At the end of last season, Quinn Ewers was the Dolphins' starting quarterback. At the end of this preseason, Ewers was traded to the Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. Dolphins General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan says the decision to move on was based entirely on Ewers' performance in training camp and the preseason.
"When I made the decision I was set," Sullivan said. "Wish Quinn the best, and think Quinn has an opportunity to play in this league for a while and do well. I think he needed a fresh start. I think we needed a fresh start. This is a performance-based business and it was not getting done at the level it needed to get done at. Quinn knew that. We had a lot of conversations. I think Quinn, if he was standing here, would tell you that. I think it was time for him to move on, get a fresh start, and us to start fresh with somebody else as well."
When Ewers left Texas and entered the 2025 NFL draft, he reportedly turned down an $8 million NIL deal to stay in college for one more year. That looked like a mistake when he fell to the seventh round of the draft and signed a four-year, $4.3 million contract. Now Ewers has already had his first NFL team decide to move on.
In Jacksonville, Ewers gets a fresh start, backing up Trevor Lawrence and hoping that if he gets the opportunity to play, he'll show he can get it done.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 13: Rayshawn Jenkins #31 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of a handful of surprises from the Steelers on cutdown day was the team placing starting safety DeShon Elliott on injured reserve — guaranteeing he’ll miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
Talking to the media on Monday, Pittsburgh general manger Omar Khan claimed that Elliott had no setbacks recovering from his knee injury despite playing last week, saying it just the “right thing to do” after the safety wasn’t 100%.
Already seen as one of the thinnest position groups on the roster, Pittsburgh’s initial safety depth chart has just three names: Jaquan Brisker, Rayshawn Jenkins and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings.
To make things more interesting, Brisker has had a quiet summer, never playing in the preseason and missing the last several weeks of practice with an injury. He’s expected to go Week 1, but his level of readiness — and how he’ll look in general — is difficult to gauge from the outside.
But assuming Brisker is good to go against the Falcons who will start opposite him? It’s worth throwing veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey into the mix, who filled in at safety for the secondary-needy Steelers last year. It’s apparent the team still views Ramsey as a nickel defender first and foremost, but starting him at safety to open the season might allow Pittsburgh to field its best 11 on defense with Brandin Echols also being a capable name defending the slot.
However, I’d guess the Steelers start Jenkins Week 1. The veteran started nine games in 2023 and has 92 career starts under his belt. In the preseason, his strengths had some clear similarities to Elliott, with Jenkins looking comfortable in the box and being used as a blitzer in Patrick Graham’s aggressive scheme with general success.
Spears-Jennings deserves mention after a strong preseason himself, but the rookie seventh-rounder will almost certainly be starting his NFL career primarily on special teams. And with two safeties on the practice squad currently in Sebastian Castro and Juanyeh Thomas, Pittsburgh will be able to make some elevations to further bolster the depth, although it will mainly be more special teams contributors.
The secondary should be able to survive the expected four weeks without Elliott. It’s a big loss, but Jenkins can provide Elliott-esque play, and Ramsey’s versatility means he could rotate in as a safety when the team is in base defense, or if Jenkins just isn’t the right player for the situation.
That said, Pittsburgh’s defensive backfield had coverage issues in the preseason, and while it wasn’t a disaster as the team was down most of its starters, there is reason to wonder how those top players will look with little time to gel together before the regular season.
Joey Porter Jr. didn’t practice leading up to cutdown day, staying on the PUP list and waiting for a new contract. Ramsey never played in the preseason and missed time with injury, as did Brisker. And now Elliott will miss the opening stretch of the year.
There are plenty of talented names on paper, but the Steelers secondary is still a mystery headed into Week 1.
What are your thoughts on the Steelers’ safety room? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 27: Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers talks to fans before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 27, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
49ers, with 8,000-mile trip on tap, deal with roster uncertainty for opener (paywall) “Earlier in the offseason, after Los Angeles traded for Garrett, Lynch joked about reading an inspirational John Wooden quote that fell on deaf ears with Shanahan. The quote read: “Don’t lose sleep worrying about your competition. Let them lose sleep worrying about you,” to which Shanahan responded, “You know what? F John Wooden.”
The feeling is only exacerbated by the return of Donald. But Lynch still feels confident in his team’s prospects ahead of the Rams showdown.
“They got better certainly with him deciding to come out of retirement,” Lynch said. “I think we’re pretty good, too.”
Nope. It’s the truth. Usually, we get all three of these practices and then by that Monday is like when we come in and usually do leadership council, captains and, ‘all right, this is who we’re rolling with.’ But, we haven’t had those three practices yet and we just added a new guy to the group too. So, it’s truly fluid.”
