The NFL preseason wraps up this weekend, and for most teams that means the final tune-up comes with a little breathing room before the hard deadline hits. Not so for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Tennessee Titans.
Those four teams are the only ones playing their preseason finales on Saturday. Everyone else will be finished by Friday night, which leaves the Bears, Lions, Colts, and Titans with only about 24 hours to sort through the last game and lock in their 53-man rosters. That’s a tight window, especially with roster cutdown day looming fast.
By Sunday evening, every team has to be down to 53 players, and the deadline is 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, August 30th. For the four Saturday teams, that means their final evaluation process has to happen on a compressed schedule once the last preseason snaps are in the books.
Still, the short turnaround probably won’t completely upend anything. At this point in the preseason, most teams already have a pretty good sense of who belongs on the final roster.
The last exhibition is usually about the fringe guys - the players on the bubble trying to make one last case for themselves or earn another look. And even then, teams are often only sorting through a handful of spots.
So while the Bears, Lions, Colts, and Titans are dealing with a little more pressure than the rest of the league, the real test is still the same: make the most of the final chance before cutdowns hit.
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Anthony Richardsons Colts Future Suddenly Feels Far Less Certain
Anthony Richardsons place in Indianapolis has already shifted this offseason, and it has created a very different kind of conversation around a quarterback who was once viewed as the franchises clear long-term bet. The Colts have installed Daniel Jones as their starter, leaving Richardson to compete for a backup job, even as the team has continued to voice support for him publicly and try to keep the message steady around his development.
Now his name has started to come up in trade inquiries, with multiple NFL teams reportedly checking on quarterbacks whose situations feel unsettled. Nothing is imminent, and Indianapolis has not made a decision to move him, but the possibility is no longer fringe. For the Colts, it would take a return they believed was worth it, which leaves Richardson in a murkier spot than anyone around the team likely expected a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Cornerback Shake-Up Leaves One Final Roster Battle
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Johnathan Edwards has also put himself in good position to stick, thanks in large part to what he brings on special teams. Even after that, one final spot still appears to be hanging in the balance, with Jaylon Jones and Rob Carter Jr. competing for what could be the sixth cornerback role on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Richardson Just Put Colts' Quarterback Situation Back In Focus
Anthony Richardson is back on the field and back in the middle of the conversation for Indianapolis after a stretch that tested both his health and his place in the organization. The quarterback, coming off an eye injury, said he was happy to return to play and acknowledged the adversity that has followed him through his career, a reminder that his path with the Colts has never been a smooth one.
Richardsons status matters because the offseason already included a trade request, yet the current signs point toward him staying in Indianapolis for this season. For a team that has spent so much time trying to answer its quarterback question, every step Richardson takes back into the lineup only sharpens the stakes, even as the bigger picture around his future remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]