NFL Roster Cuts: Bailey Zappe, Bradley Roby Among Notable Moves

One of the toughest dates on the NFL calendar is here.

All 32 NFL teams were tasked with trimming their rosters down to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Teams were allowed to have as many as 90 players on their rosters throughout the preseason. Unlike past years, rosters were not gradually cut down this summer. Rather, rosters were dramatically slashed from 90 to 53 players over the last week or so ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

Hundreds of players across the league have been waived or released. Some of them will be invited back to join practice squads, while others will try to find new homes.

Here's a look at some notable roster moves made ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

Houston Texans Cut Two Defensive Starters

The Houston Texans released a pair of starters on Monday: linebacker Christian Kirksey and defensive back Desmond King.

Kirksey was a team captain in 2022, his second in Houston, and recorded 124 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. The 10th-year pro missed all of training camp with a strained hamstring. The Texans will save $5.2 million with his release. King played with Houston's first-team defense throughout training camp and started 25 games for the Texans over the past two seasons.

Patriots Left With Only One QB After Cuts

And then there was one.

Mac Jones is now the only quarterback on the New England Patriots' roster as of Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots, in a somewhat surprising fashion, waived backup quarterback Bailey Zappe just ahead of the deadline. Zappe was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and went 2-0 as a starter while Jones was out last year.

The 24-year-old completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 781 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions over four total games in 2022. The Patriots also waived rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham on Tuesday.

Bengals Release Veteran QB

The Cincinnati Bengals are going with Jake Browning as their backup quarterback behind Pro Bowler Joe Burrow.

Cincinnati released veteran QB and former NFL starter Trevor Siemian on Tuesday. Burrow and Browning are the only signal callers on Cincinnati's roster after Tuesday's moves. Siemian had the worst preseason of his career this year in terms of passer rating (55.7), according to Sports Illustrated. The 2015 seventh-round pick finished the preseason 36-of-65 passing for 316 yards and two interceptions.

The Bengals keeping only two quarterbacks at the moment is notable considering Burrow suffered a calf strain during training camp and his status for Week 1 is uncertain.

Saints Part Ways With Smith, Roby

The New Orleans Saints released linebacker Jaylon Smith and cornerback Bradley Roby ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

The Saints traded for Roby in 2021 and the defensive back appeared in 27 games in New Orleans over the last two seasons. The move comes as a bit of a surprise considering Roby had been the team's starting slot cornerback throughout the summer. Roby was a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos and won the Super Bowl in his second season.

Smith signed with the Saints on August 11. The former Pro Bowler recorded five tackles, including two for loss, in the preseason finale but apparently didn't do enough in his short stint with the team to earn a roster spot in New Orleans.

Melvin Gordon a Free Agent Again

Two-time Pro Bowler Melvin Gordon is looking for a new team once again.

The 30-year-old running back was released by the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday after signing with the team in late July. Gordon rushed for 59 yards on 17 carries during the preseason. The 2015 first-round pick had spent the last nearly three years with the Broncos before his release last season.

Gordon then joined the Chiefs practice squad late last season and earned a Super Bowl ring. Over his eight-season career, Gordon has rushed for 6,462 yards and 55 touchdowns.