“The 49ers announced they have re-signed safety Ashtyn Davis and punter Corliss Waitman to one-year deals. To make room on the roster, the team placed cornerback Nate Hobbs and linebacker Nick Martin on the injured reserve list.”
49ers lose UDFA Bryson Eason to the Chiefs; 2 players the Niners should add to the practice squad “Eason fell to a numbers game at defensive tackle. It’s an unfortunate loss. He looked the part. Was a smart player who held his own against the run. There wasn’t much to offer in the passing game, but you could argue that’s true for the majority of the defensive tackles on the 49ers roster.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall to see how much draft status played a part in this decision. Eason outplayed Alfred Collins in the preseason. You could argue he was just as good, if not better, than CJ West during the games. But those were draft picks and you’re not going to cut ties with the players you invested in the draft just a year ago…[Isiah] Foskey played edge rusher for the Bengals. He was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He had a strong preseason, recording 11 pressures. His tackling was shoddy, but Foskey showed enough as a pass rusher and was comfortable dropping into coverage, where it’s worth a waiver claim — especially for a team struggling to generate a pass rush.
Foskey has good size and length at nearly 6’5”, 264 pounds, with 34” arms. He ran a 4.58 40 and had a broad jump in the 89th percentile, so the get-off should be there. The 49ers would be banking on the second-round pedigree, Notre Dame’s all-time sack leader, and a player who plays hard. The idea is to upgrade your depth at edge rusher. Foskey allows you to get younger and more athletic.”
49ers initial roster + waivers reaction (paywall) “I’m not shocked that Robert Jones was cut. He was bad all preseason. I’m also not shocked Cruz made it, though he was worse all preseason. With Lowe in question and Pleasants out four weeks, it makes more sense. I had Toth as making the roster, then heading to IR. I had Zakelj as a cut. They went on season-ending IR instead, which … is functionally the same (unless an injury settlement goes down).”
The Jets cut their initial roster to 52 players Sunday, leaving one open spot.
That spot should be filled Monday, when a trade the Jets agreed to on Sunday is finalized. Jets general manager Darren Mougey agreed to a deal to acquire backup center/guard Jordan Meredith from the Raiders, addressing a glaring weakness on the team. The Jets sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Meredith and a 2029 seventh-round pick.
Take flight with the Jets
Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.
The Jets needed a backup for center Josh Myers and guards Joe Tippmann and Dylan Parham. The backups on the interior offensive line have struggled throughout camp. The Jets cut Xavier Newman, who had been the backup center.
There were no real surprises among the cuts. They cut quarterback Brady Cook, who started four games for the team last year, but it was clear that was coming. Cook had been the fourth quarterback all camp. Defensive end Nate Lynn, who had three sacks in two preseason games, was also waived. Defensive end Braiden McGregor made the initial roster, which was a mild surprise. The team also kept four tight ends, with Jelani Woods making the team, and fullback Andrew Beck.
Rookies VJ Payne and Anez Cooper were placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, meaning they could return as soon as Week 5.
Jordan Meredith #61 of the Las Vegas Raiders exits the field at halftime of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
The Jets have to hope the addition of Meredith gives them a viable center if Myers is injured. Meredith started 11 games for the Raiders last season. Las Vegas had one of the worst offensive lines in football, allowing a league-high 64 sacks. The Jets now have two pieces of that offensive line. They signed Dylan Parham to be their starting left guard in the offseason.
Meredith, 28, will be reunited with quarterback Geno Smith with the Jets. Smith was the Raiders quarterback last year. Meredith is in the final year of his contract and is scheduled to make $3.5 million.
Meredith went undrafted out of Western Kentucky before signing with the Rams in 2021. He was released by the Rams before the season started and then hooked on with the Raiders in 2022. He played in 45 games with 20 starts for them.
New York Jets quarterback Cade Klubnik (10) runs with the ball during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New York Giants on Friday, August 28, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. AP Photo/Adam Hunger
Teams will be awarded waiver claims Monday afternoon. The Jets are second in the waiver order, so they should have their pick of players.
The two big question marks with the Jets now are kicker and backup quarterback. Jason Sanders beat Cade York out in training camp for the Jets kicking spot, but he has hardly inspired confidence. Sanders missed an extra point and a field goal in Friday’s preseason finale against the Giants. Sanders is on the initial roster, but his spot is tenuous.
Blake Grupe emerged as a potential target for the Jets after losing the Colts’ kicking battle to Spencer Shrader. Another possibility is Charlie Smyth, who was cut by the Saints on Sunday after losing their competition to Daniel Carlson.
