Strange Cutdown Dates this Year

[CoCo]

NFL rosters don't have to be trimmed until Thursday August 28. And then, only to 75.

4 days later on Sept 1, the Turk will come calling for all but the top 53.

This is much more condensed than previous years it seems. With rosters at 75 until Sept 1, teams generally won't get to try out another teams cuts until the week before their opener.

NFL teams will certainly get to see guys longer but will that really change the landscape for those folks that are slots from around 75 down to maybe 55 or 56? I doubt it.

Biggest impact might be Fantasy Drafts being delayed and then websites jammed by leagues trying to get rosters loaded between Sept 2 & the kickoff on Sept 4.

 

[Hostile]

It was that way last year too.

 

[joseephuss]

I don't really think teams were bringing in too many players after that first cut. More movement usually occurs after the final cuts and even then there aren't that many players moving to other teams. Just a handful are really pursued.

 

[AdamJT13]

It was that way last year too.

And the year before that.

From 1999 to 2003, the first cutdown was to 65 players (plus NFLE exemptions). Before that, it was to 60 (plus exemptions). But teams wanted to keep more [strike]scrubs[/strike] players for the final preseason game so the guys who were going to make the team wouldn't have to play as much.

The cutdown dates have been four or five days apart since at least 1995.