The most brutal day on the NFL calendar is just around the corner with teams needing to significantly trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players .
This means 37 players from each team will be told that they are being released, in what will be a total of 1,184 who will become free agents in the hopes of being picked up elsewhere and continuing their NFL careers.
For the majority, they will likely never suit up in the NFL again, while many others will be hoping that they have shown enough in the preseason to be placed onto the team's practice squads, or better yet, making another team's 53-man roster.
Here, Mirror Sports U.S. has taken a look around the league at some of the biggest players who are likely to be cut ahead of the deadline at 4pm (ET) on Tuesday.
Bailey Zappe (QB, New England Patriots)
The Patriots spent a third-overall draft pick on Drake Maye to be their quarterback of the future with the rookie impressing in preseason, along with fellow rookie Joe Milton selected in the sixth round and seen as a developmental player at the position. For now, it looks like veteran Jacoby Brissett will be the team's starter - having 48 starts over his NFL career and being a dependable option until the organization feels that Maye is ready.
That leaves Zappe as the odd man out, unlikely to be seen as a future contender above Maye and Milton with the team not looking to keep four quarterbacks on the roster.
Zappe has proven to be a capable backup, limited in athleticism and arm strength but a strong enough player to move the ball downfield and win games instead of the starter should a team be looking for a number two.
Tommy DeVito (QB, New York Giants)
While Giants fans are hoping that DeVito remains on the roster , his position is certainly looking precarious.
New York already has Daniel Jones under contract as their starter while giving Drew Lock a significant deal to be their backup quarterback - leaving DeVito on the outside looking in unless the front office keeps three quarterbacks around.
Ideally, the Giants will hope to get DeVito back on the practice squad after his impressive performances in his rookie season with eight touchdowns to just three interceptions, but that will leave him open to being claimed by team's who might be looking for a backup.
Dameon Pierce (RB, Houston Texans)
After rushing for 939 yards in his rookie season in a struggling team, Pierce looked to be a potential superstar emerging... but his sophomore season had been a complete disaster.
Pierce went from rushing for 4.3 yards per carry in his first year to 2.9 in his second year - numbers among the lowest in the entire league while also struggling as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
The Texans have added Joe Mixon and Cam Akers this offseason who both seem to be above Pierce on the depth chart, while Dare Ogunbowale and JJ Taylor have impressed in preseason.
Kadarius Toney (WR, Kansas City Chiefs)
The former first-round pick is clearly extremely talented with his lighting speed and route-running abilities, but his mistakes on the field and gaffe's away from it could see him lose his place with the Chiefs.
Kansas City has its strongest wide receiving room in recent years this season, adding Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown in free agency and Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft, while hoping to see Rashee Rice take a leap after his impressive rookie year.
The Chiefs may feel that Toney is not worth the headache as their fourth or fifth-choice wide receiver, while offering little on special teams.
Robert Woods (WR, Houston Texas)
A productive wide receiver with 38 touchdowns over the last 11 years, Woods could be an instant starter for multiple teams in the league - but he won't be with the Texans.
After adding Stefon Diggs to Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Noah Brown and John Metchie, the veteran receiver looks to be the man who will be cut to save salary cap and allow further opportunities to Diggs.
A crafty route-runner who has thrived in multiple roles and systems in the NFL, Woods will be picked up quickly should he be cut before the deadline.
James Bradberry (CB, Philadelphia Eagles)
One of the best defensive players in the league in the 2022 season, Bradberry's play dropped off last season while being on a significant contract with the team. The Eagles have looked to move Bradberry around to safety after his struggles at corner last year - being targetted through the latter half of the 2023 season.
Cutting the defensive back will not save the team any money, but it will allow opportunities for the team's first two draft picks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to be given significant roles - which many believe they are deserving of.
Jeff Okudah (CB, Houston Texans)
The third Texan on this list, and the previous third overall draft pick from the 2020 draft class looks to have been beaten out of the starting spot by impressive rookie Kamari Lassiter, leaving him on the outside looking in.
A talented cornerback coming out of Ohio State who has just not been able to put it together in the NFL, being somewhat of a liability with the Detroit Lions before they traded him away to the Atlanta Falcons before he was released this past offseason. Okudah's lack of production might see him released, but his high draft stock should see him land on another roster rather quickly.
Lewis Cine (S, Minnesota Vikings)
A first-round pick just two years ago, Cine came into the league as an extremely exciting safety who had just won the National Championship Game MVP with Georgia - with the Vikings picking up to sure up the backend of their defense.
But after just three games into his rookie season, Cine suffered a brutal leg injury that ruled him out for over a year while needing two separate surgeries. Despite Cine now getting back to full health, and registering an interception and 11 tackles in his last game with the team, he finds himself in a very crowded defensive backs room in Minnesota. Expect him to be claimed quickly should he hit the waivers.
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