NFL teams had to make their final roster cuts to trim down to 53 players for the 2022 season by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
While Sporting News is tracking all the players released by team, here are many of the standout familiar names who are now free agents looking for jobs to extend their careers — or facing the end of the line, as either veterans or rookies:
Notable 2022 NFL cuts
WR Josh Gordon (Chiefs)
Gordon had a decent chance to make Kansas City’s roster in a remixed receiving corps but he might finally be out of NFL opportunities at 31.
TE O.J. Howard (Bills)
Howard got $3 million plus from Buffalo to be Dawson Knox’s backup but had a bad camp and preseason. That might hasten the career end of the Buccaneers’ 2017 first-rounder.
OT Alex Leatherwood (Raiders)
Leatherwood was the team’s massively disappointing 2021 first-rounder. His release matches what happened to Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette before him in different circumstances. Luckily, Las Vegas didn’t pick in the first round in 2022.
QB Josh Rosen (Browns)
Add Cleveland to Arizona, Miami, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Atlanta all releasing Rosen. The 2018 first-round pick keeps getting futile chances but he may be out of them in the NFL now.
QB Kellen Mond (Vikings)
So much for the 2021 third-rounder making Kirk Cousins sweat. He fell out of favor quickly with the new offensive coaching staff led by Kevin O’Connell.
RB Phillip Lindsay (Colts)
The two-time Broncos leading rusher has been in freefall since he moved on to the Texans and Dolphins and it continued in not remaining on his fourth team.
RB Sony Michel (Dolphins)
Michel was a mild surprise, given he was thought to be solid veteran additional backup to free-agent addition Chase Edmonds, given oft-injured former 49er Raheem Mostert is the No. 2. In the end, he was caught in the middle between those two fellow newcomers and young incumbents Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed.
RB Marlon Mack (Texans)
The emergence of rookie Dameon Pierce plus the preferred passing game usage of Rex Burkhead ensured Houston didn’t the limited power back Mack on the roster.
DT Danny Shelton (Chiefs)
The Browns’ high first-rounder from the 2015 draft (No. 12 overall) has likely reached the end of the line after not cracking Kansas City’s rotation.
RB Tevin Coleman (Jets)
The former Falcons and 49ers top committee, oft-injured of late, wasn’t needed behind rookie Breece Hall and second-year player Michael Carter.
RB Duke Johnson (Bills)
Johnson, the former Brown, Texan and Dolphin, was doomed as a receiving back as soon as the team drafted dynamic James Cook behind Devin Singletary and Zack Moss.
S Anthony Harris (Eagles)
The one-time top-flight playmaking Viking next to Harrison Smith has faded hard in two years because of age and injury.
S Jacquiski Tartt (Eagles)
The long-time hard-hitting fixture of the 49ers’ secondary has had injuries and age (30) suddenly catch up to go from starter to free agent again.
WR Laquon Treadwell (Jaguars)
Treadwell, a late first-round pick of the Vikings in 2016, had some traction out of necessity in the lone Urban Meyer season. The new-look passing game around Trevor Lawrence including Christian Kirk and Zay Jones doomed him.
WR Mohamed Sanu (Dolphins)
The 33-year-old former Bengal and Falcon likely can it call it a career four teams later as a brief 49ers reunion with Mike McDaniel did help his cause as an aged-out slot.
WR Preston Williams (Dolphins)
He once had some appeal for an old offensive coaching staff playing off fellow former Dolphin DeVante Parker, but there was no room for him behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and rookie Erik Ezukanma.
WR Kevin White (Saints)
The injury-marred limited playing career of the Bears’ 2015 No. 7 overall pick has likely to come to a close at 30.
TE Devin Funchess (Lions)
The former Michigan star wide receiver, a 2015 second-rounder of the Panthers, couldn’t make it at a different position for his hometown and fifth team.
S Logan Ryan (Buccaneers)
There was no depth room for the former Patriot and Giant with Tampa Bay’s secondary being so healthy and loaded again even without Jordan Whitehead.
QB Carson Strong (Eagles)
The undrafted rookie from Nevada, who batted some knee injury concerns from college, couldn’t stick behind Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew.
QBs Cooper Rush and Will Grier (Cowboys)
Grier, the former West Virginia star and Panthers draft pick, lost out to Rush. Rush winning the job by default again didn’t inspire Dallas. The team is choosing (for now) to roll with Dak Prescott alone given Ben DiNucci also was released. Look for the Cowboys to add a different veteran backup.
