ClutchPoints
By 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 26, all 32 NFL teams had to trim their rosters down to 53 players. The cut deadline is widely regarded as the hardest day to be an NFL coach, player, or front-office member. Certain players get cut because of bad contracts or injury concerns, and others simply lose to the numbers game. Here are the best players now available on the open market after initial 53-man rosters were finalized.
Greg Dulcich was drafted in the third round back in 2022 because he had star potential as a pass catcher. Dulcich is extremely athletic and incredibly fast for his position, but injuries prevented him from working out for the Denver Broncos. After making his way to the New York Giants, he finally started to translate his potential into production.
Dulcich caught seven passes for 53 yards this preseason, and in the process, he showed that he can be a weapon in the red zone. The UCLA product had three receiving touchdowns, which was tied for the most in the NFL. Despite doing enough to earn a 53-man roster spot, the Giants let Dulcich go because they have tons of depth at tight end. Dulcich was competing for a roster spot with Theo Johnson, Chris Manhertz, Daniel Bellinger, and Thomas Fidone.
The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 59. They’d last won the championship back in 2017, and Jalen Mills was a starting cornerback on that team during their iconic championship run. Mills can also play safety, and he was just let go by the Houston Texans.
Mills was at a disadvantage in making the Texans’ roster because he didn’t sign until late into training camp. He has also shown signs of regression in recent years. Even so, he is a versatile player with championship-level experience, so some team will likely give him another shot.
The New York Giants weren’t going to be able to keep four quarterbacks, and Tommy DeVito was clearly at the bottom of the pecking order in a room that also included Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, and Jameis Winston. Wilson is the bridge that will start Week 1. Dart was a first-round pick this year who is the future of the team, and Winston is a former first overall pick who has become one of the best backup signal-callers in the NFL.
DeVito is a fan favorite, but that wasn’t enough to make the team. Even so, he found some success during his time as the starter. He could be a competent backup for a team with less quarterback depth than New York.
Tyler “Snoop” Huntley was also a part of a deep quarterback room. The Cleveland Browns ended up rostering Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel, and trading Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, but there was no way they could keep the former Lamar Jackson backup as well. Huntley has a Pro...
