NFL teams were forced to trim their rosters down to 53 players on Saturday, which means plenty of players who spent time working hard in training camp and preseason games were cut.
There were a few surprise cuts like always, draft busts who finally got the ax, and other big name players who failed to make their teams.
Here is a look at the 10 most notable NFL roster cuts.
Packers OG Josh Sitton
Sitton had made second-team All-Pro for three seasons in a row and was graded highly by Pro Football Focus, so this move comes as a surprise. Sitton, who just turned 30, has not missed a game since 2011.
Some are speculating that the move is related to saving money, as cutting him saves nearly $7 million against the cap. There is also speculation that there might be something with Sitton’s back.
Honestly baffled by the Packers cutting Josh Sitton. Only reasonable explanation I can think of is his back is worse than they've let on.
— Alex Gelhar (@AlexGelhar) September 3, 2016
Broncos QB Mark Sanchez
Acquired by Denver in the offseason for a conditional draft pick, Sanchez was viewed at one point as the team’s likely starter. However, Sanchez’s turnovers were a problem in the preseason, and Trevor Siemian won the Broncos’ starting job.
The Broncos added another quarterback to the mix via the draft in first-round pick Paxton Lynch, who will now serve as a backup.
Denver’s decision to cut Sanchez saves them money and a pick. Sanchez reportedly will sign with the Cowboys and serve as Dak Prescott’s backup.
Ravens RB Justin Forsett
Baltimore decided to waive Forsett just two years after he put together a monster season for the team. The former Cal running back rushed for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns for the Ravens in 2014, and he followed that up with 641 yards last season as he shared time with Javorius Allen.
Forsett is now 30 and the Ravens apparently decided to go with the younger trio of Terrance West, Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon. He should get plenty of looks from other teams around the league, and there is already talk that he could re-sign with the Ravens.
Jets CB Dee Milliner
It’s not often that a team gives up on a top-10 pick so quickly, but that’s what happened with the Jets and Dee Milliner.
A No. 9 overall pick in 2013, Milliner played in just five games last season and three the year before. He’s been hampered by injuries and simply hasn’t played well. Milliner was competing for the No. 3 cornerback job with the Jets but slipped to fifth on the depth chart, leading the Jets to try trading him before they ended up releasing him.
We’ll see if another team takes a shot at the soon-to-be 25-year-old.
Seahawks OG Jahri Evans
The Seahawks found out the hard way why the Saints had given up on Jahri Evans.
Evans, who made six Pro Bowls during his 10-year career with the Saints, signed with Seattle less than a month ago for just over $1 million. He played in 11 games last season and has battled both wrist and knee injuries, and apparently is no longer the same player he once was.
The Seahawks have a shaky line up front but did not find Evans suitable to play on it.
Vikings WR Moritz Bohringer
Moritz Bohringer was a player many had their eye on in the preseason because of his notable backstory.
Selected in the sixth round of the draft, Bohringer became the first European player ever drafted without having college football experience. The Stuttgart native was a star in the German Football League and was thrilled to be drafted by the Vikings, as he said he learned about the game watching highlights of Adrian Peterson on YouTube.
At 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, the 22-year-old still presents plenty of upside and will likely end up on a practice squad where he can continue his development.
Ravens ILB Arthur Brown
Brown was a second-round pick by Baltimore in 2013, selected No. 56 overall. He recorded 15 tackles in 2013 and two last year.
The Ravens were hopeful at one point that Brown might be able to help the defense after Ray Lewis’ retirement in 2012, but that optimism has ended.
Ultimately Brown may be better suited for a 4-3 defense rather than the 3-4 the Ravens run. He would have been a backup had he made the team.
Giants RB Andre Williams
Fans will remember Williams as being a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2013 with Boston College, which helped him become a 4th-round pick of the Giants in 2014.
Williams saw plenty of action as a rookie as he rushed for 721 yards and seven touchdowns. However, the power back averaged just a pathetic 3.3 yards per carry, which dropped last season to 2.9.
The Giants instead will go with Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Bobby Rainey and Paul Perkins at running back to open the season.
Colts LB Nate Irving
Irving was battling with Sio Moore for a starting inside linebacker job for the Colts and apparently lost the competition.
Irving rebounded from surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2014 with 14 tackles in eight games last season. The former third-round pick in 2011 had 46 tackles and a sack in eight games in 2014 with the Broncos.
Irving had dropped a ton of weight he put on while recovering from his knee surgery and reportedly looked better in camp, but not good enough.
Rams LB Akeem Ayers
Ayers had 47 tackles and a half-sack last season, which makes his release somewhat surprising. The season before that Ayers had four sacks with the Patriots.
A former second-round pick out of UCLA, Ayers started strong with Tennessee and recorded 102 tackles and six sacks in his second season with the Titans. They released him after 2013.
One major problem for Ayers is that at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, he is somewhat of a tweaner lacking a true position in the NFL.
