Making the Call on the NFL's Biggest Roster Decisions

The regular season is tantalizingly close. We only have to sit through the meaningless Week 4 preseason games, and then the real fun can begin—right?

Not for NFL players and teams.

Having already cut rosters down to 75 players, teams will use the fourth preseason game to heavily evaluate the players they have left. The fringe guys, the bubble guys, the long shots: All of these players will get heavy reps in an effort to secure a chance to play football for a living this year.

Very shortly thereafter, teams will begin the agonizing process of cutting down to 53 players, sending the Turk to end these players' tenure with the team—and sometimes their career.

For many players, the release doesn't really come as a surprise. For others, it's a shock both to them and to the team's fans.

Bleacher Report looked across the league to find 10 of the hardest potential cuts in the NFL. Whether that's a franchise icon who's hung on a little too long or an intriguing up-and-comer struggling to climb the depth chart, we highlighted some of the players whose potential releases would be tough, even painful—but must be considered for the good of the roster.

Kroy Biermann, Atlanta Falcons OLB

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After years of game but ineffective efforts on the outside of the Falcons defense, Atlanta installed Kroy Biermann as the team's primary edge-rusher in 2014.

In one sense, he was successful; Biermann led the Falcons in sacks. Unfortunately, that had much more to do with the completely futile Falcons pass rush than Biermann playing well. His meager 4.5 sacks put him two sacks clear of the second-most productive rusher, Osi Umenyiora.

Under new head coach Dan Quinn, Biermann is miscast as a "Leo" pass-rushing outside linebacker. With youngsters like first-round rookie Vic Beasley and second-year project Tyler Starr getting plenty of opportunities, it's hard to see how Biermann earns out his $1.9 million salary this season.

If the Falcons are looking to clear up in-season cap space, he might be an easy cut. However, he'll likely be saved by Brooks Reed's lingering groin injury. Biermann's versatility makes him valuable, even if he isn't going to make an impact.

Verdict: KEEP

Letroy Guion, Green Bay Packers DL

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Letroy Guion was a mildly pleasant surprise for the Packers in 2014, defecting across the heavily guarded Minnesota-Wisconsin border and doing a good job of plugging run lanes.

Pro Football Focus graded Guion 27th out of 81 qualifying defensive tackles in run stuffing last year with a plus-2.4 grade. However, his overall grade of minus-4.8 slotted him 61st out of the 81, and the return of B.J. Raji means he's strictly a backup.

Moreover, the 28-year-old has just had his three-game suspension for marijuana use upheld by the NFL, meaning the Packers won't even have his services until October. General manager Ted Thompson structured Guion's apparent $2.5 million contract in a series of roster bonuses, a pay-as-you-go structure that seemed to anticipate his no longer being worth the money.

With several bottom-of-the-depth-chart logjams on offense, keeping the suspended Guion around just doesn't make sense.

Verdict: CUT

Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers TE

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It's unthinkable.

After the Offseason of Uncountable Tears, the most devastating loss of talent and institutional knowledge in modern NFL history, could the 49ers really send another franchise cornerstone to the gravel pit? Could they really send yet another multi-time Pro Bowler, whose last appearance was just two seasons ago, packing?

Yes, they could. In fact, they should.

Davis was completely invisible last year, catching just 26 passes on 50 targets and averaging just 9.4 yards per catch. Not only are these all career lows, but they're also way below his career averages (47 catches, 76 targets, 12.9 yards per reception). His whopping minus-16.8 Pro Football Focus grade was 61st out of 67 qualifying tight ends. Vance McDonald, who played nearly a quarter as many snaps, received a sterling plus-6.8 grade.

At 31 years old, Davis should have at least another couple of seasons in the tank—but at this point all evidence points toward him being done.

In the last season of a fat five-year deal, cutting Davis saves $4.4 million in base salary over the course of the season. Since there's no reason to believe he is going to be significantly better than McDonald, Garrett Celek or anyone they could sign off the street, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke might as well make it a clean sweep.

Verdict: CUT

Duron Carter, Indianapolis Colts WR

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Duron Carter was the breakout story of Colts training camp; it seemed no day went by without another tall tale about the Hall of Fame legacy's talent hitting the Internet.

Initially tacked onto the bottom of one of the deepest wideout depth charts in the NFL, Carter appeared to be securing a featured role for himself in 2014. Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Gary Davenport rightly dubbed Carter a "super sleeper" getting a lot of attention around the NFL.

Once Carter got onto the field, though, he disappeared.

Carter failed to display any of his natural playmaking talent during the preseason, telling Steve Andress of the team's official site he was "thinking" too much and called his playing "robotic." It's hard to imagine a player riding such a hype wave suddenly running aground, but in the end, Carter has to do it when it counts. NFL history has forgotten thousands of great practice players who never produced in games.

With T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief and first-round rookie Phillip Dorsett all firmly above Carter, and players like Griff Whalen and Vincent Brown not giving anything up, the former CFL standout must prove he can play NFL football before the Colts cut someone, like Whalen, who already has.

This fourth preseason game will be crucial; for the sake of football fans everywhere, Bleacher Report is betting Carter puts it together.

Verdict: KEEP

EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills QB

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EJ Manuel is not the future of the Buffalo Bills. With the announcement that Tyrod Taylor will be the team's starting quarterback, Manuel isn't even the present. In fact, he's likely not even the backup.

