Former starting quarterback Will Levis was waived by the Tennessee Titans, while veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was kept by the New York Giants on Sunday, when more than 1,100 players were cut as NFL teams trimmed their rosters.
A second-round draft pick in 2023 who started 21 games for the Titans — they went 5-16 in those contests — Levis was stuck behind Cam Ward and Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart in Nashville. Levis didn’t play last season after having shoulder surgery.
“I think he’s been awesome,” Titans first-year head coach Robert Saleh said of Levis after the team’s preseason exhibition finale Saturday, a home loss to the Chicago Bears. “I thought he did a really nice job today. I thought he had a really good two-minute drive at the end of the half. Very good awareness with the time.”
Ward was the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft and started every game as a rookie, when he also took every offensive snap for Tennessee until getting hurt early in the season finale.
Trubisky was the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft and played his first four pro seasons in Chicago before losing his starting job. In the five years since, he has played for the Buffalo Bills in two separate stints and was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 and 2023, appearing in 33 games and going 2-5 as a starter after his time with the Bears ended. He signed a two-year contract with the Titans during free agency in March.
As for Levis, during preseason camp earlier this month, he said, “There are not 32 quarterbacks in this league better than me. I know that for sure,” and he continues to believe he can be an NFL starter.
“I feel like you’ve got to have that confidence in yourself regardless of your position,” Levis said Saturday after completing 14 of 22 passes for 143 yards in Tennessee’s 24-15 loss to the Bears. “I saw a quote, I forget who it was, but it’s, ‘Everyone in the league here is a starter.’ You’ve got to have that mentality. You could be in at the press of a button, and (have to) just be ready to play.
“That’s one thing that I feel like I gained a lot in my time away, is gaining back some of the confidence that I lost throughout the last year that I played, and I’m going to maintain that mindset the rest of my career.”
Teams had to be down to 53 players from 90 before 6 p.m. Eastern.
Many of the players who were cut will rejoin their teams on the practice squad, while others will go to new teams, but for some it’s the end of their days in the NFL.
Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl receiver, is back with the Giants after missing the 2025 season. He started his NFL career with them as a first-round pick in the 2014 draft and last played for the Giants in 2018. He has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins.
The Minnesota Vikings kept J.J. McCarthy, a first-round pick in 2024. Anthony Richardson, a first-round pick in 2023, remains with the Indianapolis Colts. Both quarterbacks were on the bubble.
The Browns kept four quarterbacks after placing Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve with a back injury. Shedeur Sanders will back up Deshaun Watson, and rookie Taylen Green is No. 3 on the depth chart. Gabriel, who started six games as a rookie last season, can return in the fifth week of the regular season.
Atlanta also went with four players at the game’s most visible position, keeping Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush and Jack Strand.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut quarterbacks Jake Browning and Connor Bazelak, leaving undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels to back up two-time Pro Bowl selection Baker Mayfield.
Several teams made trades ahead of the cutdown deadline.
Offensive tackle Broderick Jones, a 2023 first-round pick, changed teams. So did quarterback Quinn Ewers and defensive lineman CJ Okoye. Quarterback Kyle McCord, tight ends Hunter Long and Mark Redman, offensive lineman Luke Meredith, cornerback Avery Smith, tackles Walter Rouse and Nate Thomas, defensive back Clark Phillips III, defensive linemen TeRah Edwards and Gervon Dexter, and centers Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Jarrett Patterson were also traded.
A day after trading Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Miami Dolphins landed a new backup quarterback by acquiring McCord from the Green Bay Packers for a sixth-round pick in the 2028 draft. The Dolphins had acquired a sixth-round pick in 2028 from the Jaguars for Ewers.
McCord threw four touchdown passes in a 42-38 exhibition victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, including two in the final 3 1/2 minutes, but the Packers signed Tyrod Taylor in May to back up Jordan Love.
McCord will now back up Malik Willis, who signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract in March after playing behind Love in Green Bay the past two seasons.
The Cardinals acquired Long and a 2028 seventh-round selection from the Jaguars for a sixth-round selection in 2028. Long has 20 receptions for 153 yards in 46 games.
The Colts got Van Pran-Granger and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Bills for a sixth-round draft pick next year. Van Pran-Granger appeared in 18 games, including one start with the Bills in two seasons.
The trade is an indication starter Connor McGovern will be ready to go after missing much of the past month with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Lloyd Cushenberry had replaced McGovern when he was sidelined.
The Bears acquired a 2027 fifth-round pick and Phillips from Atlanta for Dexter.
The 49ers added a backup center in Patterson from the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick in 2027, a person familiar with the deal said on condition of anonymity because it hadn’t been announced. Patterson started 21 games over the last three seasons after being a sixth-round pick by the Texans in 2023. He will back up Jake Brendel with the San Francisco 49ers, who had signed Brett Toth to fill that role in the offseason, but he has been out since early August with a concussion.
The Packers continued to boost their tight end depth by acquiring Redman from the Rams for a 2028 seventh-round pick. The move comes three days after Green Bay signed veteran tight end Jonnu Smith.
The Vikings sent Rouse and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2027.
The Texans got Thomas from the Dallaws Cowboys for a late-round draft pick in 2027.
The Los Angeles Chargers sent Smith to the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 sixth-round pick and Edwards to the Carolina Panthers for a sixth-rounder in 2028.
The New York Jets got Meredith and a 2029 seventh-round pick from the Las Vegas Raiders for a sixth-rounder in 2027. Meredith, who can play guard and center, gives the Jets depth on their offensive line; the move also reunites him with quarterback Geno Smith and left guard Dylan Parham, who played together last season in Las Vegas.
A day earlier, the Steelers sent Jones to Dallas for draft picks. Jones, who was picked 14th overall by Pittsburgh three years ago, gives the Cowboys depth at offensive tackle.
Ewers, a seventh-round pick by the Dolphins last year, will replace Nick Mullens as starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s backup.
Okoye went from the Ravens to the Giants, reuniting with Harbaugh.
The New Orleans Saints cut Northern Irish kicker Charlie Smyth, who finished last season on the roster. Tanner Brown also was cut, so Daniel Carlson will be the kicker for New Orleans.
Veteran safety Geno Stone, who signed a one-year contract with the Bills, was released.
The Bears released defensive lineman Marcus Davenport, who has 25 sacks in 77 career games.
Edge rusher Sam Williams and running back Jaydon Blue were cut by the Cowboys.
The Cardinals cut linebacker BJ Ojulari and veteran cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Starling Thomas V.