The other big question is backup quarterback. Rookie Cade Klubnik has been the No. 2 quarterback throughout training camp and the preseason, but he has not made a convincing argument that he should enter the season as Smith’s primary backup. Many teams kept four quarterbacks on Sunday, eliminating many of the potential targets the Jets could have had. The Titans did release former starter Will Levis. He is an intriguing choice. Another couple of veterans were cut — Josh Johnson by the Bengals and Jake Browning by the Buccaneers.
Jets kicker Jason Sanders (19) misses a field goal during the fourth quarter of the Jets and Giants game on Friday, August 28, 2026, in East Rutherford, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
There was some other interesting roster news from early-season Jets opponents. The Packers moved star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the regular-season version of the physically unable to perform list, meaning he will miss the first four games. The Jets face the Packers in Week 2. Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs also landed on the commissioner’s exempt list after recent legal trouble. He is not allowed to play while on that list.
The Lions placed safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph on PUP, meaning they will miss the Week 3 game against Detroit.
FOXBOROUGH, MA - AUGUST 22: Marcellas Dial Jr. #27 of the New England Patriots during a preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles on August 22, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The New England Patriots began the process of cutting their roster down to 53 players on Saturday. After starting the day with 91 players, including roster-exempt offensive tackle Lorenz Metz, they currently stand at 73 following a series of releases and acquiring running back Corey Kiner via trade.
Let’s find out what it means for the Patriots from a big-picture perspective.
No surprises
New England’s first wave of cuts did not include any surprises, as the Patriots largely released undrafted free agents who were buried on the depth chart. The harder decisions will come Sunday. Among them:
Did rookie Behren Morton do enough to warrant keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster? How will the offensive and defensive depth shake out in the trenches? Did a young pass rusher do enough to stick behind Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder? And who will emerge as the top backup cornerback in the secondary?
Practice squad candidates
The Patriots will finalize their initial 53-man roster by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. The roster movement doesn’t stop as they will need to make space for any awarded waiver claims and then begin the process of putting together their 16 player practice squad.
New England’s developmental squad will primarily be built by players they have released over the last two days that clear waivers, which includes wide receiver Kyle Dixon, who impressed in the preseason finale hauling in all eight of his targets for 71 yards. Dixon could be joined by fellow wideouts Nick DeGennaro and/or Cameron Dorner.
Among the other players to watch are offensive lineman Jacob Rizy and Mehki Butler, linebacker Riley Wilson and safety Peter Manuma.
Lonesome Drake Maye
As the Patriots released cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. on Saturday, Drake Maye is now the only remaining member of the 2024 draft class. The team had previously traded the only other member of that draft class to make it to 2026, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, to the Dolphins.
From the 2022 to 2024 NFL Drafts, the Patriots have just four total players remaining — Maye, wide receiver DeMario Douglas, punter Bryce Baringer, and cornerback Marcus Jones. For a team that lacks depth, as admitted by head coach Mike Vrabel after the preseason game versus the Eagles, that is a the top reason why.
Salary cap considerations
Saturday’s cuts did little to change New England’s salary-cap picture, as most of the players released or waived were carrying minimum-salary contracts, with several not counting toward the team’s top-51 cap number. Perhaps the most notable change was replacing Hassan Haskins’ $1.145 million cap charge with that of trade acquisition Corey Kiner, who carries a $1.005 million charge.
In total, the Patriots still have more than $30 million in cap space, giving them plenty of flexibility moving forward.
20 cuts to go
The Patriots released/waived 19 players on Friday night and Saturday, leaving their current roster at 73 players. They must make at least 20 more cuts by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET to get down to 53 players.
In order to stay on top of all the latest cuts and releases, please make sure to regularly visit our Patriots roster cuts tracker.
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 13: Jaden Dugger #53 and Gracen Halton #93 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate during a preseason NFL game against the Tennessee Titans on August 13, 2026 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Predicting the 49ers roster before Sunday’s cutdown to 53: Who stays, who plays, who’s out? (Paywall) “Of the six here, the selection that appears most iffy is Hobbs, who has barely practiced this camp and sports an already long injury history. He was supposed to offer nickel depth behind Stout, and perhaps he can still do that, but Robinson is a younger option who showed some flashes after his rookie camp (and season altogether) was derailed by a broken forearm. Recent side workouts seemed promising for Hobbs. There is a good chance, if he is the pick, the 49ers try to stash Robinson on their practice squad. Luter had his opportunities over three seasons with the organization. The signing of Jones and drafting of Prysock this past offseason put him squarely on the bubble. Luter doesn’t play nickel so whose spot could he take?”
