Now, that leaves just 53. On Tuesday, all NFL teams had to whittle down their 90-man offseason rosters down to an opening group of 53 players. Even if some players perform well over the summer, the congestion on various rosters can negate their efforts. That said, just because a player isn’t selected to one of the 32-man opening rosters doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for him somewhere in the NFL.
Tuesday’s deadline will be marked by players being waived or released, but it will provide a way to continue roster construction as we approach Week 1. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up some notable players currently searching for new teams and identified potential destinations.
Ridder spent the first two years of his career with the Falcons before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason in a rare player swap for wide receiver Rondale Moore. Ridder narrowly lost out to Clayton Tune and Kyler Murray for the No. 2 quarterback position. The 24-year-old Ridder appeared in 13 games with Atlanta last season, going 6-7.
Potential destination: Los Angeles Rams. It may not be a permanent home for Ridder, but it would be an intriguing pit stop. The Rams, of course, have Matthew Stafford as their starter and signed Jimmy Garoppolo as their backup in the offseason. But Garoppolo is suspended for the first two games of the season, leaving the backup spot up to Stetson Bennett. Would Ridder stay on as an emergency quarterback under former offensive coordinator Dave Ragone? He could stay on the practice squad and develop in the shadow of the highly popular Sean McVay.
Zappe was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 and flourished during his two seasons there, starting eight games in total, including the final six of the 2023 season. He went 4-4 as a starter but struggled toward the Patriots’ end of the season last year. Still, he’s an ideal backup quarterback who can be relied on as a spot star in a pinch.
Potential destination: Los Angeles Chargers. There’s a chance Zappe could return to the Patriots via the practice squad, but the Chargers might be the better option outside of Foxborough. As of now, Easton Stick is slated to be Justin Herbert’s backup, and there’s a good chance Zappe could be up there at the position. Stick started four games last season, going 0-4 with an 85.6 pass completion percentage.
When the Kansas City Chiefs acquired Toney in a trade in October 2022, it seemed at one point that the former first-round draft pick wide receiver would be a lethal pairing with Patrick Mahomes. Toney made some key plays during his time with the Chiefs, with two Super Bowls to prove it, but he never reached the high level many expected. The Chiefs revamped their receiver corps this summer, but Toney was left behind and is now looking for a new team where he can utilize his raw abilities.
Potential destination: The Washington Commanders. The Commanders just traded former first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles and have significant question marks over receiver Terry McLaurin. Toney’s talents could be appealing to Washington’s new coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Brown has been a standout receiver over the past few seasons with the Cowboys and Texans. He had two incredible outings in 2023, recording over 550 yards receiving in two consecutive years. In Week 9, he caught all six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, then the following week he had seven catches for 172 yards. Given his explosiveness, he should be a valuable target for teams looking to add depth at the receiver position.
Potential destination: Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles appears set to rely on Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston and rookie Ladd McConkey after releasing Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason. Palmer is underrated and McConkey and Johnston both have potential, but it wouldn’t hurt to give Justin Herbert another outlet like Brown, who could impact his target share.
Perin continues to be a reliable pass-catching option out of the backfield even as he enters his age-29 season. While the Broncos are moving in a different direction with the acquisitions of Javonte Williams and Jahlil McLaughlin, Perin would be a smart addition for a team looking to bolster its backfield. Last season, he caught 50 of 56 passes for 455 yards.
Potential destination: Green Bay Packers. Perine would be a logical choice for Green Bay given the news that running back AJ Dillon will be leaving the team at the end of the season. Perine could be an ideal addition to a weakened backfield behind Josh Jacobs to thrive in passing situations.
Farley is a Virginia Tech graduate who was selected 22nd overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2021. His lack of success as expected in the draft was due in part to a number of injuries he suffered during his time in Nashville. Farley tore his ACL twice in college and missed the 2023 season with a back injury. His release was not a surprise, given that the Titans had a new system that had nothing to do with Farley and had acquired Rujarius Snead and Chidobe Awuzie in the offseason.
Potential destination: Cleveland Browns. It’s hard to find a team willing to take on Farley given his past injuries, but the Browns could be an intriguing team simply because of Farley’s connection to Mike Vrabel, who is currently with the team as a coaching and personnel consultant. Vrabel was Tennessee’s head coach when they selected Farley, so his familiarity with him could pave the way for him to make an NFL roster (53-man or practice squad). This would be a low-risk, cheap move for the Browns, and they could add a talented defensive back to their secondary.
The Minnesota Vikings selected the Georgia native with the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. His rookie season was cut short due to a compound fracture in his left foot and he played in just seven games last season. Cine recorded one total tackle.
Potential destination: New York Giants. The team lost Xavier McKinnie at the start of free agency and the safety position remains in question heading into the regular season. While Cine shouldn’t be viewed as a safety savior, the Giants are a rebuilding team and would be open to capitalizing on Cine’s potential — as long as he stays healthy, of course.
Marshall spent the past three seasons there after the Carolina Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of LSU. The former national champion has shown flashes of flashes of brilliance during his time in the league but has yet to put it all together. His best season in the NFL came in 2022 when he caught 28 passes for 490 yards and a touchdown. He appeared in nine games with the club in 2023.
Potential destination: Buffalo Bills. With the departures of Stefon Diggs (trade) and Gabe Davis (free agency) this offseason, Buffalo now has 241 total targets available. Rookie Keion Coleman, wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel and tight end Dalton Kinkaid will get some of those targets, but there are questions about the receiver corps. Marshall could be worth a gamble to see if he can develop chemistry with Josh Allen. The team also got an up-close look at Marshall in the final preseason game, when he caught three balls for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Spiller was a fourth-round draft pick by the Chargers in 2022 out of Texas A&M. There was some promise for the former SEC All-Star back over the past few seasons, but it never materialized. He appeared in just 15 games for the Chargers, rushing 55 times for 137 yards and catching all nine of his passes for 47 yards.
Potential Destination: Las Vegas Raiders. An easy destination for Spiller would be Las Vegas, where Tom Telesco is currently the general manager. Telesco held the same role with the Chargers and drafted Spiller, so Telesco may still have some affection for Spiller and be interested in seeing if he can finally unlock his potential with the Raiders. Also, this team isn’t well-stocked at the position, with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison at the top of the depth chart.
Patrick has struggled with season-ending injuries the past two years, missing 2022 with a torn ACL and 2023 with a torn Achilles tendon. But Patrick has shown he can thrive in an NFL offense when healthy. In each of his past two seasons on the field (2020 and 2021), Patrick had at least 50 catches for 700 yards and five touchdowns.
Potential destination: Pittsburgh Steelers. George Pickens leads the receivers, but the depth of his replacement is questionable. Aside from Pickens, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III are the main receivers.