QB Trace McSorley (Cardinals)
The former Ravens development backup to Lamar Jackson couldn’t stick as the No. 3 behind Kyler Murray and reliable veteran Colt McCoy.
QB Josh Johnson (Broncos)
Denver represented another short stint on his 22nd professional team, accounting for Johnson’s combined stops in the NFL, UFL, XFL and AAC. It looked like he might be Russell Wilson’s No. 2 until Brett Rypien earned the job.
QB Nathan Peterman (Bears)
The former Bill and Raider never really had a place behind Justin Fields and Trevor Siemian.
WR Kendall Hinton (Broncos)
The emergency starting QB from 2020 was squeezed out as a pass-catcher in in a rather deep corps for Russell Wilson even with Tim Patrick out for the season.
QB Davis Webb (Giants)
The team’s 2017 third-round pick was with the Bills and Brian Daboll last season and he didn’t show enough to revive his career behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor.
WR Tyler Johnson (Buccaneers)
Johnson had some promise coming out of Minnesota ahead of Rashod Bateman but the 2020 fifth-rounder didn’t flash enough to survive a crowded numbers game of Tom Brady’s targets.
QB Sean Mannion (Vikings)
Mannion also joins Mond in leaving Minnesota’s new offense with newcomer Nick Mullens taking over backup duties behind Cousins.
QB Ian Book (Saints)
Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton are two former long-time starters at the top of the depth chart so there was no need to keep on Book, a 2021 fourth-rounder, as a still developing project.
QB Nate Sudfeld (49ers)
He was no longer needed to back up Trey Lance after the Jimmy Garoppolo restructure and Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy having more developmental upside.
RB JaMycal Hasty (49ers)
San Francisco reshuffling the backfield again is par for the course in Kyle Shanahan era. Hasty was made expendable by impressive undrafted rookie Jordan Mason.
RB Patrick Laird (Buccaneers)
There was little chance for the former Dolphin to stick in a crowded backfield for another Florida team.
RB Anthony McFarland (Steelers)
The Steelers were in search of better insurance for second-year workhorse Najee Harris and found it in undrafted rookie Jaylen Warren ahead of McFarland.
WR Keelan Doss (Giants)
Doss being cut is nothing new but the former Raiders “Hard Knocks” star wasn’t good enough to make a wideout corps with its share of questions.
TE Thaddeus Moss (Bengals)
The former LSU star with Joe Burrow and Randy’s so wasn’t retained behind Hayden Hurst and Drew Sample after showing limited flashes as a receiver.
CB Ken Crawley (49ers)
The one-time Saints starter was caught in a numbers game given the depth of San Francisco’s secondary room.
WR Freddie Swaim (Seahawks)
He once look like a solid No. 3 wideout for Russell Wilson but Dee Eskridge, Penny Hart and others pushed him off the roster without Wilson.
TEs Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi (Patriots)
Keene and Asiasi couldn’t stay healthy with equal disappointment as 2020 third-round picks and the team is set with the top two of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.
EDGE Mario Edwards (Bears)
The 2015 second-rounder of the Raiders couldn’t stick for another season with his fourth team given his dwindling pass-rush pop.
TE Anthony Firkser (Falcons)
The Harvard product and former Titan didn’t do enough for Arthur Smith to stay in the tight end room behind Kyle Pitts.
S Tashaun Gipson (49ers)
Gipson was trying to make a late comeback to save his career at 32 but the former Jaguars key starter didn’t show enough.
RB Ty’Son Williams (Colts)
The Ravens’ fill-in from early last season struggled to make the team behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim HInes.
C Austin Reiter (Chiefs)
The former interior starter continued his fade as the team upgraded big time at guard and center with Trey Smith and Credd Humphrey last year.
S Will Parks (Jets)
A former OK starter for New York and Denver, Parks was squeezed out by the offseason secondary updates for Robert Saleh.
RB Tyler Badie (Ravens)
The rookie sixth-rounder had an opening with the J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards injury recoveries but failed to capitalize, leading the team to add Kenyan Drake to the mix with Mike Davis.
P Matt Araiza (Bills)
The “Punt God” and promising rookie sixth-rounder was set to take over the position in Buffalo, but troublesome off-field allegations likely have ended his career before it could start.
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