Tuesday was cut day in the NFL, and unfortunately, a lot of fan favorites and impact players were cut from their initial teams. But fortunately for them, that’s not the end of the road. For now, we enter the waiver wire period and practice squad pickups that will give these players opportunities to find new teams over the next few weeks or decide to return to their old team’s practice squad for this season. It’s a time of reshuffling and rebuilding for a lot of NFL franchises, and it’s a time for refocused concentration and rethinking of their careers for players across the league.
As for fans like us, we are just trying to keep up. We are disappointed that some of our favorite camp standouts may have been cut, but we are also excited about all the new talent that has flooded the open market in the last few days. I want to highlight some of the underrated and undervalued gems that are available at each position and give you guys a chance to scout out players at positions of need for your Madden 26 Franchise mode team to go after if you are thinking about doing moneyball.
Note that some of these guys have already been taken off the waiver wire, which means that they have already been picked up onto a team’s 53-man roster.
Quarterback
Tommy Devito (Patriots Waiver Pick)
Tommy Cutlets isn’t just a fun player to have on your team just for the memes (although that is certainly a plus); this Italian caricature of a QB has also proven that he belongs in this league. He has a respectable 88.4 passer rating and a 3-5 record under center for arguably the worst offense in the NFL for the last two years. He could be a perfect fit on a team with a competent offense and a need for a semi-experienced backup.
Update: The New England Patriots have added Tommy Devito to their 53-man roster on the waiver wire.
Honorable Mentions:
- Tyler Huntley
- Mike White
- Hendon Hooker
- Bailey Zappe
- Taylor Heinicke
Running Back
Audric Estime
Estime is just 21 years old, and he averaged 4.1 yards per carry last season for the Broncos. I’m a little confused why the Broncos cut this former fifth-round pick, given their running back struggles, but I guess they are looking to completely re-imagine the group from a year ago, so they are cleaning house. Either way, Estime offers a young and effective option as a power runner in a backfield by committee.
Honorable Mentions:
- Khalil Herbert
- Cam Akers
- Michael Carter
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Dante Miller
Wide Receiver
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The speedy deep threat still has some left in the tank as he’s still only 30, but it wasn’t a great sign this week when the Seahawks decided to cut him for guys like Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, and Tory Horton, all whose career yards don’t even add up to what MVS put up last year with the Saints. Even though he was cut on the WR-needy Seahawks, I still believe in MVS’s game-breaking speed and deep ball ability, and there is always a team that will be looking to add that aspect to their offense.
Honorable Mentions:
- K.J. Osborn
- Trey Palmer (Saints waiver pick)
- Diontae Johnson
- Robert Woods
- Nick Nash
Tight End
Harrison Bryant
The tight end market after this year’s cut day isn’t exactly packed with All-Pros, but there are a few interesting names here, including Bryant, who only a few years ago was a staple in the Browns tight end room behind David Njoku, picking up the slack when Njoku would go down with injuries. He has a solid 70% catch percentage despite never having good or consistent quarterback play. He could easily be a TE3 on several teams that are looking for another pass catcher with the ability to block at a decent but not great level.
Honorable Mentions:
- Josh Whyle
- Robert Tonyan
- Greg Dulcich
- Jaheim Bell
- Jelani Woods (Jets Waiver pick)
Offensive Tackle
Dan Skipper
Skipper is the tallest player in the league, standing at 6’10’’. He also happens to be a solid tackle who was the Lions’ go-to “sixth man” as their swing tackle and goal line eligible receiver (he was the focus of that horrible call in the 2023 Lions-Cowboys game when the refs gave the win to the Cowboys because a ref didn’t do his job properly). Skipper is a huge human who can become a team’s primary swing tackle, or even take over at RT for a team that is currently weak at the position.
Honorable Mentions:
- Trent Brown
- Javon Foster
- Max Scharping
- Saahdiq Charles
- Jaelyn Duncan
Interior Offensive Linemen
Kenyon Green
The former 15th overall pick in 2022 had started 23 of his 27 career games for the Texans and still has plenty of upside despite a nasty shoulder injury that kept him out of the 2023 season before returning to start nine games last year for Houston. He certainly has the ability to make a 53-man roster as a backup, and I think there’s a possibility that he works his way back into the starting lineup for a team by year’s end.
