5 Cut Candidates Who Should be on Every NFL Team's Radar

The 2025 NFL offseason is on the verge of another important milestone. The start of training camp is just around the corner, kicking off in the middle portion of July for many clubs.

While the league allows teams to carry up to 90 players during this portion of the offseason, finalized 53-man rosters are due in by August 26. With teams needing to remove over 40 percent of their training camp bodies by the end of summer, plenty of talented players will soon find themselves on the open market.

Although their current squads may not have use for them—or make a painful decision to part ways to free up salary-cap space—some of these veterans won’t remain free agents for long.

With that in mind, let’s highlight five names who are in danger of being cut but will garner plenty of interest after their release.

WR Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

The New England Patriots have a logjam to sort out at the wide receiver position. They have eight competent wideouts vying for a role in 2025, but it’s highly unlikely they will keep that many when roster cuts are due in.

While some of these players are shoo-ins to make the team—such as prized free-agent pickup Stefon Diggs and third-round rookie Kyle Williams—others like Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker, Kayshon Boutte and Ja’Lynn Polk will have to prove their worth to the new regime helmed by head coach Mike Vrabel.

Bourne sticks out as the most likely cut candidate among the receivers currently occupying the roster's fringes.

Despite spending half of his eight-year NFL career with the Patriots, his contributions have been relatively limited. The wideout has yet to improve upon the 55-catch, 800-yard, five-touchdown stat line he posted in his first season in Foxborough, regressing to contribute a meager 305 yards and one score on 28 catches in 2024—his lowest marks since his rookie campaign.

With Bourne soon turning 30 and due to make $5.5 million in base salary, New England can part ways with the aging veteran in exchange for $6.3 million in cap relief and a paltry $1.4 million dead cap hit.

While the Patriots are in the enviable position to cut proven receivers this offseason, many other clubs are not. If Bourne is released, he’ll have several suitors among the various teams in the market for pass-catching help.

Bourne’s best days may be behind him, but it shouldn’t be difficult for him to improve on his underwhelming 2024 marks if he lands with a team that can leverage his schematic versatility and route-running skills.

CB Jamel Dean, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are facing a tough roster decision with regards to Jamel Dean.

The veteran cornerback has fared well for the club since being selected on Day 2 of the 2019 draft, emerging as a regular starter during Tampa’s Super Bowl-winning 2020 campaign and remaining in that role for the better part of the last four seasons.

Despite his contributions—he’s racked up 313 tackles, 52 pass defenses and eight interceptions across his 82 games—the corner is at risk of being cut for two key reasons.

The first is his rather hefty salary. Dean is due to make $12.5 million in base salary in 2025, the penultimate season of the four-year, $52 million extension he inked ahead of the 2023 season.

If the Bucs want to free up more than the $30 million in cap room they currently have available, cutting Dean would provide $12.9 million in immediate financial relief while only incurring $2.3 million in dead money.

While he is far from the highest-paid corner in the NFL, his contract is quite weighty given his injury history (he missed a career-high five games last year) and regression in skill.

Dean conceded a career-high 69.7 percent completion rate in 2024 and allowed a concerning 66.1 percent completion rate the season prior. Those marks are well above the 54.2 percent completion rate he posted over the first four years of his career meaning it could be time for Tampa to part ways with the soon-to-be 29-year-old.

While the financial incentives are strong, the Buccaneers also have plenty of reason to move on from Dean after landing two potential replacements in Benjamin Morris and Jacob Parrish on Day 2 of the 2025 draft.

A change of scenery could do Dean well. He’s still on the right side of 30 and is just over two years removed from signing a sizable extension commensurate with his contributions. Any team lacking veteran depth should be interested in bringing Dean aboard if the Bucs part ways with the corner.

RB Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

The Washington Commanders brought in Austin Ekeler to provide a veteran presence to their backfield last year. The results were mixed, though, as the versatile running back only contributed 733 yards and four touchdowns from scrimmage on 112 touches across 12 contests.

