The deadline for NFL teams to get down to their 53-man roster was Sunday at 4:00 PM EST, but the sand is shifting under our feet, as some players get picked up by other teams or signed to a practice squad in the fluid and frantic 48 hours that follow. The dust hasn’t fully settled yet, but enough time has passed that it’s worthwhile to take a snapshot of where players’ ultimate fate currently stands.
Cut from Roster / No Practice Squad
These players were cut and, as of now, have not been picked up
by another team:
- Nick Jackson (LB) – Tampa Bay
- Aaron Graves (R) (DL) – Baltimore Ravens
- Ethan Hurkett (R) (DL) – Kansas City Chiefs
Waived & Then Signed to a Practice Squad
These players were waived by their respective team but signed to their respective practice squads once they cleared waivers:
- Brandon Smith (WR) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Sebastian Castro (S) – Pittsburgh Steelers
- TJ Hall Jr. (DB) – New Orleans Saints
- Geno Stone (S) – Buffalo Bills
- Kristian Welch (LB) Green Bay Packers
- Tyler Goodson (RB) – Atlanta Falcons
- Ihmir Smith-Marsette (WR) – Arizona Cardinals
- Jack Heflin (DL) – New York Jets
- Charlie Jones (WR) – New Your Giants
- Kaevon Merriweather (S) – Jackson Jaguars
- Mark Gronowski (R) (QB) – Miami Dolphins
- Max Llewellyn (R) (DL) – Miami Dolphins
It’s worth noting that Charlie Jones was cut from the Cincinnati Bengals and chose not to resign to their practice squad, opting instead to sign with the New York Giants. Kaevon Merriweather was cut from the Houston Texans and signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad.
Max Llewellyn survived the initial 53-man cuts on Sunday, but was waived on Monday after Miami claimed a league-high seven players off waivers. He was subsequently signed back to the Dolphins practice squad.
Kaleb Johnson Traded to the Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers acquired Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. The trade materialized rapidly and, as it was a formal player-for-pick trade executed before the 53-man roster deadline, Johnson bypassed the waiver wire entirely. He went straight onto Green Bay’s active 53-man roster, where his rookie contract transfers directly to the Packers’ salary cap.
Iowa Rookies in the NFL
Last month, I wrote about the Hawkeyes having a record seven players drafted this year, with an additional 5 signing as Undrafted Free Agents (UDFAs). As of this writing, only Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett (a UDFA) have been cut and not picked up. Two of those rookies, Mark Gronowski and Max Llewellyn, are on practice squads. The rest have all made the 53-man roster for their teams. Quite the feat for the 2025 edition of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and a lot of former Hawkeyes to watch on Sundays as the season progresses.
