NFL waiver wire order following 2026 cutdown day, led by the Raiders
One of the toughest days of each NFL season is behind us. Cutdown day. The 32 NFL clubs had until 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night to trim their rosters down to 53 players. That meant that more than 1,000 hopefuls received some bad news over the weekend. But for many of those players, this […]
Nashville, Tennessee - On the final day of roster cuts for the 2026 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders were at the forefront, leading the waiver order. The NFL cutdown day allowed each of the 32 teams to reduce their rosters to 53 players. This led to over 1,000 players receiving news of not making the cut. However, for many, this was not the end but rather a pause in their NFL careers.
Some players were signed to practice squads while others were placed on active rosters over the subsequent days and weeks. Players with less than four years of experience in the league then moved onto the waiver process. Players with four or more years of service in the league became free agents and could sign with any team. But for those players subject to waivers, they followed the league’s waiver process, including the waiver order.
Under NFL rules, the waiver order for the first three weeks of the season is determined by the draft order from the previous season. After Week 4, the order shifts to being determined by the current standings, in reverse order. This means the Las Vegas Raiders were at the top of the waiver order for the 2026 NFL season, followed by the New York Jets, and so on. The first waivers will be announced on Monday, August 31.
Written by urgent.news from SB Nation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
