Sample began his career with the Bengals, spending the last five years in Cincinnati. He initially signed with the 49ers this offseason, then went to the Falcons after the 49ers waived him. Serving as a preseason rotational defensive lineman, the Falcons decide to part ways with Sample heading into final cuts.
The former undrafted free agent was previously on the Giants’ and Seahawks’ rosters as well. He could get a tryout elsewhere.
Jacobs was charged on two misdemeanors last week after initially being arrested in late May on five counts, including one felony. The NFL will now use the Commissioner’s Exempt List as they gather more information about the incident in question, which involved brutality towards a female in the garage of a shared home. Jacobs will still be paid but will be unable to participate in practice while he remains on the exempt list, although players are typically allowed to participate in team meetings. There is no telling how long Jacobs will remain on the exempt list as only the Commissioner holds the authority to remove him, meaning Jacobs could be away from the team until the criminal system is complete or he could be active in Week 1. Jacobs’ initial appearance in court is not scheduled until November, coinciding with Week 11, leaving a wide range of outcomes for fantasy managers to begin the season. Reports from the organization were far from forthcoming in recent weeks, most recently acquiring former Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade executed Sunday. Reading the tea leaves paints a morbid picture for Jacobs’ availability to start the 2026 regular season in less than two short weeks. MarShawn Lloyd suddenly finds himself atop the backfield depth chart in Green Bay and is a priority waiver addition for leagues that have already drafted, and should be treated as an upside back in the middle rounds of drafts.
White, who had 12 carries over six games for the Raiders in 2025, won’t be on the Saints’ 53-player roster to start the season, leaving Audric Estime and Devin Neal as the team’s third and fourth backfield options, respectively. White could land in another backfield in need of depth in the coming weeks.
The Packers’ tight end room was a tad thin, so the move makes sense. They signed TE Jonnu Smith earlier this week. Redman is a second-year player who went undrafted in 2025.
Carter signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last season, appearing in seven games for Atlanta. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards and lost a fumble in 2025. With the emergence of Tyler Goodson as a viable depth option in the running back room, the Falcons jettison Carter heading into final cuts.
Cooper is facing felony assault charges in addition to other chargers including domestic violence and harassment. The 28-year-old was slated to be Denver’s starting outside linebacker opposite Nik Bonitto, but now they’ll have to look at depth options while waiting for the commissioner to clear Cooper.
Pole signed with the Chiefs as a UDFA last year. He didn’t make their final roster and spent some time on the Jets’ practice squad before returning to the Chiefs late in the season. Pole went on to make four starts at left tackle late in the year and played reasonably well. His release is a bit of a surprise.
Mafah became the off man out of the backfield rotation behind starter Javonte Williams Sunday, leaving Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue left to fight for primary backup duties. Blue appears to have an established change-of-pace role, making it more likely Davis operates in more of a pure handcuff fashion to begin the season.
Three players landed on what amounts to the “suspended with pay” list on Sunday, but Pelissero reports Nacua isn’t one of them. That does not necessarily mean Nacua is out of the woods for all time with the NFL, but his situation did not rise to the level of Josh Jacobs’ in the eyes of the shield. Now the main Week 1 question mark for Nacua is his groin injury, but it is not expected to keep him out of the Rams’ Australian opener vs. the 49ers.
Pickens is a former third-round pick, appearing in games for the Bears and Chiefs since being drafted in 2023. The 26-year-old signed with the Giants this offseason and took some first-team reps in camp as the team tried several different things to solve their defensive tackle puzzle. Ultimately, the Giants decided Pickens is not a part of the equation for 2026.
An ill-fated “second-round savior” in the 2023 Draft, now 27-year-old Levis is sent packing from the Music City with 21 starts under his belt. That included zero in 2025 when No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward took the rock every week. Levis was his backup, but the Titans are now going with journeyman veteran Mitchell Trubisky. Levis has all the physical talent in the world, but not the accuracy or processing, at least so far. It’s possible a more functional franchise could turn him in to a legit No. 2 quarterback, but that does not seem terribly likely at this point.
The veteran third-down back would still seem to be a fit for this roster and could be brought back after the 53-man cutdown or kept as a practice-squad elevation early in the season. If not, Mike Washington will probably get more time early.
Scott signed his ERFA tender with Minnesota this offseason but was ultimately beaten out for the RB3 job by rookie Demond Claiborne. He is a candidate to sign with the Vikings’ practice squad after rosters settle. Claiborne is officially a name to know in deeper leagues, though he remains parked behind Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones for now.
Morris was in the final year of his rookie deal and came over in a June trade from the Chiefs. Apparently the Falcons weren’t enamored with what they saw in training camp.
The rookie defensive tackle could end up returning to the Ravens’ roster via the practice squad. He was drafted with the 250th overall pick this year.
The news was first reported by NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. Jones was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in the 2023 NFL Draft. The 27-year-old receiver also served as the Bengals’ primary punt and kick returner last year. A solid special teamer, Jones’ next stop is likely on a practice squad somewhere.
It’s a surprising release after Wooden was acquired in a 1-for-1 player swap with the Packers in March, but he evidently did not fit the system as expected. A 16-game starter for the Pack last season, Wooden could be a potential Monday waiver claim. If not, he should quickly land on someone’s practice squad, perhaps Indy’s.
The 2024 third-round pick appeared in 22 games for Cincinnati during his two years with the team. Jackson oddly requested a trade after just one season in Cincy, though nothing ever materialized. Now he gets the chance to find a team that will give him more playing time. Jackson notched one sack as a rookie and did not record a sack or TFL in nine games last year.
Adam Schefter reports the Colts will try to re-sign him to the practice squad. The 32-year-old caught two targets for one yard last year for the Cardinals.
The Vikes will go with Georgia product Brett Thorson instead. The writing had been on the wall for most of training camp, at least as much as that is possible in a “punting battle.” One of the final St. Louis Rams, 36-year-old Hekker has been punting in some form or fashion since 2012, but he is no longer an All-Pro type talent. He will nevertheless undoubtedly be kicking at some point in 2026 if he wants to continue his career.
Johnson had a star-crossed first season with the Steelers, losing most of his responsibilities after a key special teams error in Week 2. He was an interesting draft prospect and the Packers running back room has a lot of uncertainty to it with MarShawn Lloyd’s health seemingly always questionable and Josh Jacobs facing a potential suspension. Johnson is worth a speculative pick-up in deeper leagues.
Seattle drafted Henderson with the No. 199 pick this year. He posted a breakout season at Kansas in 2025 and was a strong kick returner in college. He is a candidate to land on the Seahawks’ practice squad.
Trice has not played an NFL game yet after tearing an ACL in 2024 and missing 2025 due to a setback from the initial injury. He did play a bit in the preseason. We’ll see if he can catch on elsewhere after the injuries.
The Browns hope to sign the rookie pass rusher to the practice squad, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. This will happen if he passes through waivers unclaimed.