While Ekeler performed decently when healthy, he struggled to rekindle the elite form he displayed during his prime with the Los Angeles Chargers. His performances were a far cry from the player who amassed 3,195 yards and 38 touchdowns from scrimmage during a two-year stretch between the 2021-22 seasons.

Although age (Ekeler turned 30 in May) and injuries have slowed the once-dynamic back down, he could still be an asset in the right system. A team that prefers to pass more often than the Commanders (who ranked No. 26 in the league by passing on just 52.6 percent of their offensive plays) and checkdown to the backs frequently could get more mileage out of the fading star.  

Ekeler provides strong value in the return game as well. He earned second-team All-Pro honors for his special teams work last year, finishing No. 3 in the league with 594 yards on 19 kick returns.

Although giving up his veteran savvy, pass-catching abilities and return contributions won't be easy, Ekeler is ultimately replaceable with seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt now in Washington's backfield mix. The team would gain over $3.4 million in cap savings while only taking a meager $1.5 million in dead money on by releasing Ekeler.

Don’t expect Ekeler to linger on the market too long if he’s released. The back still has some tread left on his tires and could shine in a pass-heavy scheme while also working as a kick returner.

TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez

Taysom Hill has been a pillar of the New Orleans Saints offense for a large portion of his eight NFL seasons. While the versatile playmaker has been utilized all over the field at a variety of positions, his longstanding tenure in the Big Easy could soon be at an end.

While Hill hadn’t shown much sign of slowing down when he was on the field—he put up 278 yards and six touchdowns on 39 totes and reeled in 23 receptions for 187 yards in eight games last season—he missed over half of 2024 with injuries, including a torn ACL suffered .n December.

With Hill going into an age-35 campaign and still needing time to work his way back from a serious knee injury that could limit his elite athleticism, the rebuilding Saints may opt to forge ahead without their Swiss Army knife for the first time since 2016.

The cash-strapped club may find it more palatable to get both salary-cap relief—New Orleans would receive $10 million in cap savings in exchange for $8 million in dead money—and roster space for youthful talent under new head coach Kellen Moore, while a contending team willing to be patient with Hill’s recovery could still benefit from signing him.

Hill is one of the most unique players the NFL has seen. Since entering the league as a 27-year-old rookie in 2017, he has racked up nearly 3,400 yards from scrimmage and scored 44 touchdowns. He’s also moonlit as a passer, posting a career 63.9 percent completion rate with 2,369 yards and 11 touchdowns.

While Father Time and injuries could be catching up to Hill, he’s played in 16 games in all but two of his seven seasons. If he can make a successful return from his knee injury, a veteran-laden contender could benefit heavily from his do-it-all talents.

OL Trey Pipkins III, Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

The Los Angeles Chargers have one of the more expensive backup offensive linemen in the NFL in Trey Pipkins III. While the team attempted to get value out of him by moving him from tackle to guard in 2024, his performance at the new position wasn’t up to par and will likely lead to him riding the pine if he remains with the Bolts this season.

Pipkins' trying year—one in which he allowed six sacks and earned a lowly 57.8 Pro Football Focus grade—coupled with his nearly $7 million in base salary due in the final year of his current contract, makes him one of the more obvious cut candidates on L.A.’s roster.

By releasing him, the Chargers would save $6.75 million against the cap and take on just $2.5 million in dead money. For a team currently working with a shade under $28 million in available space, the extra finances and roster spot should have more allure than an underperforming backup.

If Pipkins does hit the open market, he should draw some interest from teams in the market for swing tackle depth or even a potential starter at tackle. He has plenty of experience in the offensive trenches—logging 56 career starts since entering the NFL as a third-rounder in 2019—including starting the majority of the 2022-23 seasons at right tackle.

While the 29-year-old may not develop into a Pro Bowler at this stage of his career, his ability to fill in at both guard and tackle could be a major boon to organizations desperate for depth at those positions.