Today at 4 pm EST was the deadline for NFL teams to cut their roster’s down to a maximum of 53 players. You would think that most of the players cut were going to be undrafted free agents and 7th round picks, and a good amount of the were, however, this year had not only 5th and 6th round guys get cut, but also former 2nd round picks, which we will get to later. Over 500 players were released since the rosters were cut down to 75 on Tuesday. Below are the cuts for the NFC North on deadline cut day.
Chicago Bears – WR Armanti Edwards, OL Eben Britton, WR Chris Williams, LB Devekeyan Lattimore, OL Taylor Boggs, OL Ryan Groy, WR Dale Moss, DL Lee Pegues, LB Jerry Franklin, S Marcus Trice, OL Dennis Roland, OL Rob Turner, CB C.J. Wilson, CB Kelvin Hayden; CB Al Louis-Jean, RB Jordan Lynch, TE Jeron Mastrud, WR Josh Bellamy, DT Brandon Dunn, DT Tracy Robertson, DE Austen Lane, S M.D. Jennings
Not really too many surprises here. WR Amarnti Edwards was a former 3rd round pick by the Carolina Panthers. He was drafted as a QB, and switch to WR in his 3rd year with them. After being a disappointment for three years, he played with the Cleveland Browns last year and was placed on injured reserved just 2 months later. Chicago took a flyer on him back in June, but he now one again will join the free agent list.
Detroit Lions – RB Mikel Leshoure, DE Darryl Tapp, OG Garrett Reynolds, WR Kris Durham, RB George Winn, TE Michael Egnew, OL Rodney Austin, RB Emil Igwenagu, WR Andrew Peacock, WR Pat Edwards, TE Jordan Thompson, OL Michael Williams, OL Darren Keyton, DE Andre Fluellen, DL Jimmy Saddler-McQueen, DL Xavier Proctor, LB Brandon Hepburn, LB Julian Stanford, LB Shamari Benton, CB Mohammed Seisay, CB Chris Greenwood, S Nate Ness
The biggest name here is by far former 2nd round draft pick, RB Mikel Leshoure. He was drafted to be the thunder to Reggie Bush’s lightning. However, after tearing his Achilles his rookie year, and being suspended for the 1st two games of 2011, his career obviously got off to a rough start. The emergence of Joique Bell last year, as a top notch backup/starter, was the final nail in Leshoure’s coffin.
Kris Durham was a bit of a surprise as he was looking like Matthew Stafford’s 2nd favorite option behind Calvin Johnson. The Lions decided to go with the more dependable Kevin Ogletree to be their slot WR to start the year.
Green Bay Packers – CB Ryan White, S Chris Banjo, WR Myles White, WR Kevin Dorsey, LB Jake Doughty, T John Fullington, C Garth Gerhart, WR Alex Gillett, DT Carlos Gray, RB Michael Hill, LB Adrian Hubbard, G Jordan McCray, S Tanner Miller, TE Justin Perillo, RB LaDarius Perkins, DE Luther Robinson, CB Jumal Rolle, T Jeremy Vujnovich
No one here that was a significant part of what the Packers were supposed to be doing this year. They had a pretty set roster of what they wanted and it seemed like most of the preseason battles for them were between players that were already on the team. For example, Jarrett Boykin vs Davante Adams, for the #3 WR spot. Packers will probably look to bring back some of these guys on their practice squad.
Minnesota Vikings – DT Fred Evans, RB Joe Banyard, RB Dominique Williams, LB Mike Zimmer, G Jeff Baca, DT Chase Baker, S Kurt Coleman, WR Kain Colter, DT Isame Faciane, S Chris Crocker, WR Donte Foster, TE Chase Ford, CB Kendall James, LB Justin Jackson, C Zac Kerin, CB Julian Posey, TE Allen Reisner, OL Mike Remmers, DE Justin Trattou
Some fans of the Vikings really thought that Fred Evans would make the roster after playing a very important part of their DT rotation since 2007. He started 14 games last year. It’s a clear sign that the Vikings are very confident that their other newly signed DT Linval Joseph will be ready to start the regular season after being shot in the leg earlier this offseason during an altercation after a game that he was not involved in.
At least 50% of every roster seems to be flipped over every offseason. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for all of these players who have worked hard all summer for a spot, but as we all know, it won’t end here for a lot of these players and many of them were watched by other teams and will have a chance to sign with a team that is possibly a better fit for them. Also, numerous players will be re-signed to a team’s practice squad, so the dream doesn’t die here.
