T. Green
With half the preseason gone, cutdown day gets closer and closer. After the third week, rosters will get shaved down from 90 to 75. The third preseason game is often viewed as the dress-rehearsal game, so it goes without saying how important that is. The final 53-man roster is set after the final weekend of exhibition games.
All throughout camp, speculation runs rampant as to how every NFL team’s roster will shake out. Let’s take a look at some factors that can serve as clues to figure out who will make the cut come Week 1.
Unneeded Positions
Most teams opt to keep three QB’s on their roster. However, there can be the odd team that only keeps two, such as the Colts during the Peyton Manning years when he never missed a game. It’s possible that more teams will start turning to the two-QB model and use that extra space for depth at a different position.
Two QB’s getting injured during the same game is extremely rare. Even if a team doesn’t have a real third QB in that scenario, the head coach can always designate some random RB or WR who played QB in high school or college to serve as an emergency option. After that, the team can grab a street free agent or someone off their practice squad if necessary.
One position that is definitely an endangered species is fullback. Since spread offenses are all the rage now, fullbacks are becoming more expendable. Teams can easily use someone playing a different position (usually a tight end) to step into the fullback role if needed. This hybrid role is called the H-Back since the TE usually lines up in the backfield.
Sometimes teams that change schemes find certain positions unnecessary. A new 3-4 defense may not need that 4-3 style DE anymore. If a guy doesn’t fit as a rush LB or a five-technique end, he could be in trouble in terms of keeping his spot on the team.
Special Teams
Special teams is often the determining factor when deciding who comprises the last few spots on the team. Fans often wonder why the preseason star who rushed for 100 yards or caught 12 passes didn’t make the final roster. Usually, it’s because he couldn’t hack it on special teams. Teams already have their starters and key backups set on offense and defense. Everyone else has to contribute by doing the so-called grunt work on special teams.
Ok, so maybe kick and punt return jobs aren’t quite as thankless as some other special teams jobs, but they have to be filled regardless. Your RB’s, WR’s, and DB’s are typically the ones competing for those duties. Sometimes, top-flight starters pull double-duty by returning kicks or punts, but depth is still needed at those spots. Returning the ball starts with catching the damn ball in the first place. Fumbling is a great way to catch evil looks from the coaching staff. After that, they need to show some type of playmaking ability to impress the coaches.
The real grunts on special teams include (but are not limited to): punt protectors, gunners, kick coverage players, kick return blockers. The ones who have to run up and down the field and knock heads at breakneck speeds. This is really where your back-of-the-roster guys are determined. In addition to the skill position guys, LB’s, TE’s and even a few linemen are fighting to carve out their niche during practice drills and preseason games. Many players, including former Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker, have made their own notable NFL careers solely due to special teams play.
Injury-Prone Players
As the old NFL saying goes, “you can’t make the club from the tub.” Now I’m sure guys like Aaron Rodgers or Adrian Peterson would be guaranteed to keep their roster spots even if they had to miss the entire preseason. But there are numerous other players who are in much more perilous situations. If a coaching staff has changed, players may need pre-season games for proper evaluations from the new staff and face a stronger risk of being cut if they stay injured.
The fortunate ones merely get pushed into backup roles if they miss too much time. There’s also the option of placing a player on the PUP list or IR and not have him count towards the roster total. Occasionally, players whose injuries wouldn’t normally warrant an IR stint get placed there anyways because the staff views them as unlikely to contribute to the team that particular season. Some teams utilize rookies in this manner, “red-shirting” them as seen in college football. There are also the unlucky few injured souls whose time is up and get straight released.
Practice Squads
Each team is permitted to have eight players on their practice squad. Often times, late-round rookies, undrafted free agents, and second-year players comprise these squads (though some third-year players can also be eligible). It’s a nice opportunity to develop players who may not be ready for NFL game-action just yet. These players often practice regularly with their teams but cannot be activate for games unless called up to the 53-man roster.
Teams can poach from other practice squads but they do have to place acquired players on their 53-man roster. Interesting scenarios arise when a team has an intriguing prospect they want to stash but have no room on the regular roster. They can go the aforementioned PUP/IR route or such scenarios can force teams to cut another player to open up a spot on the 53-man roster rather than risk losing the player on the practice squad.
Regime Changes
Often times when new general managers, coaches and other staff come into an organization, they want to bring in their own type of players. Usually, some of the holdovers from the previous regime get shown the door if they don’t fit in with the team’s new philosophy. There’s a variety of reasons why some players are let go: age, performance, scheme, or attitude. The main objective is for the new staff to mold the team in their image.
Take Kellen Winslow last year for instance. He refused to buy into new Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano and his controlling, hard-nosed style, so he ended up getting traded to Seattle for what amounted to peanuts. I’m sure Schiano would’ve preferred to cut Winslow and send a message, but it made more sense financially for the Bucs to trade him.
Knuckleheads
One of the easiest ways for a player to receive a one-way ticket to the waiver wire is to get onto the police blotter. Certain teams (*cough, cough* Lions) may have less of a tolerance for bad behavior off the field because they’ve already received enough negative attention. Disruptive behavior on the field can also get someone the ol’ heave-ho out of town (*ahem*, Titus Young). Penalties in games can also ruin a player’s chances, with mental mistakes usually being more costly to a chance at a roster spot (such as a false start or getting a delay of game).
Sometimes, a player’s status can buy him some leeway. Maybe he’s a high draft pick, one of the best players on the team, a guy with a hard contract to get rid of, or a combination of those things. Even for those select few though, there are certain lines that will get them the boot if they cross them (see: Aaron Hernandez).
After The Dust Has Settled…
It’s one of the toughest moments of a player’s career when he gets told to report to the head coach’s office and bring his playbook with him. He knows that he is about to get cut. Some players bounce around to other teams for a few years, never making it past training camp or the practice squad. Others may finally make the big roster, only to get waived a short time later. More players may jump to Arena Football or the CFL before giving the NFL another shot. But some special cases such as James Harrison and Danny Amendola actually persevere and make significant marks on the league despite being cut numerous times in the past. Such is life in the National Football League.
