NFL’s most brutal day: Coaches open up on the heartbreak of cutting players

Almost 1,200 NFL hopefuls are set to receive bad news as the league’s roster deadline for the 2025 season approaches at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 26.

With preseason now over, the NFL’s 32 franchises must reduce their rosters from 90 players to 53, the number each team will start the regular season with. The action kicks off on September 4, with the Eagles hosting the Cowboys.

Over 1,000 NFL players set to be axed

In total, 1,184 players will be notified that their services are no longer needed. The good news is that nearly half, around 500, usually land elsewhere shortly after, often on a team’s practice squad. These squads allow players to participate in team practices without being eligible to play in games. For them, it’s a waiting game, hoping for injuries or roster changes to get another opportunity.

For others, however, the NFL dream ends entirely, and attention must shift to a new career.

NFL head coaches reveal roster cut heartbreak

The roster cuts also take an emotional toll on coaches. In the run-up to this year’s deadline, several coaches spoke to the media about the feelings they experience in the hours, days, and weeks before finalizing their rosters, all acutely aware of the potential life-changing impact of letting players go.

Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams: “Clarity is a gift”

“The thing is real clarity with the feedback, you know,” he said. “If you care about these guys enough, you want to be honest with them. You want to have the appropriate empathy and tell them the first thing we always try to do is make sure that there’s appreciation and gratitude for the work that they put in. If this means this is the end of the journey for now with us, I think clarity is a gift for people.

“I think it can be a force multiplier, and I think leaning into some of those hard conversations with the right tone, right appreciation is what we want to be able to try to do. Those are the difficult parts of this job, but I think you owe it to them to establish appreciation, but also honesty of why we are in this position and how you can move forward positively.”

Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills: “It rips at my heart”

“It rips at my heart. It does because if they were my son, I see them through that lens because my kids are getting older now and you see how hard they work and what they put into it and they’ve done everything that we’ve asked. These guys are so grateful, they’re so appreciative and full of class.

“Sometimes it doesn’t last in football, right? But that’s where you get a reminder that football isn’t everything and life is what’s most important. I told these guys they’re going to be winners in life and that’s ultimately what is most important.”

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans: “The toughest year”

“It’s tough this year, probably the toughest that it will be and has been for myself because I feel like our team is a very competitive team.

“We got a lot of really great depth, a lot of great guys that you want to keep around. Most of the discussions lie in how can you try to keep as many guys as possible. Not who you’re getting rid of, but how can you keep these guys around.”

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “It’s not the end of the road”

“When you become a good team, the cuts get harder. It’s always difficult because you don’t want to be a guy to tell someone they can’t play pro ball anymore.

“It doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road, it just means it’s the end of the road here. That’s always tough when you have to tell someone that. I think any coach will tell you the same thing.”

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