First NFL Roster Cut Down Day Passes With Few Surprises

SB Nation DC isn’t surprised by the move to release Kelly, which is expected to become official sometime on Tuesday.

The injuries, the receivers picked up this year and Kelly’s inability to make an impact in three seasons make this an easier move to make.

The next step for the Patriots is preparing for the big cut down on Sept. 3. On that date, teams will need to go from 80 to 53 players. Not only will they need to find out which players on the team they’ll release, they also need to be watching the rest of the league to see who gets cut so this will be a busy time for the New England front office.

Check out SB Nation’s Pats Pulpit to see how Pats fans are reacting to the cuts.

Safety James Sanders has been cut by the New England Patriots, according to Ian Rapoport of the Boston Herald. Sanders was a regular contributor in the Pats’ secondary for six seasons. Last year he recorded 42 tackles and a career high three interceptions in 15 games.

According to SB Nation Boston, Sanders was caught off guard by the decision as well.

Chester Taylor will be released from the Chicago Bears in anticipation of Tuesday’s league deadline to trim rosters down to 80 players. Taylor signed a four-year, $12.5 million contract with the team last season but wasn’t overly effective in Mike Martz’ offense, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry.

For more on Taylor’s release, head over to the SB Nation blog Windy City Gridiron.

No player on that list is a surprise for those following the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have two more moves to make by Tuesday afternoon. After that, they’ll be down to 80 players and on Sept. 3 they’ll need to cut their rosters down to 53 players.

Gurode was voted into NFL Network’s top 100 players this summer coming in at No. 57. SB Nation’s Blogging The Boys notes the writing may have been on the wall for some time with this move considering Gurode’s salary.

Gurode is clearly a talented player, even at age 33. He’s made the Pro Bowl the last five seasons and has started every game the last three years. His price tag, however, was too much for the Cowboys.

SB Nation’s Mile High Report says they’re not surprised by any of the cuts.

The Broncos are now at 80 players and the next round of cuts will come on Sept. 3 when they’ll need to get down to 53 players. That’s a large number of players that will be hitting the open market over the next week so the challenge is to not only evaluate your own roster but also keep an eye on the rest of league’s cuts.

Generally, the first round of cuts include a lot of undrafted free agents and guys at the bottom of the roster. SB Nation’s Pride Of Detroit notices two notable names on this list.

The Lions already lost a running back for the year due to injury in RB Mikel Leshoure.

Training camp rosters were expanded from 80 to 90 players this year and the first cut down is on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. (ET). Many teams, like the Browns, weren’t at the 90-man limit, likely because of the shortened offseason.

The Browns now sit at 80 players on the roster and, by Sept. 3, they’ll need to get down to 53 players. The challenge is not only figuring out which players you’re going to cut, but also watching the market to see which players other teams cut.

Also of note, the NFL has done with the third quarterback rule, expanding active gameday rosters to 46. The third quarterback rule stipulated that a team’s No. 3 quarterback must be designated as “inactive,” and could only enter the game in an emergency. Under the rule, the No. 3 quarterback could not be replaced by the team’s starter or backup if he entered within the first three quarters of the game. The NFL has decided to do away with the complexity, using the “emergency” slot as normal roster spot and allowing teams to interchange quarterbacks as they see fit.

Keep an eye on our NFL hub for news on roster cuts in the coming days.