Chris Rodriguez among former Cats waived on NFL Cutdown Day

It’s NFL Cutdown Day, meaning teams across the league are whittling their rosters down to 53 players. Now that the 4 p.m. ET has come and gone, several former Kentucky Wildcats are looking for new homes.

Chris Rodriguez is the biggest name thus far to hit the waiver wire. Rodriguez was selected by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Last year, he appeared in 13 games, finishing with 51 carries for 247 yards and two touchdowns before an ankle injury cut his rookie season short. He struggled this preseason, totaling four carries for 4 yards and four catches for 39 yards on 14 snaps. He may not be on the waiver wire long.

Lonnie Johnson Jr. was another big name among the cuts today. After stints with the Titans (2022) and New Orleans Saints (2023), the five-year NFL vet signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Houston Texans, the team that originally drafted him in the second round in 2019. Over five seasons in the league, Johnson has 192 career tackles and 4 interceptions.

All players with fewer than four seasons of NFL service hit waivers immediately. Waiver claims will be processed by noon EST on Wednesday afternoon. Players with more than four seasons of NFL service become free agents at 4:01 p.m. EST on Tuesday and are free to sign with any team. Sixteen-man practice squads begin to take shape on Wednesday afternoon, so some players will have the chance to make it back onto a roster ahead of the start of the season.

Here is a running list of the former Cats to be released or waived so far. We’ll update it as the names come out.

• Chris Rodriguez (Washington Commanders) – Waived
• Marquan McCall (Las Vegas Raiders) – Waived
• Tashawn Manning (Baltimore Ravens) – Waived
• Tayvion Robinson (Carolina Panthers) – Waived from IR
• Quinton Bohanna (Tennessee Titans) – Released
• Kelvin Joseph (Kansas City Chiefs) – Waived
• Bryce Oliver (Tennessee Titans) – Waived
• Josh Ali (Atlanta Falcons) – Waived
• Lonnie Johnson Jr. (Houston Texans) – Released
• Brenden Bates (Chicago Bears) – Waived
• TJ Carter (Arizona Cardinals) – Released
• Phil Hoskins (Arizona Cardinals) – Released
• Devin Leary (Baltimore Ravens) – Waived

Kentucky Wildcats on NFL teams

Ray Davis	Buffalo Bills
Mike Edwards	Buffalo Bills
Trevin Wallace	Carolina Panthers
Josh Hines-Allen	Jacksonville Jaguars
Luke Fortner	Jacksonville Jaguars
Keidron Smith	Denver Broncos
Will Levis	Tennessee Titans
Dru Phillips	New York Giants
Wan’Dale Robinson	New York Giants
Jamin Davis	Washington Commanders
Landon Young	New Orleans Saints
Carrington Valentine	Green Bay Packers
Bud Dupree	LA Chargers
Brandin Echols	New York Jets
Darian Kinnard	Philadelphia Eagles
Za’Darius Smith	Cleveland Browns