The 2024 NFL preseason is officially over.
The N ew England Patriots brass will turn their attention to assembling the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo have some difficult decisions ahead of the 53-man deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Below you'll find everything you need to know about roster cuts ahead of the 2024 NFL season.
2024 NFL Roster Cuts Important Details
Unlike the past few years, the NFL has reverted from gradual roster cuts throughout the preseason to a single deadline. Rosters must be reduced to 53 players virtually all at once. The team has several different transactions they can use to make that happen. Here are the terms you need to familiarize yourself with:
- Released: When a vested veteran (those who have accrued four seasons in the NFL) is cut from a team. These players are not required to pass through waivers and can immediately become unrestricted free agents. Sometimes that means they'll sign with another team. Other times, teams can release these veterans and re-sign them after they've placed other players on injured reserve.
- Waived: Players who have not accrued four seasons in the NFL are waived instead of being released. 31 NFL teams will have a chance to claim waived players on their 53-man roster by 11:00 a.m. CT on August 28. If players are not claimed on waivers, they become unrestricted free agents. Waiver priority this time of year is determined by team records from the previous season. The team with the worst record will get the top waiver priority, in this case, the C arolina Panthers. The Chiefs will have the lowest waiver priority as Super Bowl LVIII champions.
- Waived/injured: If these players clear waivers they will revert to the Chiefs’ injured reserve list. They can opt to spend the season with Kansas City on IR or reach an injury settlement with the team, which will pay them for the number of weeks they'll miss with injury and make them an unrestricted free agent. Players who opt for the latter route can rejoin the team later in the season after they're healthy.
- Injured reserve: Up until this year, a player had to make the initial 53-man roster to be placed on IR and be eligible to return later in the season. Now, up to two players can be placed on IR on the day of final cuts (Tuesday) and be designated to return. Teams still have the option to carry injured players on the 53-man roster and some good reasons to do so. First, if a player is placed on IR, he is forced to miss at least four games. Second, if a player makes the initial 53 and is placed on IR on the following day, there are eight designations to return from IR — and another two for playoff teams.
- Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list: Players on the Active/PUP list can be placed on the Reserve/PUP list in a move to get the roster down to 53 players. Players who are moved to the Reserve/PUP list do not count against the 53-man roster. They can attend team meetings, and use team facilities for rehab, but are not allowed to practice for four weeks. After four weeks, another 21-day window opens up, where the player can practice and be activated. If they’re not activated in those 21 days, they must be placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
- Reserve/Non-football injury/illness (NFI) lists : Players placed on either Reserve/NFI lists have to go through the same process as players on the Reserve/PUP list. They do not count toward the 53-man roster. They can go to team meetings and use facilities for rehab, but they’re not allowed to participate in practice for four weeks. After that, a four-week period opens where they can return to practice and the team can choose to activate the player. If the player isn’t activated at the end of the second four-week period, they’ll remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season. The big difference between the NFI and PUP lists is that teams can withhold a portion of a player’s salary if they’re placed on the NFI lists.
- Reserve/Suspended list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Suspended list have to serve out an NFL suspension. Players on this list do not count toward 53-man roster limits and are not paid their base salary. The latest indication from the Chiefs and the NFL is that Rashee Rice will not be suspended to start the 2024 NFL season .
- Reserve/Did Not Report list: Players who are placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list have left their team. The Chiefs could have used this list on Chris Jones last season when he sat out Week 1, but they opted against it. It's unlikely that any players will be placed on this list this season.
- Reserve/Retired list: Players who are placed on this list have retired from the NFL. This is a pretty rare transaction that you typically wouldn't see in a move to get to 53 players.
NFL practice squad rules
After the claiming period has ended at 11:00 AM CT on Wednesday, Aug. 28, teams are permitted to assemble their 16-man practice squads. Here are the rules on who can be signed to the practice squad.
- Players who do not have an accrued season (I.E. rookies).
- Players who were on the active roster for fewer than nine regular-season games during their only accrued season(s).
- Up to four players per team with no more than two accrued seasons.
- Up to six players per team with no accrued season limitations (I.E. vested veterans).
Patriots’ 2024 roster cuts
Aug 27 (Tuesday)
Aug 26 (Monday)
Aug 21
Players Patriots placed on injured reserve
- G/C Jake Andrews
- WR JaQuae Jackson
Players Patriots placed on PUP
- WR Kendrick Bourne
- "WR Kendrick Bourne (ACL) is starting the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, making him ineligible for the first four games," per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
- OL Cole Strange
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