NFL waiver wire order to claim players cut for final rosters

As NFL teams finalize their rosters entering the regular season, players who have been cut that are eligible for the waiver wire can be claimed by teams by Wednesday. The waiver wire is ordered the same way as the first round of that year’s NFL draft until the third week of the season.

NFL waiver wire for players

Every team in the NFL had to cut their roster down to 53 players by Aug. 31, leaving many players around the league without a team. For players that have not been in the league long enough, the right to sign that player goes to the team highest up on the waiver wire. If multiple teams want the same player, the priority goes to the team who was worse last season. If a team claims a player, they’re also claiming their contract.

This year’s waiver wire goes in the following order:

1) Jaguars
2) Jets
3) Texans
4) Falcons
5) Bengals
6) Eagles
7) Lions
8) Panthers
9) Broncos
10) Cowboys
11) Giants
12) 49ers
13) Chargers
14) Vikings
15) Patriots
16) Cardinals
17) Raiders
18) Dolphins
19) WFT
20) Bears
21) Colts
22) Titans
23) Seahawks
24) Steelers
25) Rams
26) Browns
27) Ravens
28) Saints
29) Packers
30) Bills
31) Chiefs
32) Bucs

Teams have until Sep. 1 at 12 p.m. ET to claim any player off of waivers.

Players with less than four years of accrued NFL service are subject to waivers. A player with at least four years of accrued time is referred to as a “vested veteran” and immediately becomes a free agent if they are cut from their team.

This means all teams will have a chance to offer high profile cuts like quarterback Cam Newton a contract if they want to.

Waivers and the Reserve/COVID-19 list

With the fluctuations on NFL rosters involving players who test positive for COVID-19 or are forced to quarantine under protocols, the league has an expanded designation for players unable to play so prevent this from crippling their team.

The Reserve/COVID-19 list functions similarly to the injured reserve list, where players can be placed on it to avoid counting to the 53-man roster limit. There are rules in place that force them to be inactive for a period of time before returning to the team, preventing teams from moving players around every week.

This season, the extended rosters caused by this reserve list will cause players to be cut more frequently throughout the season as teams are “stashing” away an extra list of players.

“Players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list don’t count towards the 53-man limit, so a bunch of teams are carrying extra players,” detailed NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. “The Titans currently have 62. The Colts, Cowboys and Buccaneers have multiple extra spots too. That buys time while rosters settle. More cuts later.”