The Jacksonville Jaguars must have their initial 53-man roster set by 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday. However, they’ll also be keeping their eyes on the rest of the NFL, specifically, which players are released by other teams.
It’s during the roster cutdown period that we see many teams attempt to bolster their depth at certain positions by adding a player whom another organization released.
One position in particular with the Jaguars that we should keep our eyes on is wide receiver, given some recent news around the Broncos-Saints Devaughn Vele trade.
How do waiver claims during roster cutdowns work?
Players who have fewer than four years of accrued NFL service are subject to waivers. Players with four-plus years of NFL experience become free agents and can sign where they please right away.
As it pertains to the waiver system, once a player is on waivers, teams are then able to put in a claim until 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday–the day after roster cutdowns.
If only one team puts in a claim on a player, then that is where the player ends up. However, if two or more teams put in a claim on a single player, the waiver wire priority list determines who gets that player.
During this time of the year, waiver wire priority mirrors the 2025 NFL draft order.
So, for example, if the Jaguars and the Bears put in a waiver claim on the same player, that player would end up with the Jaguars because Jacksonville is sixth in waiver priority while Chicago is 10th.
If a released player goes unclaimed and doesn’t end up on waivers, they then become a free agent and can choose where they sign.
2025 Waiver wire priority list during roster cutdowns
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars near top in waiver wire priority during roster cuts; can make additions as needed
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
