August 31 marked the day NFL teams must trim their rosters down to the 53-man limit. An emotional ride for both players and coaches, some hard decisions are made on days like this and some lives are forever changed.
As with every year, there are names that stand out on every team’s cut list, names that you have to do a double take just to be sure you’re reading it right. Below are some of the more notable cuts from the last weekend before the real games begin.
Tim Tebow – Not a major surprise here on the surface as many teams across the league are changing their thinking on quarterbacks and only keeping two on roster. There still is a chance the Patriots add Tebow to their practice squad.
Jonathan Dwyer – This cut had my jaw dropping as Dwyer was the team’s leading rusher in preseason. With the injury to rookie Le’Veon Bell, Dwyer seemed to be in line to start come week one. Apparently, newly acquired Felix Jones impressed enough against Carolina last week to make the Steelers choose him over Dwyer.
Vince Young – Young seemed to have the backup job to Aaron Rodgers locked up with a solid preseason but the Packers decided to go with B.J. Coleman.
Jimmy Clausen – It wasn’t that long ago that the Carolina Panthers thought Clausen was their QB of the future. Now he’s just another mistake of the past.
Matt Leinart – With Kevin Colb likely missing the season because of repeated concussions, Leinart had a good shot at making the Bills squad. It didn’t pan out and he joins Thaddeus Lewis on the Buffalo cut QB squad.
Marcus Robinson – Only two years removed from making the Pro Bowl, Robinson lost his job to legally deaf fullback Derrick Coleman.
Alex Green – With the Packers thin running back situation because of injuries, it was widely assumed that Green was going to make the team. But hey, you know what they say about assumptions.
James LeBeau is a contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @Jlebeau76 or subscribe on Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports.
Photo Credit: Getty
