Former Kentucky players waived as NFL teams trim down rosters

On Tuesday, all 32 NFL teams were required to trim their rosters for the 2023 season down to just 53 players by 4:00 p.m. EST. It made for quite a busy afternoon in the professional football world, and former Kentucky Wildcats were not immune to some of the moves. Several one-time ‘Cats received the unfortunate news that they had been waived by their current franchise. Another was traded while a couple received positive updates regarding their playing status for the upcoming season.

Let’s begin with the good stuff. For starters, New York Giants second-year wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Tuesday morning. After tearing his ACL during Week 11 action (the same game he recorded nine catches for 100 yards) as a rookie in 2022, Robinson is preparing to take the field for the Giants’ season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 10.

Elsewhere, 24-year-old wide receiver Josh Ali made the Atlanta Falcons 53-man roster. Although the odds have been stacked against the undrafted free agent, Ali has made an impression on the Falcons. He’s been listed as Atlanta’s WR3 during the preseason and expects to compete for legit playing time in 2023. Ali didn’t see much action in 2022 until the end of the season, but he has shined ever since.

Finally — and this isn’t necessarily good or bad news — the trade of cornerback Kelvin Joseph from the Dallas Cowboys to the Miami Dolphins broke on Tuesday. Pending a physical, Joseph will be sent to Miami in exchange for fellow cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, a former 2020 first-round pick. Joseph has played 164 and 166 snaps on defense over the last two seasons, respectively, for the Cowboys and has two more years still left on his rookie contract.

As for the rest of this week’s Kentucky-related moves, most resulted in former Wildcats being waived by their teams. Of note, defensive tackle Marquan McCall has already cleared waivers after failing his physical with the New England Patriots at the end of last week. Lynn Bowden (Saints) and Darian Kinnard (Chiefs) were some of the bigger names that were cut. You can see the other Kentucky players that were waived below.

Former ‘Cats hit the waiver wire

• Baltimore Ravens waive OL Tashawn Manning
• Cincinnati Bengals waive S Yusuf Corker
• Chicago Bears waive OL Logan Stenberg
• Cleveland Browns waive CB Chris Westry
• Dallas Cowboys waive NT Quinton Bohanna
• Detroit Lions waive RB Benny Snell
• Kansas City Chiefs waive OT Darian Kinnard and DL Phil Hoskins
• Los Angeles Rams waive LB DeAndre Square and DE T.J. Carter
• Miami Dolphins waive S Keidron Smith
• New England Patriots waive CB Quandre Mosley
• New Orleans Saints waive WR Lynn Bowden
• Tennessee Titans waive TE Justin Rigg

All players with fewer than four seasons of NFL service hit waivers immediately. Waiver claims will be processed by noon EST on Wednesday afternoon. As for players with more than four seasons of NFL service, they became free agents right at 4:01 p.m. EST on Tuesday and are now free to sign with any team. Keep in mind that 16-man practice squads begin to take shape on Wednesday afternoon, meaning some of these waived ‘Cats will have the chance to make it back onto a roster ahead of the start of the season.