Tommy DeVito is one of many
quarterbacks released as teams trim rosters to 53 players
[August 27, 2025]
By ROB MAADDI
Tommy DeVito is among the quarterbacks looking for a new team.
The New York Giants waived the local fan favorite on Tuesday as NFL
teams released more than 1,100 players before the deadline to trim
rosters to 53.
Elsewhere, Trey Lance beat out Taylor Heinicke for the backup job
with the Los Angeles Chargers. Heinicke, who nearly beat Tom Brady
in his second career start in the 2020 playoffs, was waived. Lance
was the No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco in the 2021 draft.
Kyle Trask lost his job as Baker Mayfield's backup in Tampa Bay
after the team chose veteran Teddy Bridgewater to hold the No. 2
position. Tyler Huntley didn't make the cut in Cleveland. The
veteran QB joined the Browns earlier this month as the fifth QB
behind veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon
Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett was traded to Las Vegas on
Monday.
Desmond Ridder, who is 8-10 in his career as a starter, was cut by
the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dallas Cowboys waived Will Grier.
The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Easton Stick, the team’s
starter through the preseason as coach Raheem Morris protected
starter Michael Penix Jr. and veteran backup Kirk Cousins. The
release of Stick and Ben DiNucci temporarily leaves the team with
only Penix and Cousins at the position.
Trevor Siemian, who is 15-18 in seven seasons, was cut by the
Tennessee Titans, leaving Brandon Allen to back up No. 1 overall
pick Cam Ward.
Rookie sixth-round pick Kyle McCord didn't make Philadelphia's
initial roster. The quarterback out of Syracuse is a candidate for
the practice squad if another team doesn't sign him. The defending
Super Bowl champion Eagles acquired Sam Howell to back up Jalen
Hurts and Tanner McKee.
Quarterback Max Brosmer was among seven undrafted free agents to
make the initial roster for the Vikings, who signed veteran Carson
Wentz earlier in the week to help back up J.J. McCarthy.
DeVito, an undrafted free agent and a northern New Jersey native who
picked up the nickname “Tommy Cutlets,” was not expected to make the
team after the signings of veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis
Winston and the selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round.
Other notable cuts
Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection who was
attempting to make a comeback after sitting out all of last season
with a severe case of ulcerative colitis that caused him to lose 35
pounds, was released by the Carolina Panthers. The team also cut
former starting nose tackle Shy Tuttle after rebuilding its
defensive line earlier this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers released wideout Robert Woods, who has 863
receptions. Diontae Johnson (Browns), KJ Hamler (Bills) and Mecole
Hardman (Packers) are among the wide receivers who were let go.
Veteran defensive back Jalen Mills was cut by the Houston Texans.
Mills has started 91 games at cornerback and safety.
Guard Kenyon Green, a first-round pick by Houston in 2022 who was
acquired in a trade by the Eagles a few months ago, was released.
Wide receiver Jalen Reagor, selected by the Eagles ahead of Justin
Jefferson in the 2020 draft, was released by the Chargers, who also
cut veteran safety Tony Jefferson and running back Nyheim
Miller-Hines.
The San Francisco 49ers cut veteran wide receivers Russell Gage and
Robbie Chosen after impressive camps but could try to bring at least
one of them back to the practice squad or a roster spot before the
opener.
The team has major questions at receiver with just two healthy
wideouts — Ricky Pearsall and recently acquired Skyy Moore — after
Demarcus Robinson was suspended for the first three games of the
season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and
Brandon Aiyuk will miss at least the first four weeks on the
physically unable to perform list recovering from knee surgery.
Jauan Jennings has missed almost all of camp with a calf injury and
is also seeking a new contract. Jacob Cowing is expected to miss the
first month with a hamstring injury and rookie Jordan Watkins has
been out with an ankle injury but could return soon.
The Falcons placed right tackle Kaleb McGary on injured reserve with
a lower left leg injury, leaving a big void at a position that
protects Penix's blind side. The team also placed backup tackle
Storm Norton on injured reserve with a designation to return with an
ankle injury.
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New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) passes against the New
York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game,
Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K.
Murray)
Defensive tackle Kentavius Street and safety Jordan
Fuller were among Atlanta's cuts. Linebacker Troy Andersen will miss
at least four games after being placed on the physically unable to
perform list
The Washington Commanders placed starting right guard Sam Cosmi on
the physically unable to perform list.
The Arizona Cardinals' first-round pick, Walter Nolen III, is among
three players who will begin the season on the team's physically
unable to perform list. The defensive lineman suffered a calf injury
during summer workouts and hasn’t practiced during the preseason.
Linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols
(neck) are also on the PUP list.
The Buffalo Bills placed rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston on
injured reserve with a designation to return after he missed the
past month with a sprained right knee.
The first-round draft pick out of Kentucky has been sidelined since
getting hurt during an individual drill a week into training camp in
July. Hairston was projected to compete for the starting spot
opposite Christian Benford, but will now miss at least the first
four weeks of the season.
The Houston Texans placed several players on injured lists with
running back Joe Mixon starting the season on the non-football
injury list and receiver Tank Dell and defensive linemen Denico
Autry and Kurt Hinish on the PUP list.
Seattle released veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Trades
The Chargers acquired tackle Austin Deculus from the Houston Texans
for a 2027 conditional seventh-round pick.
The Seahawks traded tackle Michael Jerrell to the Atlanta Falcons.
Familiar names
Frank Gore Jr., Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Qadir Ismail, Brenden
Rice and Shilo Sanders were among the players cut whose dads played
in the NFL. Reagor and Woods, too.
Worst part of the job
Ask any NFL coach about the worst part of the job and the
overwhelming response will be cutting players.
“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,” Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott
said. “These guys are so grateful, they’re so appreciative and full
of class. Again, it’s hard from a football standpoint but even
harder from a, ‘Hey, these guys are good guys and they’re winners’
(standpoint). 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.”
Teams can bring players back on the practice squad if another team
doesn't claim them off waivers. Each team can have up to 16 players,
including a maximum of six eligible veterans with unlimited
experience, on the practice squad. The remainder have to be players
with two or fewer accrued seasons. Teams can also have one
additional player from the International Player Pathway program.
Players can be signed off a practice squad to another team’s active
roster at any time.
___
AP Sports Writers Charles Odum, David Brandt, Howard Fendrich, Steve
Reed, Beth Harris, Andrew Destin and John Wawrow, and AP Pro
Football Writers Dave Campbell, Josh Dubow, Teresa M. Walker and
Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.
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