NFL teams are about to make some painful decisions.
All 32 teams entered the final weekend of the preseason with rosters of up to 90 players. Now comes the hard part.
NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 53 players by Sunday evening, meaning nearly 1,200 players will be released or waived across the league. Some will be claimed by another team. Many will return on practice squads. Others will be looking for work.
And the first 53-man roster isn't necessarily the one teams will take into Week 1.
Here's how NFL roster cuts work, when players can be claimed and what happens after the deadline.
When are NFL roster cuts in 2026?
The NFL roster cut deadline is 6 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 30.
Every team must reduce its active roster to a maximum of 53 players by the deadline.
The NFL had held
its final cutdown on the Tuesday following the preseason since 2021. The league moved the deadline to Sunday this season with the upcoming Week 1 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in Australia.
The final preseason games were played Saturday, Aug. 29.
How many players do NFL teams have to cut?
NFL teams can carry up to 90 players during training camp but only 53 on their initial regular-season roster.
That doesn't mean every team will release exactly 37 players Sunday.
Teams have been making cuts throughout the weekend and can also trade players or use reserve lists for injured players.
The 53-man roster can also begin changing almost immediately through waiver claims, free-agent signings and injured-reserve moves.
What is the difference between waived and released in the NFL?
Getting cut doesn't work the same way for every NFL player.
Players with fewer than four accrued NFL seasons are subject to the waiver system. When they're waived, the other 31 teams get an opportunity to claim their existing contracts.
An accrued season generally requires a player to spend at least six regular-season games on a team's active/inactive list, injured reserve or physically unable to perform list.
Veterans with at least four accrued seasons who are released bypass the waiver wire and become unrestricted free agents immediately. They don't have to wait to clear waivers and can sign with any team.
How does the NFL waiver wire work after roster cuts?
For players waived during the final roster reduction, teams have until 1 p.m. ET Monday, Aug. 31, to submit claims. If multiple teams claim the same player, he is awarded to the team with the highest waiver priority.
The team making the successful claim inherits the player's existing contract and must have room for him on its 53-man roster.
At this point in the NFL calendar, waiver priority is based on the original 2026 NFL Draft order. The Las Vegas Raiders have the No. 1 waiver priority this year.
The order doesn't switch to the current NFL standings until after the third week of the regular season.
If nobody submits a claim, the player clears waivers and becomes a free agent who can sign with any team, including the one that just waived him.
When can NFL teams form practice squads?
After Monday's waiver process is completed, teams can begin establishing their practice squads.
NFL teams are allowed a 16-player practice squad plus one player designated through the International Player Pathway program for a maximum of 17.
A player who was waived can't be claimed directly for another team's practice squad. A team claiming him must put him on its 53-man roster. He must first clear waivers and become a free agent before he can sign to a practice squad.
Practice-squad players aren't locked into that organization for the season. They can sign to another team's active roster, subject to NFL rules.
Can NFL teams put players on injured reserve during roster cuts?
Yes. Teams can place injured players on injured reserve while reducing their rosters to 53, but whether those players can return later depends on how they're designated.
NFL teams can designate up to two players for return when placing them on injured reserve during final roster cuts. Those players don't have to first make the initial 53-man roster and can return after missing at least four games.
Other injured players whom teams want to bring back later must initially be carried on the 53 and then moved to injured reserve after the cutdown deadline, opening roster spots for other players.
Teams can designate up to eight players to return from injured reserve during the regular season. Playoff teams receive two additional return designations.
Players placed on injured reserve before or during final cuts without being designated for return are out for the season.
What is the NFL PUP list?
PUP stands for physically unable to perform and is used for players unable to practice because of football-related injuries.
A player must have been placed on Active/PUP at the beginning of training camp and remained there without practicing to be eligible to begin the regular season on Reserve/PUP.
Players moved to Reserve/PUP at the roster deadline don't count against the 53-man roster but must miss at least the first four games before they can return.
There's a change to the rule in 2026: Players beginning the season on Reserve/PUP can start practicing with their teams after their Week 2 game, giving them additional time to ramp up before they become eligible to play after Week 4.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: When are NFL roster cuts? What to know about 53-man roster deadline