Unranked and unloved by scouts, Jaden Dugger might be 49ers’ new late-round find (paywall) “On Jan. 23, 2023, his brother, Dajuan, the oldest of five siblings, died in his sleep. He was 24. Dajuan had been a quarterback at Division II Lock Haven University, setting the example for his football-playing brothers, Jaden, Dalen and Julian, a sophomore quarterback at Washington State….“Time makes it easier, but you never forget,” Dugger said. “Some days are harder than others. … Something like that is terrible, but I feel like it taught me a lot about myself. I kind of feel like I’m not playing the game for myself anymore. I definitely was before.”
…[KJ] Wright was convicted by Dugger’s feel for the position. While studying video, Wright was impressed by how Dugger reacted to a reverse — taking off as if he had heard the play in the opponent’s huddle.
Wright made it the second play of a highlight reel presented to head coach Kyle Shanahan. To Wright, it was evidence that the former wide receiver, cornerback, safety and pass rusher was, unquestionably, a linebacker — one who was raw but could become a star with seasoning.
“He’s going to be a guy that will anticipate plays and see them before they happen,” Wright said. “That’s just a gift he has. It’s hard to coach. You just have to have the gift.”
Dugger admits he once viewed another of his assets — his versatility — as a curse. When he was moved from the secondary to the defensive front after arriving at Louisiana, he was frustrated.
“It was like, ‘Dang, I’m a safety. Why are they switching me?’” he said.
But his mindset shifted. And his fortunes changed. Now, after overcoming Division I rejection, personal tragedy and skepticism from scouts about what, exactly, he was, he has a shot to become more than anyone imagined.”
“That’s why you want as long as possible,” Shanahan said. “They’re moving it up this year on Sunday with us leaving for Australia so soon. So it just makes it a little bit harder to guess where those guys are going to be.
“Most of our guys, besides Ricky, are going to be all right. How good are they going to be Week 1? How good are they going to be Week 2? Those are things we’ve got to balance out.”
4 Winners and 2 losers: Is the 49ers’ defensive line depth good enough? “This kid is worth investing in. On Dinkins’ second play, the team trusted him to stay in and pass protect. He ended up helping right tackle Brandon Parker on a defensive lineman. On the next play, Dinkins drove the safety about seven yards from where he started.
On the play where Jordan James ran for 17 yards, Dinkins worked to the linebacker and secured him, paving the way for James. Who knows if Dinkins ever turns into a viable pass catcher, but he is the exact type of prospect the team has drafted in the sixth round under this regime.
Dinkins is a keeper. The aggression he plays with is palpable. Dinkins blocks with the intent that George Kittle would admire. He should stick on the practice squad.”
Jason Sanders beat out Cade York in this summer’s kicking competition, but the Jets have to be searching for another kicker to bring in before they play the Titans on Sept. 13.
Take flight with the Jets
Text with Brian Costello all season as he brings Sports+ subscribers the latest Jets intel from on the field and off.
Sanders missed an extra point and a 54-yard field goal attempt Friday night against the Giants.
The 54-yarder came up well short.
Sanders has done little to inspire confidence this summer, but he was slightly more consistent than York so the Jets kept him and cut York last Tuesday.
That came one day after Sanders went 2-for-5 in practice field goal attempts. Sanders has not shown a big leg at all and now is even missing shorter kicks.
“Am I worried about it?” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said after the Jets’ 23-6 preseason loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “I didn’t like the fact that we missed these field goals. But the thing is we’re not going to panic and we’re going to make sure we make the right decision to make sure either we fix those issues or we get the right person in here.
“Jason’s been good for us. He’s been good in practice. I’m going to evaluate that and see exactly what direction we’ll go.”
The Jets did not re-sign Nick Folk in free agency after he had an outstanding 2025 season.
Jason Sanders misses a kick in the fourth quarter of the Jets’ 23-6 preseason loss to the Giants on Aug. 28, 2026 at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun / New York Post
Folk instead signed with the Falcons.
The Jets now may be searching for another kicker either through a trade or on the waiver wire after teams make cuts this weekend.
Edge rusher Joseph Ossai started, one of the few players expected to have a big regular-season role to play.
But Ossai left with a foot injury after 11 plays and did not return.
Ossai was on the sideline and looked OK, but it is an injury to watch since the Jets expect him to have a role on defense after signing him to a three-year, $34.5 million contract in March.
Rookie guard Anez Cooper left the game with a shoulder injury.
CB Tre Brown (finger) and RB Dominic Richardson (elbow) also left the game.
