What's next after cutdown: the 2026 waiver wire and key dates

Every club trimmed its initial 53-man roster by the 6 p.m. ET Sunday (Aug. 30) deadline. The subtraction is only half the story — the players let go are now the league's next acquisition market, and the clock starts immediately. Also remember that teams can still trade and drop players currently on their 53-man roster.

The waiver window. The first set of claims have until 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 31. Teams submit claims on players subject to waivers; when more than one club wants the same name, the team higher on the waiver order wins it. One Note: Teams can claim as many players as they want without worrying about anyone behind them in the order. So if a team wants to claim 5 players they can.

How the order is set. The opening waiver priority mirrors the 2026 NFL Draft order — effectively the 2025 final standings including playoffs. It is the original draft slot that counts, not where a team actually picked. This order holds for the first three weeks of the season, after which it flips to current standings.

Who is actually on waivers. Players with fewer than four accrued NFL seasons go through waivers. Veterans with four or more accrued seasons are "vested" — released, not waived — and become immediate free agents who can choose their next team rather than being claimed.

Practice squads open next. Teams can start building practice squads on Aug. 31. Each club carries 16 players, and up to six of those can be veterans with no cap on accrued seasons. A waived player must clear waivers before landing on a practice squad; vested vets can sign one at any time if no active roster has them.

Opening waiver order for 2026:

1. Las Vegas Raiders
2. New York Jets
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. Tennessee Titans
5. New York Giants
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Washington Commanders
8. New Orleans Saints
9. Kansas City Chiefs
10. Cincinnati Bengals
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Dallas Cowboys
13. Atlanta Falcons
14. Baltimore Ravens
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Indianapolis Colts
17. Detroit Lions
18. Minnesota Vikings
19. Carolina Panthers
20. Green Bay Packers
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
22. Los Angeles Chargers
23. Philadelphia Eagles
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Chicago Bears
26. Buffalo Bills
27. San Francisco 49ers
28. Houston Texans
29. Los Angeles Rams
30. Denver Broncos
31. New England Patriots
32. Seattle Seahawks

The Raiders, by virtue of the top slot, get the first crack at the notable names who hit the wire after cutdown — with the bulk of the league's roster-churn decisions now flowing through claims and practice-squad invites over the next 24 hours.