With the regular season around the corner, every team across the NFL decided to go into the barber shop and get a haircut. They trimmed the sides, took a little off the top, and cut their rosters from the 90-man units they had during the offseason down to the opening 53 players.
While most of the usual suspects on various teams remain unchanged, there were naturally some surprises that had occurred leading up to Tuesday's deadline. Remember, teams are not bound to simply keep or cut players, they can look to execute trades, while also deciding whether or not to keep some stars on the physically unable to perform list, sidelining them for either the first month or the entire season altogether. With that in mind, there were a number of levers that general managers pulled throughout the day.
So, who came out on top? Let's roll out some winners and losers from cutdown day in the NFL.
Winner: Mac Jones
While Jones is no longer situated as a starting quarterback in the NFL like he was a season ago in New England, the former first-round pick was a winner this summer after he beat out C.J. Beathard for the backup job in Jacksonville behind Trevor Lawrence. Jones was sturdy this preseason, completing 73% of his passes for 421 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions in three preseason contests. Again, he's not vying for a starting job at the moment, but he has proven he can be a capable backup if Lawrence were to miss time.
Loser: Kadarius Toney
Toney's time with the Kansas City Chiefs came to a close on Tuesday with the defending Super Bowl champs deciding to release the wideout. This is a rough blow for Toney for a couple of reasons. First, you're no longer in a situation with Andy Reid as your head coach and Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback, which is possibly the best scenario for a young receiver to be in. Second, if you can't make it work in that system, teams might be weary that Toney will be able to work in theirs.
Winner: Samajie Perine
It's rare to lose your job and somehow still turn out a winner, but that's what I see here with Perine. As of yesterday, he was on a Denver Broncos team that is not expected to make a playoff run and a member of a crowded backfield headlined by Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Now that the team released him, Perine can write his own ticket. The veteran back can look for a new home in the NFL that not only gives him an opportunity for more touches out of the backfield but also can contend for a Super Bowl. A reunion with the Bengals or joining the Chiefs or Packers make a lot of sense for the still-productive pass-catching back.
Loser: Desmond Ridder and the Cardinals
One of the more surprising cuts of the summer came in Arizona with the Cardinals getting rid of Desmond Ridder. His release comes after the team traded wideout Rondale Moore, a former second-round pick, for him in a deal with the Falcons. Instead of seeing that investment through, the franchise gave the QB2 job to Clayton Tune, who completed 55% of his passes in his lone start last season. While Ridder was unable to establish himself as a bonafide starter with the Falcons, he's a serviceable backup who went 6-7 as a starter with an 83.4 passer rating last year. In my estimation, he gave Atlanta the higher floor under center over Tune in the event that Kyler Murray misses time.
Winner: Hendon Hooker
In what has been a rough couple of years for Hooker, the Tennessee product finally gets a win. With the Detroit Lions releasing Nate Sudfeld, the backup job behind Jared Goff in the Motor City belongs to Hooker, who put together a solid preseason. In the preseason finale against the Steelers, Hooker got an extended look and completed 12 of his 20 pass attempts for 114 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed for 93 yards on 10 attempts. While there's always a chance the Lions bring in another quarterback (possibly even Sudfeld), Hooker's play seems to be giving the club confidence that he can be the backup going forward.
Loser: AJ Dillon
As we noted in the intro, cutdown day isn't just about teams making or missing out on roster spots. It's also a time when we get some injury updates on various players who were on the physically unable to perform list. In Green Bay, the Packers decided to place Dillon on injured reserve, ending his season. The back had been dealing with a neck injury. This now leaves some questions regarding Green Bay's backfield behind Josh Jacobs, particularly with Dillon gone for the year and rookie MarShawn Lloyd dealing with hamstring and hip issues this summer. It's possible the club could look to the waiver wire to add some depth to that position (possibly someone like Samaje Perine above).
