For many NFL teams, Tuesday's roster cutdown deadline marks perhaps the biggest hurdle remaining before preparation for the regular season begins in earnest. For hundreds of players, however, the paring down can mark a painful end of the line.
Established starters and early draft picks typically have nothing to fear as teams set their initial 53-man rosters, but the culmination of the preseason schedule necessarily leads to some disappointment and difficult decisions. Some long shot bids will officially come to an end. But those who set out to scrape for a spot at the end of the roster are signing up for a transient lifestyle, and this might just be the first – or latest – in a series of setbacks. But hope remains, as any notion of finality with the cutdowns is quickly dispelled by additional waiver moves, trades and practice squad transactions in the coming days, weeks and months.
With several teams making cuts, check back for all the latest on the notable moves with USA TODAY Sports' live blog on the biggest roster moves:
First-year Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer created the kind of stir that bossman Jerry Jones would appreciate when he suggested last week that the team could throw a curveball or two come cutdown time.
