Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I'm going to cut right to the chase today: NFL cut day is upon us.
The league used to hold three cut days, but then that number was trimmed down to two in recent years, but now, there's only one cut day and that day is today. Things are probably going to get pretty crazy over the next few hours, which is why I'm mixing pure Colombian coffee grounds into everything I eat and drink today. It's the only way to survive. I will then probably wash that down with three Red Bulls that I will likely also mix with coffee grounds.
Cut day isn't just a big day for cuts; it's also a day where we'll see a lot of trades, so we'll be following all of those as the day unfolds. Also, to break up the monotony of cuts, we'll be unveiling our All-AFC East team. Oh, and we'll also be TALKING TO Jimmy Garoppolo!
Anyway, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown.
1. Today's Show: Picking which teams will make the playoffs by spinning a giant wheel
Today is a big day for the Pick Six podcast and that's because I finally made my return. After sitting out for most of the month due to my suspension -- just kidding, I was on vacation -- the crew invited me on to join Tuesday's show.
I was on with Katie Mox, Will Brinson and Emory Hunt and we decided to turn a good chunk of the episode into a game show, which I think was our way of honoring Bob Barker (RIP Bob).
The rules of the game were simple: We each got to spin our giant NFL wheel, which consisted of 32 teams and then we had to come up with our best bet for the team we landed on.
Here's a look at one team that we each landed on:
- Hunt: Cowboys. America's team is also Emory's team. After watching them win 12 games in each of the past two seasons, Hunt thinks the Cowboys are going to be even better this year. He thinks they're going to get back to the NFC title game for the first time since 1995, BUT, he doesn't have them in the Super Bowl. The odds of the Cowboys getting to the NFC Championship are currently sitting at +650.
- Katie: Browns. After watching Deshaun Watson struggle through six games last year, Katie doesn't think things are going to get much better for him this year. Her best bet was the Browns missing the playoffs, which has odds of -135.
- Brinson: 49ers. Brinson got bold with his prediction: He thinks the 49ers are going to get to the Super Bowl, only to lose. One reason Brinson loves this pick is because the odds are +750.
- Breech: Ravens. As a noted Bengals homer, this might be hard to believe, but I actually like the Ravens a lot this year. If Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, there's no reason this team can't contend in the AFC. My best bet is that the Ravens make it to the divisional round, which has some juicy odds at +350.
Our podcast turned game show from today covered multiple best bets and if you want to hear them all, you can do that by listening to the show here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. NFL cut day is here: Every roster must be trimmed down to 53 players
Between now and 4 p.m. ET, all 32 NFL teams have to cut their rosters down from 90 players to 53 players, which means there are going to be more than 1,100 players out of a job by the end of the day.
When that many players are being released, there are always going to be a few surprises, and we've already seen a few with the release of Cardinals QB Colt McCoy and Giants WR Jamison Crowder. Although there are still a few more hours to go until the deadline, here's a look at some notable players who have already been released:
QB Colt McCoy (Cardinals)
QB Trace McSorley (Patriots)
QB Jake Fromm (Commanders)
QB Trevor Siemian (Bengals)
RB Myles Gaskin (Dolphins)
WR Jamison Crowder (Giants)
TE Albert Okwuegbunam (Broncos)
LB Christian Kirksey (Texans)
LB Deion Jones (Panthers)
P Pat O'Donnell (Packers)
RB Zonovan Knight (Jets)
RB Kenyan Drake (Colts)
Cuts will be coming out fast and furious all day, and it's not going to be easy to keep track of. The good news is that we've made that easy for you with a CUTS TRACKER. If you want to check out the full list of cuts as they happen, just click here. (The list won't be final until after the 4 p.m. ET deadline.)
We've also got a live blog that you can follow along -- where we break down the cuts -- and you can check that out by clicking here.
3. NFL trade parade: Teams are wheeling and dealing heading into final cuts
Final cuts won't be the only thing happening in the NFL today. There will also be quite a few trades, and if you're wondering why that happens, it's pretty simple: If a talented player is on the verge of being released, a team will usually call around to see if anyone wants to make a trade before cutting him. By making a deal, they get something in return for a player they were going to cut anyway.
There have been quite a few trades since yesterday's newsletter, so let's do a quick rundown of every deal that's happened over the 24 hours:
Browns-Chargers trade
- Browns get: K Dustin Hopkins
- Chargers get: 2025 seventh-round pick
- Notes: The Browns surprisingly made the decision to cut Cade York, who struggled during the preseason. York was going into his second season after being drafted in the fourth round in 2022. As of Tuesday at noon, the Browns still had not technically released York, though, so it is possible they could try to trade him to a kicker-needy team.
Saints-Broncos trade
- Saints get: TBD
- Broncos get: K Wil Lutz
Bears-Dolphins trade
- Bears get: OL Dan Feeney
- Dolphins get: 2024 sixth-round pick
Panthers-Chiefs trade
- Panthers get: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, conditional 2025 seventh-rounder
- Chiefs get: Conditional 2025 seventh-rounder
Giants-Bills trade
- Giants get: DE Boogie Basham, 2025 late-round draft pick (via NFL.com)
- Bills get: 2025 late-round draft pick
TRADE RUMORS: These guys haven't been traded, but there's speculation that a deal could get done before the end of the day.
- Colts RB Jonathan Taylor. The Colts set a deadline for today to trade Taylor, which means he is definitely the big name to watch. If Taylor doesn't get traded today, that doesn't mean a deal won't happen, but the Colts clearly want to get something done before they have to finalize their 53-man roster at 4 p.m. ET.
