each year – a significant reduction from the 90 players who attended training camp.

As is the case every year, there were some notable players who were left out of the roster crunch. Of course, these players are free to join another team if they are interested, or rejoin the practice squad to remain involved in the organization.

Still, Tuesday’s roster cuts caused some surprises around the league. Interesting players were released so teams could trim their rosters to the required size. We take a look at some of the most important changes.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially ended their experiment with Kadarius Toney on Tuesday, informing the wide receiver that he would not be included on the 53-man roster. Toney’s time with the Chiefs was tumultuous, with some incredible highs – including his touchdown catch and 65-yard punt return in Super Bowl LVII – but also some major lows in the form of drops and costly penalties.

In total, Toney played 20 games for Kansas City, recording 41 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns. The former first-round pick of the New York Giants could find his way back to the practice squad, although there may be other suitors willing to give him a chance.

The Houston Texans parted ways with Noah Brown after just one season, in which he caught 33 passes for 567 yards and two touchdowns in just 10 games. Brown had a solid season in Houston, but ultimately the wide receiver room became too tight to grant him a spot on the 53-man roster. With Stefon Diggs in town, Nico Collins breaking out, and Tank Dell returning from injury, Brown was the odd man out in the Texans’ wide receiver room.

A few years ago, Allen Robinson was one of the best wide receivers in football. However, since 2021, his performance has dropped off significantly. Robinson has been with three different teams since 2021, and the Giants would presumably be his fourth if he were to make the roster. He hasn’t surpassed 450 yards in any of the last three seasons, and despite a general lack of experience and talent on New York’s wide receiver roster, the team felt it would be better off with other options at the position.

Although Nick Chubb was unable to begin the season on the roster due to a season-ending knee injury he suffered in 2023, the Cleveland Browns decided to cut ties with D’Onta Foreman. Foreman was expected to play a role in the offense during Chubb’s absence, but Cleveland ultimately decided to take the risk with the other running backs on the roster, including Jerome Ford, Pierre Strong Jr. and Nyheim Hines.

Tim Patrick was a fan favorite in Denver, but the team made the difficult decision to part ways with the veteran wide receiver on Tuesday. Injuries have kept Patrick off the field since 2021, as a torn ACL cost him the 2022 season and an Achilles injury sidelined him in 2023. When healthy, he was extremely productive, but ultimately the team decided to move on after selecting a pair of wide receivers (Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele) in this year’s draft.

Former 2022 first-round pick Lewis Cine saw his time with the Minnesota Vikings end early on Tuesday, falling victim to league-wide roster cuts. Since being selected No. 32 out of Georgia, Cine has only appeared in 10 games in his first two seasons. The defensive back was used as a backup and ultimately failed to force his way into the starting lineup. He’s hoping to find a home elsewhere after the Vikings released him fairly quickly.

Desmond Ridder started 13 games for the Atlanta Falcons last season. Now he finds himself on the wrong side of league-wide roster cuts after missing out on the Arizona Cardinals’ roster during the preseason. Ridder competed with Clayton Tune for the backup position behind Kyler Murray, but the team ultimately felt that Tune – who was in Arizona last season – was a better fit for their future plans.

Bailey Zappe forced the New England Patriots into competition with Mac Jones for the starting quarterback position last season. Now that Drake Maye has entered the fray and Jacoby Brissett is back with the Patriots, the team felt it was wise to part ways with Zappe. With teams no longer able to provide an emergency quarterback without filling a roster spot, New England felt it best to cut ties with Zappe, who would have been the team’s third backup in 2024.

Samson, the older brother of Puka Nacua, impressed as a returner in the preseason, but that ultimately wasn’t enough to convince the New Orleans Saints to add him to their roster. Nacua’s 106-yard return of a missed field goal was one of the highlights of the preseason, but ultimately the Saints trusted their current wide receivers more.

The son of legendary running back Frank Gore was one of the biggest stars of the NFL preseason, but that wasn’t enough to earn a spot on the Buffalo Bills’ roster. The rookie from Southern Miss will likely move to the practice squad unless he joins another team looking for more depth at running back.