The football world scratched its collective head when Manuel was the first quarterback taken in the 2013 draft as then-head coach Doug Marrone hitched his wagon to the unpolished Florida State product. Though it was widely (and correctly) perceived as a huge reach, the Bills leadership still had every reason to invest in and develop their first-round pick.

With new head coach Rex Ryan in town, though, that pick was a sunk cost—and Manuel has done little to ingratiate himself with Ryan. With Matt Cassel in place as the prototypical steady backup, both the Bills and Manuel would be better off dissolving their relationship and starting over.

Verdict: CUT

Tyler Clutts, Dallas Cowboys FB

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From the moment Dez Bryant inked his massive contract extension, the top Dallas Cowboys talking point has been the run game—specifically, whether the quality of the run blocking up front would be able to compensate for the loss of 2014 Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray.

So in a season where run blocking will be crucial, how could you not keep at least one fullback? Especially when that fullback has already filled in at tailback in scrimmages, and with great success. Double-especially when that fullback has the star power to attract Denzel Washington to Cowboys camp.

You can consider cutting that fullback when you have such a logjam at running back that you can't cut any of them. Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Gus Johnson all have been touted as the potential No. 1 back at some point in the offseason.

In order for Clutts to stay, one will likely have to go; the other three are surely hoping a potential lead blocker is kept over a potential rival for carries.

Verdict: KEEP

Arthur Brown, Baltimore Ravens LB

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Everyone knows the Baltimore Ravens have one of the deepest linebacking corps in football. In fact, 2013 second-round pick Arthur Brown, one of Ray Lewis' many heirs apparent, can't even get off the bench with C.J. Mosley and Daryl Smith playing so well.

But Baltimore drafted Mosley in part because Brown hadn't yet stepped up into a bigger role, and Mosley's not letting go of that job anytime soon. With the Ravens' even better depth on the outside, it's not like a position switch would get Brown on the field, either.

Activated just 18 times in two seasons with zero starts under his belt, all signs point toward Brown being a spare part—and if he can't help the squad, he can't make the squad.

Head coach John Harbaugh flipped the apparent script, though, when he talked up Brown on September 1.

"As hard as he worked in camp, I think he'll really play faster in the regular season because he's so quick and so explosive as a player," Harbaugh said, per ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley. "I expect him to have a really good year." On follow-up, Harbaugh refused to say Brown had already earned a spot on the roster—likely because he hasn't yet.

Look for a heavy dose of Brown in the Ravens' fourth preseason game—and his release shortly after that.

Verdict: CUT

Zach Zenner, Detroit Lions RB

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The Lions are finally getting starting tailback Joique Bell back from injury; he'll slot ahead of preseason sensation Ameer Abdullah on the depth chart. There's also the explosive Theo Riddick, whose third-down work largely pushed Reggie Bush off the field in 2014, and special teams demon George Winn.

That makes four running backs with clear roles on the roster, leaving no room for an undrafted kid from FCS South Dakota State.

Unless, of course, that kid is Zach Zenner, the Lions' other preseason sensation. Zenner has earned Pro Football Focus' highest running back grade so far this preseason; with 162 yards on 25 carries, he leads the NFL in rushing yardage, too.

Should the Lions keep five backs, they'll certainly have to make a painful cut someplace else—or else they'll have to cut a proven contributor in order to keep Zenner around. But after making a case like this, the one cut they can't make is Zenner.

Verdict: KEEP

Jeff Janis, Green Bay Packers WR

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One would assume that losing the team's No. 1 receiver means another spot opens up at the bottom of the depth chart—but not necessarily. When the Green Bay Packers lost Jordy Nelson to an ACL tear, many looked toward Jeff Janis, a 2014 seventh-round pick, to step up and get some reps as a fifth, fourth or possibly even third option.

Yet Janis is suffering from the opposite problem of Duron Carter: Instead of practicing like an All-Pro and disappearing in games, he had a very rough start to training camp. Worse, his preseason performance has been a mixed bag of highlights and lowlights, according to Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery are all ahead of Janis at this point, and players like Myles White and Jared Abbrederis are going to be fighting hard to surpass Janis, too. It's entirely possible Janis ends up fifth, sixth or even seventh on the depth chart—and that will determine whether he stays or goes.

Being a gamer is great, but you can't practice so poorly and keep getting reps. He'll likely need a big final game to stick around.

Verdict KEEP

Devon Still, Cincinnati Bengals DT

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This would truly be the toughest cut.

The story of Devon Still, his cancer-stricken daughter Leah and the Bengals' willingness to keep him around to ensure he can care for her is one of the best the NFL has to offer in recent seasons.

However, Still hasn't been one of the Bengals' best defensive tackles. In three seasons, he's been active for 30 games, started zero and registered one half-sack. The time has come for Still to prove he can earn a permanent spot on the Bengals roster.

Pro Football Focus grades him out at a half-decent plus-0.8, on a team-second-best 82 snaps. The good news for Still is not so much that he's played his way into a roster spot, but that veteran starter Domata Peko might have played his way out of one.

Peko was by far the Bengals' lowest-graded tackle in 2014, and he has been again so far this preseason. A team-friendly contract structure means they could whack Peko, keep Still and get a similar caliber player (and maybe even better!) for far less money.

You don't have to be faster than the Turk. You just have to be faster than the other guys running from the Turk.

Verdict: KEEP

All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated. All contract info courtesy of Spotrac.