Despite the obvious negative connotation that comes with it, getting cut by an NFL team doesn’t always signal the end of a player’s professional career. In fact, there are countless instances throughout NFL history in which one team’s trash was another team’s treasure.
For a recent example, Raheem Mostert went undrafted in 2015 then was cut by six different teams before landing as the feature back in San Francisco with the 49ers.
As cuts roll in before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. EST deadline for teams to decrease their roster size to 53 players, I will be tracking the released players most worthy of being added by another club.
Below you’ll see those players, with information on which team released them, the round in which they were drafted — if applicable — and a link to their Mockdraftable spider chart, which showcases how they tested at the combine or their pro day when they were prospects.
Released by: Lions
Draft status: Round 5 – 2018
Positional athleticism: Above-average
One of the annual guarantees in the NFL — new coaches and GMs are content in releasing good players because they have no connection to them. Crosby is the latest example of said phenomenon. Crosby logged more than 1,100 regular-season snaps in his NFL career, the vast majority of which have come at right tackle, the others at left tackle.
The former Oregon star is what every coaching staff should want to see from a Day 3 selection — marked improvement in each season. Crosby’s pressure-allowance rate went from 8.2% in 2019 (when he assumed swing tackle duties) to 4.7% last season in the largest role he’d assumed in his NFL career (424 snaps).
Released by: Cardinals
Draft status: Round 6 – 2019
Positional athleticism: Well below-average
As a rookie, Johnson went for 187 yards on 21 receptions — just 8.9 yards per — with one touchdown. Of course, after the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins — thank you, Bill O’Brien — Johnson shuffled down the receiver depth chart. On just under 19% of the snaps, Johnson caught 15 balls for 173 yards. He had three snags for 49 yards this preseason.
And now, with Rondale Moore in the mix for Kyler Murray’s offense, there simply wasn’t space in the receiver room in the desert. Johnson tested like a low-level athlete entering the league, but flashed some separation ability and bounce after the catch in his first two seasons with the Cardinals. He can be a WR4 in the NFL.
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Released by: Bills
Draft status: UDFA – 2016
Positional athleticism: Extreme low-level
Williams was part of the Bills for the past three seasons after he was signed to a futures deal in early January 2019 following his emergence as a breakout star in the CFL. Mostly a practice-squad star in Buffalo with a flair for the acrobatic catch, Williams did have 12 catches for 166 yards with a touchdown in four appearances later that year.
He also can say he led a team in targets (10) in a playoff game, which was the case in the Bills wild card loss to the Texans two seasons ago. As a 6-foot-2, 230-pound rebounder, Williams’ style isn’t an exquisite match for today’s NFL, but he does play to every inch of his frame on the perimeter.
Released by: Jaguars
Draft status: Round 7 – 2019
Positional athleticism: Below-average
Gray’s only received nine regular-season snaps in his NFL career — in 2020 — but he’s been rock-solid in the preseason with five pressures allowed on 116 pass-blocking snaps. Like others on this list, Gray is much smoother on the field than his combine workout would have ever predicted.
In his final season at Maryland, Gray only surrendered seven pressures on 218 pass-blocking snaps. At nearly 6-5 and 320 pounds with lengthy 34 1/2-inch arms, he has the measurements and preseason production worthy of latching on as a legitimate developmental tackle in a league that is short on quality tackles.
Released by: Raiders
Draft status: Round 7 – 2018
Positional athleticism: Slightly below-average
All Ateman has done has produced when he’s gotten an opportunity with the Raiders. It’s just that those opportunities have been few and far between. As a rookie in 2018, on 35.5% of the team’s offensive snaps, the tall, high-point specialist snagged 15 passes for 154 yards with a score and converted four of nine contested-catch opportunities. Not too shabby for a seventh-round selection.
On less than 14% of the snaps in 2019, Ateman accumulated 116 yards on five receptions. He’s not a reliable separator. He wins at the catch point and has deceptive, long-striding speed on the field. In a low-volume niche role, Ateman can excel.
Released by: Texans
Draft status: UDFA – 2021
Positional athleticism: High-caliber
I had a fourth-round grade on Green just a few months ago before he ultimately went undrafted out of Texas A&M. Of course, to me, he had no business not being selected after the reliable career he had in Jimbo Fisher’s Aggie program. He started 40 games in the SEC and was rarely, if ever a liability.
In the preseason, Green allowed a single pressure on 44 pass-blocking snaps. Of course, the clearly rebuilding (tanking?) Texans decided to release a promising young offensive lineman. I mean, it’s not as if blocking has been an issue for that team’s offensive recently or anything.
Released by: Eagles
Draft status: UDFA – 2019
Positional athleticism: Extreme low-level
Holyfield’s been up against it for much of his football-playing career. At Georgia, he patiently waited behind some runners you may know — Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and D’Andre Swift before finally earning time as one of the backs in a nearly 50-50 running back committee split with Swift. That season, Holyfield went over 1,000 yards at 6.4 yards per.
But his combine plummeted his draft stock in 2019, and he wasn’t selected. In two preseasons — in Carolina and Philadelphia — Holyfield has 4.3 yards per rush, and it hasn’t solely been due to quality blocking. He’s forced nine missed tackles and averaged a hefty 3.00 yards after contact per carry.
Holyfield is one of those backs who plays with more juice on the field than a workout will ever indicate. He’s just never going to run away from defensive backs at the NFL level.
