Get your popcorn tissues ready.
NFL roster cut deadline day is a brutal reminder for many players, both veterans and undrafted free agents alike, that tomorrow is never guaranteed in the league. With rosters crunching from 90 players to 53, dreams are dashed and anxiety of unknowing the next stop can be crushing.
But those who earned a tomorrow in the NFL emerge as bright spots of the cuts. Look no further than Baltimore Ravens rookies Joe Fagnano and Ethan Burke.
Both Fagnano and Burke, undrafted free agent signings this offseason, made Baltimore's 53-man roster, avoiding the roster cuts to secure spots with the team. That news came as something of a surprise to both players; their reaction, both emotional and tear-jerking, was caught on video
by the Ravens' multimedia team.
Take a look:
The best moment every year 🥹
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 31, 2026
EDC tells undrafted rookies @joefagnano and @eburke4lax that they've officially made the 53-man roster: pic.twitter.com/uyKmhBNbyn
Notably, Fagnano was taken aback after Ravens GM Eric DaCosta told him he made the team.
"Shut up," he said in disbelief, while giving a jovial push to DaCosta in disbelief. "Are you serious? Dude."
Later, Fagnano makes the call to his parents, shedding tears at the realization that he made the team.
"I thought they were gonna let me go, and then they just surprised me and said I made it," Fagnano told his mom. "Yeah, I made the team."
Fagnano signed a three-year deal with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in March. The passer finished his college career in UConn, spending the first four years of his football journey at the University of Maine. Fagnano through 28 touchdowns to just one interception with the Huskies in 2025.
Burke, the 6-6 Texas outside linebacker, signed with the Ravens a few days earlier, joining an organization that has a reputation of developing pass rushers at the professional level.
Both Fagnano and Burke face a reality where there's still more work to be done to make it to an NFL Sunday, but for now, the dream is just as sweet.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ravens rookies left teary-eyed, emotional after making team
