Winners and losers from NFL cutdown day: Dillon Gabriel gets promotion to QB2; Commanders in trouble at WR

The biggest transaction day in the NFL has passed as all 32 teams had to get their roster to 53 players. There were over 1,100 players cut on Tuesday, plenty of whom will be looking for opportunities on practice squads or contemplating their football future. 

The biggest news on Tuesday actually was Travis Kelce's engagement to Taylor Swift, and Kelce could easily be declared a winner on cutdown day -- along with the Kansas City Chiefs and football fans alike. Let's focus on the players who were actually getting waived on cutdown day, or players who made the roster and earned a promotion in the process (whether they were a roster lock or not). 

Sometimes cuts can tell you aplenty about the state of the roster, especially at a certain position. That's part of finding the winners and losers on cutdown day, which there were aplenty of on one of the biggest days of the year.

Winner: Dillon Gabriel

The Browns initially appeared to be carrying four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, as Gabriel was set to be the QB3 behind Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Cleveland then flipped Pickett to Las Vegas in exchange for a fifth-round pick, opening up the QB2 job for Gabriel.

After a strong preseason which Gabriel took advantage of Pickett's hamstring injury and Sanders' oblique injury, Gabriel set himself up to be the top backup behind Flacco. Gabriel will get the first shot to start whenever the Browns decide to move on from Flacco as the starting quarterback. 

Loser: Malachi Corley

Corley was a Jets third-round pick from last season who had trouble getting on the field. He was a Joe Douglas selection and had to prove himself to a new coaching staff under Aaron Glenn and front office under Darren Mougey. The No. 65 overall pick just a year ago had a quiet summer, this after a rookie season in which Corley had three catches for 16 yards.

A change of scenery may be good for Corley, but getting cut after being a third-round pick 18 months prior is a tough pill to swallow. 

Winner: Patriots WRs

The Patriots had an intriguing roster battle among the wide receivers this summer, which may have left a good player or two on the waiver wire. Instead, New England ended up keeping eight wide receivers. Yes eight!

Javon Baker and Efton Chism both made the roster, a reward for Chism's strong preseason catching the football and Baker becoming a key special teams player. Kendrick Bourne even made the roster after not practicing since Aug. 1, while cut candidate Ja'Lynn Polk ended up on injured reserve. 

The Patriots may not have top-end talent at wide receiver, but this is their deepest unit in years. 

NFL roster cuts tracker 2025: Players released by all 32 teams at 53-man roster cutdown deadline

Jeff Kerr

Loser: Commanders WR room

There's a legitimate reason for concern in Washington. Terry McLaurin did sign a contract extension to end his contract dispute, but he hasn't practiced all summer. While McLaurin may not be a concern in Washington, the depth at the posiiton is not there.

Deebo Samuel still has a lot to prove, and all the veterans they brought in this summer didn't pan out. Michael Gallup didn't make the team and neither did Chris Moore. The other wide receivers on the roster are Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey and fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane -- not exactly the deepest unit.

There are only five wideouts on the Commanders roster. They could use an upgrade at the position. 

Winner: Spencer Rattler

The Saints had to name a starting quarterback between Rattler and second-round rookie Tyler Shough, giving the nod to Rattler hours before announcing their 53-man roster. Rattler won the job after outperforming Shough this preseason, even though he went 0-6 in six starts last season. Rattler completed 57% of his passes in his seven games, as the former fifth-round pick threw for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns to five interceptions (70.4 passer rating). 

How long Rattler has the job will be up to him, but he gets the first shot to succeed in Kellen Moore's offensive system. 

Loser: Eagles finding a pass rusher 

The Eagles made several beneficial trades prior to finalizing their initial 53-man roster. They added to the quarterback room by acquiring Sam Howell, created more wide receiver depth in the John Metchie deal, and reacquired their swing tackle in Fred Johnson. All were moves that made the overall roster better. 

Philadelphia needs more depth at pass rusher, either in the form of a starter who can get consistent snaps or a player who can immediately contribute to the rotation. The Eagles have Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as the starters and Josh Uche as the top rotational pass rusher. They need more depth there. Good bet general manager Howie Roseman is looking. 

Winner: Trey Hendrickson and Bengals defense

The Bengals weren't able to sign Henderson to a long-term deal, but they were able to agree to terms on a $14 million raise -- which gives Hendrickson $30 million for this season. Hendrickson will be a free agent after the year, so it doesn't appear he's in the Bengals' long-term plans.

For this season, the Bengals get a significant boost with their best defensive player on the field. Cincinnati's first-team defense struggled to stop any first- or second-team offense this preseason, mainly because of not having Hendrickson available.

The Bengals defense isn't expected to be good, but the unit has a chance to be average with Hendrickson. 

Loser: WRs making a comeback

Two former 1,000-yard receivers took a year off and attempted to make a comeback this offseason. Michael Gallup signed with the Commanders and Hunter Renfrow landed with the Panthers. Both players struggled in their comeback attempts this summer and were left on the roster bubble the last few weeks.

Gallup was released by the Commanders on Tuesday, Ditto with Renfrow and the Panthers. Both players missed a full year of football, and it was evident during the summer. Gallup and Renfrow can still find jobs, but making the active roster after a year off proved to be a major challenge.