NFL Schedule 2015: Top Storylines to Watch on Week 4 Slate

The news has slowly begun trickling in. One by one, players will get the call they've been dreading for weeks. The NFL requires teams to have their rosters trimmed to 75 players by Sept. 1, with Week 3's slate of games giving some players their final opportunity to show what they have to offer.

Unfortunately, Week 4 offers no reprieve. Almost immediately after the final preseason games are played, more than 700 players across the NFL will receive their pink slips. Rosters will need to be cut down to the maximum of 53 by 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 5.

While some released players will receive opportunities on practice squads or even be picked up to another team's 53-man roster, this is undoubtedly the most nerve-wracking time to wear shoulder pads and helmets. 

Names we've seen soar on the biggest stage will be let go for formerly unheralded youngsters, comeback bids will run dry and swaths of other hopefuls will likely walk away from the game for good. Professional sports can sometimes be a cruel world.

Let's take a look at the Week 4 slate and assess the biggest questions left to be answered.

Game	Time (ET)	TV
Cincinnati at Indianapolis	7 p.m.	Local
Tampa Bay at Miami	7 p.m.	NFL Network
Philadelphia at N.Y. Jets	7 p.m.	Local
Baltimore at Atlanta	7 p.m.	Local
New Orleans at Green Bay	7 p.m.	Local
Carolina at Pittsburgh	7:30 p.m.	Local
N.Y. Giants at New England	7:30 p.m.	Local
Buffalo at Detroit	7:30 p.m.	Local
Jacksonville at Washington	7:30 p.m.	Local
Minnesota at Tennessee	8 p.m.	Local
Kansas City at St. Louis	8 p.m.	Local
Cleveland at Chicago	8 p.m.	Local
Houston at Dallas	8 p.m.	Local
Arizona at Denver	9 p.m.	Local
San Diego at San Francisco	10 p.m.	NFL Network
Oakland at Seattle	10 p.m.	Local

2-Point Timmy to the Rescue?

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

OK, so maybe Tim Tebow isn't a quarterback. Anyone in need of confirmation needs only to look at his film from the preseason. While somewhat improved in some areas, Tebow remains an erratic thrower who takes far too long in the pocket and looks panicked under duress. 

And you know what? That is totally fine. Not everyone can be super awesome at quarterbacking. Tebow can still be a hero, an aspirational figure, a good dude. His lack of NFL quarterbacking skills does not detract from his collegiate excellence, nor should it alter anyone's opinion of him as a cultural difference-maker.

Does Tebow have any use as an NFL player, though? It appears Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is about to find out. He sent Tebow out for two two-point conversion attempts in Saturday's win. Neither of them proved successful.

On the first, a designed keeper for Tebow went nowhere as the Packers defense swarmed the line of scrimmage and brought him down after minimal progress. On the second, Tebow nearly threw an interception on an errant pass intended for rookie Nelson Agholor.

The former Florida star would eventually get in the game during regulation, throwing for 15 yards and adding four on the ground. He also fumbled once.

Things...did not go well.

The overwhelming odds at this juncture would be against Tebow making the 53-man roster. He's not played well under center, and though it's a limited sample size, the whole two-point conversion thing looks like it's a work in progress at best.

There are only 53 spots. Reserving one for a 28-year-old work-in-progress probably isn't the best idea.

Browns Willing to Roll Dice on Pryor Project?

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of failed former collegiate stars: Terrelle Pryor's quest to convert to receiver continues in Cleveland under relative anonymity, which, of course, doesn't bode well for Pryor's future with the club. The former Ohio State standout has yet to appear in a preseason game for Cleveland due to a lingering hamstring injury. 

Pryor told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com:

"

Not everybody's going to be here for the Browns. I've been cut three times, four times. I know what it feels like and it is what it is. Would I like to be here? Absolutely. I know I could help this team and make plays for this team but at the same time I can't control the decisions they make. That's kind of on them and I'm going to move forward whatever happens.

"

While it's not a guarantee that Pryor will even make the 75-man cut, it would probably behoove Cleveland to keep him around for at least one more week. Pryor has barely even touched the field since arriving, whether in practice or in games. The point of a project is to see it in action and assess whether the long-term goals have any merit.

Without seeing Pryor whatsoever, the Browns have about as much idea of Pryor's wide receiver future as you or I. There are likely 15 or more players on the roster they could feel comfortable moving on from—assuming the team knows Pryor will be healthy enough to make his debut in Week 4.

Either way, it's clear the clock is ticking.

What Other Notable Veterans Will Be on the Move?

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

It's a question that we cannot definitively answer. The writing is on the wall for quite a few players, but the line between being buried on the depth chart and cut altogether is blurry.

Take Montee Ball in Denver. This time a year ago, he was probably going in the second round of your fantasy drafts. Now, he's looking up at C.J. Anderson while battling Ronnie Hillman and Juwan Thompson for the backup job. Hillman has eclipsed him on the official depth chart, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post, and now it's not entirely clear whether he'll make the roster at all.

"For Ball, the clock is ticking to make an impression on the new coaching staff," Renck wrote. "Without real improvement, anything is possible."

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

In Tennessee, veteran guard Andy Levitre may be on the outs less than halfway through a six-year contract he signed in 2013. Levitre, who has struggled since his arrival, has moved behind Byron Bell on the depth chart. The Titans would take a $6.3 million dead-money hit releasing him now but would save $6.5 million in base salary, per Spotrac.

“I am on the team, so I’d love to stay,’’ Levitre said Tuesday, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' website. “But it’s above my pay grade. (My mindset) is to do the best that I can and see how things shake out from there.”

Those are just a couple of the many names feeling the push. We may also see trades in the coming days as teams look to acquire veterans under contract without having to compete on the free-agent market. 

Let's just put it this way: The decisions made over the next few days might not be the most important of the 2015 season, but they are among the most interesting.