Why 1,184 NFL players were suddenly released in one weekend as brutal rule explained

Nearly 1,200 players have been cut by the NFL's 32 teams in a single weekend as the 2026 roster picture continues to take shape.

NFL pre-season squads can include up to 90 players but the final cut deadline, held on a Sunday this year for the first time since 2004, requires all 32 teams to cut their rosters to 53 players.

A total of 1,184 were cut over the weekend and are now in a state of limbo in their NFL careers. For many, the weekend's roster cuts will mark the end of the road.

For more than 500 others, the waiver wire and imminent assembly of 32 practice squads will see them continue, for now, with either their team or a new one that takes a shine to them.

'Now that we have cuts out of the way, each team will still have plenty of opportunities to re-shape their roster, and the first big chance will come this week with the waiver wire. After getting cut, any player with less than four years of NFL experience will hit the waiver wire, where they can be claimed by another team,' explained CBS Sports.

That process will take place on Monday before the practice squads are built from this week, with roster space for an additional 16 players (plus one international player) offering them a chance to impress and giving them a new NFL deal to boot.

'Any player with more than four years of experience will officially become a free agent after getting cut, so they won't hit the waiver wire, and they'll be eligible to sign with any team as soon as Monday, so we could see a rash of signings starting this week,' CBS Sports added.

One player who is likely to be in demand is Will Levis, the quarterback cut on Sunday by the Tennessee Titans.

The 2023 draft pick was behind Cam Ward and Mitch Trubisky in the pecking order but appeared in 21 games before shoulder surgery ended his 2025 season before it started.

That injury will be of concern to potential new teams but Levis is backing himself to emerge as a starting QB in the NFL.

"I feel like you’ve got to have that confidence in yourself regardless of your position," said the 27-year-old after his final pre-season outing with the Titans.

"I saw a quote, I forget who it was, but it’s, ‘Everyone in the league here is a starter.’ You’ve got to have that mentality.

"You could be in at the press of a button and just be ready to play.

"That’s one thing that I feel like I gained a lot in my time away, is gaining back some of the confidence that I lost throughout the last year that I played and I’m going to maintain that mindset the rest of my career."

Other waived players include former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers cornerback Trevon Diggs, cut by the Seattle Seahawks, and multi-team veteran Josh Johnson.