NFL Cuts 2019: Deadline, rules, waiver wire, practice squad, and more

The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced a first wave of NFL roster cuts on Friday evening. The roster still currently stands at 65 players. The Eagles will soon need to trim their roster down to 53 players in preparation for the 2019 NFL regular season.

Bleeding Green Nation’s cut-down day coverage has already begun (follow along here). Here’s some basic information on today’s events.

When is the cut deadline?

All 32 NFL teams are required to be at the 53-man limit before 4:00 PM ET today, Saturday, August 31, 2019.

Will that Eagles’ original 53-man roster be the one we see in Week 1 against Washington?

For the most part, yes, but not entirely. The Eagles still might continue to tweak the roster after the deadline depending on cuts around the league. The Eagles might try to claim a player at a position of need on waivers, and currently sit at the No. 25 spot in the waiver claim order. Although, you also can’t rule out the Eagles making a trade at any time when Howie Roseman is in charge.

What about the practice squad?

BGN will provide a more detailed explanation of the practice squad later, but for now, know that the Eagles can sign up to 10 players to a practice squad that doesn’t count against the 53-man roster. These 10 players are typically young NFL players with little experience. In order to get to the practice squad, a player must clear waivers. After he clears waivers, he becomes a free agent, and then can sign with the practice squad.

Note that players on the practice squad can be signed by any other team at any time. The only catch is that the team that signs him will have to keep him on their active roster for at least three weeks and guarantee his pay during that time.

Teams can start to form their practice squad after 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 1.

What is the NFL waiver wire and how does it work?

In short, a player who gets cut and has less than four years of service time is placed on waivers. All 31 other teams can place a claim on the player and add him to their 53-man roster. If the player goes unclaimed through waivers, they are free to sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent. The waiver wire order is identical to the 2019 NFL Draft order, so the Eagles will have the 25th claim on any cuts that take place. Teams with the worse records own the highest waiver claim priority. The New York Jets have the third overall claim spot, which is notable since former Eagles executive Joe Douglas is their general manager now. Douglas could look to scoop up some of Roseman’s cuts.

The waiver period for the weekend ends at 12:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 1.

Where can I find full coverage of the Eagles cuts?

You can (CLICK HERE) to see BGN’s live cuts tracker.