Honorable Mentions:
- Cole Strange
- Dan Feeney
- Jackson Carman
- Kendrick Green
- Antonio Mafi
Defensive Tackle
Morgan Fox
The veteran defensive tackle was given a two-year deal by the Falcons this year, which was worth roughly ten million dollars after nearly a decade of playing in LA with the Rams and then the Chargers. Over his eight-year career, he has racked up 27.5 sacks, including two seasons with over six sacks and eight TFLs, an impressive number for an interior pass rusher who has only started roughly a quarter of his 120 career games played. Fox still offers great pass-rushing ability from the inside and should get signed by a team that needs a pass-rushing piece in their DT rotation.
Honorable Mentions:
- DeMarvin Leal
- Keondre Coburn
- Elijah Chatman
- Brodric Martin
- Shy Tuttle
EDGE Rusher
Clelin Ferrell
After going fourth overall in the draft in 2019 to the Raiders (he was Mike Mayock’s first pick in what became a rough tenure for the former NFL Network analyst), Ferrell has had an underwhelming career given his high pedigree and expectations, but if you sever those from his name, his numbers are actually decent for a backup pass rusher with solid run stopping ability. His one year in San Francisco in 2023 particularly shows his potential to be a valuable piece in a defensive front rotation, as he was used all over the line and racked up 13 QB hits and six TFLs as he earned the start in all 17 games for them.
Honorable Mentions:
- Myles Cole
- Mohamed Kamara
- Julian Okwara
- Gabriel Murphy
- Brennan Jackson (Raiders waiver pick)
Linebacker
Chris Paul Jr.
The fifth-rounder from this most recent draft had a decent offseason but ended up being the odd man out in the Rams’ linebacker room despite the Rams having traded up 29 spots to select him. Chris “Pooh” Paul Jr. was already a fan favorite in LA and had high expectations as a potential starter for them going forward, but apparently, it was all for not, as they cut him in what was seen as one of the bigger surprises of cut day. He will certainly have a market and should get the ability to suit up for a team on Sundays at some point this season.
Honorable Mentions:
- Chad Muma (Colts waiver pick)
- Channing Tindall
- Chazz Surratt
- Nick Niemann
- Isaiah Land
Cornerback
Jalyn Armour-Davis (Titans Waiver Pick)
The former Alabama corner has been a solid depth piece for the Ravens since 2022 and had a particularly good pre-season this year, having multiple picks in just three games played. Armour Davis has already been picked up by the Titans and signed to their 53-man team with their number one waiver wire priority. It’s clear they see him as a valuable asset in their secondary, and we should expect to see a lot more of him in Tennessee than we ever saw him in Baltimore.
Honorable Mentions:
- JuJu Brents (Dolphins waiver pick)
- Beanie Bishop Jr.
- Dane Jackson
- Duke Shelley
- Sam Womack III (Titans waiver pick)
Safety
Mike Edwards
Edwards has had a pretty solid career, mostly with the Buccaneers but more recently with the Chiefs, and has had eight interceptions, 27 deflections, and 247 tackles over his six-year career. The 29-year-old seemed to be safe going into this offseason as his coaches on the Chiefs raved about him and his leadership, but he was cut on Tuesday and is currently looking for work on a practice squad. Mike Edwards should eventually find his way back onto an active roster, as he is just too good to sit on the couch. I expect a young team with an unheralded secondary, like the Bengals or Raiders, to look to add him in the coming weeks.
Honorable Mentions:
- Darrick Forrest
- Chuck Clark
- Marcus Epps
- Kahlef Hailassie
- Jalen Mills
Special teams
Kicker Dustin Hopkins And Punter Thomas Morstead
Both solid options at kicker and punter, respectively, they represent the few established options currently on the market for kicker-needy teams, so I don’t expect them to stay unemployed for much longer. Hopkins has been a steady option, kicking at an 84% clip for his career and reaching a long of 58 yards. As for Morstead, he might be 39 years old, but there was a time not too long ago when he was arguably the best punter in the league, as he has an average net punt yardage of 41.5, including a season just one year ago that he averaged 41.7 net yards per kick. Hence, his leg still has juice even though he is nearly 40 years old. It’s likely that we haven’t seen the last of either of them.
