Best Players Available After NFL Roster Cuts — and Where They Fit

The initial 53-man rosters are set.

The market isn’t.

Every year, roster cutdown weekend creates a second wave of free agency. Some players are released because younger options emerge. Others simply get squeezed by numbers. And occasionally, a recognizable veteran becomes available because his current team decided the price no longer matched the role.

Following Monday’s waiver period, a number of intriguing players remain available. Fourteen teams submitted claims on 29 players, but several notable names cleared the process or were released as vested veterans and can negotiate freely.

Here are the names I’d be watching.

1. Will Levis, QB

Best fits: Jets, Colts, Falcons

Levis is the most interesting developmental quarterback available.

Tennessee waived its former second-round pick after three seasons, officially ending a run that once appeared likely to make him the Titans’ long-term starter. He then went unclaimed Monday, making him free to choose his next destination.

The physical tools are still obvious.

Levis has a powerful arm, meaningful starting experience and is still young enough that another coaching staff could reasonably believe there’s something left to develop.

The Jets stand out immediately.

New York currently has rookie Cade Klubnik positioned behind Geno Smith and has already been linked conceptually with veteran quarterback options. Adding Levis would provide a more experienced alternative without requiring the Jets to abandon Klubnik’s development.

Levis doesn’t need another franchise to immediately make him QB1.

He needs stability.

2. Marcus Davenport, EDGE

Best fits: Bengals, Cardinals, Texans

Edge rushers are always going to get calls.

Davenport was surprisingly released by Chicago despite signing with the Bears during the offseason. The former first-round pick owns 25 career sacks and, when healthy, still possesses the size and athleticism teams want on the outside.

Health has always been the problem.

That should also make him easier to acquire on a low-risk deal.

For a contender that doesn’t need Davenport to play 70 snaps every Sunday, he makes considerably more sense.

Use him situationally.

Keep him fresh.

Let him attack tackles on obvious passing downs.

There will be teams willing to make that gamble.

3. Zay Jones, WR

Best fits: Steelers, Chargers, Jets

Houston had too many receivers.

That’s good news for somebody else.

Jones was released after joining the Texans during training camp, one of several veteran receivers caught in Houston’s numbers crunch.

He’s no longer somebody I’d sign expecting 1,000 yards.

That’s not the point.

Jones is an experienced outside receiver who understands NFL coverages and can step into a rotation without requiring months of developmental work.

Teams with young receiving rooms should be especially interested.

September inevitably produces receiver injuries.

Jones is the kind of veteran who suddenly looks much more valuable when WR2 tweaks a hamstring in Week 2.

4. Sterling Shepard, WR

Best fits: Buccaneers, Saints, Giants

Shepard presents a slightly different value proposition.

He’s experienced in the slot, understands leverage and has played enough NFL football that quarterbacks can trust him quickly.

Houston released him alongside several other receivers after an extremely competitive camp.

This isn’t about building around Shepard.

It’s about adding a reliable fourth or fifth receiver who can enter on third down and understand exactly where he’s supposed to be.

For younger quarterbacks in particular, that matters.

5. Deion Jones, LB

Best fits: Cowboys, Panthers, Raiders

This has been a strange month for Jones.

San Francisco acquired him from New Orleans on Aug. 24 and then released him six days later.

That’s not exactly a confidence boost.

But Jones has extensive starting experience, excellent athleticism for the position and could immediately provide veteran depth to a linebacker room.

At this stage of his career, his greatest value may be as a rotational linebacker and coverage option rather than a full-time defensive centerpiece.

There are plenty of teams that need exactly that.

6. Eli Apple, CB

Best fits: Bengals, Vikings, Commanders

Cornerback depth disappears quickly.

Apple has never been a universally loved player, but he has started plenty of meaningful NFL games and has postseason experience.

San Francisco released him at cutdown, although there was already discussion that he could potentially return in another capacity.

If that doesn’t happen, someone else should call.

Nobody is signing Apple expecting an All-Pro.

But an experienced CB4 who can make emergency starts has value.

Especially in September.

7. Trevon Diggs, CB

Best fit: Seattle — and probably Seattle

This situation already appears to have a likely resolution.

Seattle released Diggs after a short training-camp stint despite him recording an interception in the preseason finale. The Seahawks subsequently brought him back onto their practice squad.

That makes sense.

Seattle gets to continue evaluating his health without committing an active roster spot.

Diggs gets to remain inside a championship organization while trying to rebuild his standing.

Given where his career was only a few years ago, it’s a remarkable situation.

But it might also be exactly what he needs.

8. Mecole Hardman, WR/Returner

Best fits: Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers

Some team will need speed.

Hardman remains one of the more recognizable names released during cutdown after failing to secure a role in Buffalo.

His receiving résumé is inconsistent.

His speed isn’t.

Hardman can stretch coverage, handle gadget concepts and contribute in the return game.

For a team that already has two established receivers but wants a designated explosive-play specialist, he makes sense.

The fit needs to be specific.

But those fits exist.

9. Jaydon Blue, RB

Best fits: Raiders, Saints, Bengals

Dallas’ decision to waive Blue was one of the biggest surprises of cutdown weekend.

The Cowboys released the second-year running back despite his draft pedigree and developmental upside. Dallas subsequently claimed Emari Demercado, further reshaping the backfield.

Blue isn’t a proven NFL starter.

He’s also exactly the type of young player worth taking a chance on.

Running back situations change quickly.

A team doesn’t need to hand him 20 carries.

Get him into the building.

Evaluate him.

See whether his athletic traits can translate in a different scheme.

10. Jake Browning, QB

Best fits: Jets, Browns, Buccaneers

Backup quarterback roulette never ends.

Browning was among the notable players available after cutdown and remains a logical target for a team uncomfortable with its QB2 situation.

He’s already demonstrated he can function in a real NFL offense.

That alone matters.

There are more physically talented quarterbacks available.

There aren’t many with meaningful starting experience who can step into a game next Sunday without requiring the entire offense to be redesigned.

That’s why he deserves calls.

Best Fit

If I’m making one move today?

The Jets should call Will Levis.

Not because Levis should replace Geno Smith.

Not because Cade Klubnik should be abandoned.

Because quarterback rooms require options.

Levis gives New York something it currently lacks: a younger quarterback with legitimate NFL starting experience who can still theoretically improve.

That’s worth exploring.

And this entire list should serve as a reminder of something NFL teams know very well:

The 53-man roster deadline isn’t the end of roster construction.

It’s merely the beginning of the next phase.

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