- Patriots K Nick Folk. According to The Athletic, the Patriots are looking to trade away their veteran kicker, which means that rookie Chad Ryland as won the kicking competition in New England. The Patriots could end up cutting Folk, but they probably feel like they can get something in return since there are so many kicker-needy teams like the Titans, 49ers and Lions.
- Eagles DE Derek Barnett. The Eagles are deep on the defensive line this year, which could cut into Barnett's playing time, and because of that, he's apparently hoping to be traded, according to ESPN.com. Barnett missed nearly the entire 2022 season after wearing his ACL in Week 1.
- Vikings WR Jalen Reagor. One year after being traded to the Vikings, the former first-round pick could be on the move again. According to NFL.com, the Vikings have taken calls about Reagor and there's a chance the receiver could be dealt at some point today.
Basically, it's going to be a busy day, and if you take a nap at any point, you'll probably miss 17 or more moves while you're sleeping, so I think what I'm trying to say is that you probably shouldn't take a nap today.
4. Jimmy Garoppolo talks to CBSSports.com
It's been a wild offseason for Jimmy Garoppolo and the Raiders. From his injured foot to the Josh Jacobs situation to Tom Brady buying part of the team, a lot has happened in Las Vegas over the past few months and Jimmy decided to talk about it with us during a one-on-one interview Monday with CBSSports.com's Jordan Dajani. Jordan would like everyone to know that he was NOT overcome by Jimmy's handsomeness.
Here's a breakdown of some of things that Jimmy and Jordan talked about:
- Garoppolo is excited that Jacobs will be back. Although Garoppolo signed with the Raiders in March, he had never met Jacobs until Sunday (Aug. 27), which was one day after the running back agreed to a revised one-year deal. "Getting Josh back, it was exciting," Garoppolo said. "Got to meet him for the first time [on Sunday]. Great dude, down to earth, seems like he's ready to work. Just a lot of energy, lot of energy in the building, you could feel it, it was a little different. Glad everything worked out."
- Garoppolo is impressed with his receivers. The Raiders quarterback will be throwing to one of the best receivers in the NFL this year in Davante Adams and he seems pretty excited about Adams and the receivers as a whole. "That group as a whole has really impressed me, it's been a good group to work with," Garoppolo said. "Those guys, they get the little details, they're all tied in together. Really they share information with each other which is really cool to talk about how they ran a route, try to teach the younger guys."
- Jimmy reacts to Brady buying part of the team. Garoppolo and Brady were once teammates in New England, but now they have a much different relationship: Brady is a part owner of the team that Garoppolo is playing for. "It's been really cool," Garoppolo said of having Brady on board as an owner. "I got to see him in Dallas over the weekend. I haven't seen him in a while but he's still the same old guy, man. Loves to compete, was getting us fired up in the locker room, all that good stuff. And he's one of the best, man. One of the best people and best players obviously, but just a good dude overall."
Garoppolo also talked about his injured foot and what he expects of himself this season and if you want to check out his full interview, you can do that by clicking here.
5. 2023 All-AFC East team: Bills lead division with eight players
The Buffalo Bills are coming off a season where they just won the AFC East title, so it probably won't come as a huge surprise when we tell you that they ended up with the most players on our all-division team for the AFC East.
Jared Dubin went through all four rosters in the division to create one Super Team that consisted of 27 players (12 on offense, 12 on defense plus three special teams). Of the 27 players on the All-AFC East team, eight of them came from Buffalo, a total that edged out the Dolphins, who put seven players on the team.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the offense for the AFC East's all-division team:
QB: Josh Allen, Bills
RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots
WR: Stefon Diggs, Bills
WR: Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
WR: Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins
TE: Hunter Henry Patriots
FLEX: Garrett Wilson, Jets
OT: Terron Armstead, Dolphins
OT: Dion Dawkins, Bills
OG: Alijah Vera-Tucker, Jets
OG: Mike Owenu, Patriots
C: David Andrews, Patriots
If you want to see the defensive side of the AFC East's All-Division team, plus the special teams representatives, then be sure to click here.
6. Extra points: Cardinals refuse to name a starting QB, Kyler Murray out at least four games
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Kyler Murray to miss at least four games. After tearing his ACL in December, it seemed likely that Murray was going to miss a few games to start the 2023 season and that's now official. The Cardinals quarterback is expected to start the year on the Physically Unable to Peform (PUP) list, which means he'll have to sit out at least the first four games. Under NFL rules, the earliest Murray would be eligible to return would be in Week 5 (Oct. 8) against the Bengals.
- Cardinals refuse to name a starting QB. With Kyler Murray out and Colt McCoy now cut, the Cardinals are down to Joshua Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback. One of those guys will be starting in Week 1, but Arizona has decided not to tell anyone who that will be. "I won't name a starter because I think it's a competitive advantage for us going to Washington," coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday.
- Von Miller to start season on PUP list. The Bills are planning to place Miller on the PUP list to start the season, according to NFL.com. Once this becomes official, it means that Miller will have to sit out at least the first four games, which means he definitely won't be on the field against the Jets, Raiders, Commanders or Dolphins.
- Buccaneers starting center likely done playing in the NFL. Ryan Jensen, who once started in 65 straight games for the Buccaneers, might not play another NFL down. Not only did he miss all of last season with a knee injury, but that same injury is going to cost him the 2023 season. The Bucs are expected to place him on season-ending injured reserve and once that move is made, there's a chance he could be done for good after missing two straight seasons.
- Matthew Stafford can't relate to Rams' younger players. The Rams seem to be having a minor problem with team chemistry in the locker room, and apparently, the issue stems from the fact that Matthew Stafford can't relate to his younger teammates. His wife, Kelly, revealed that information on a recent podcast and you can read more about the details of the situation here.