NFL Cuts 2017: Release Predictions for Some of League's Toughest Decisions

Week 3 of the NFL preseason means it is time for dress rehearsals.  

Fans and coaches likely think of it that way, at least. For the players themselves, it is one step closer to the date circled in red on the calendar: Sept. 2. 

NFL teams will dole out rosters then, leaving plenty of names floating back into the free-agent pool or beginning a tug of war centered on practice squads. Some names will find new homes, others won't.  

The gigantic total cuts help to explain why the preseason games are anything but meaningless for the players—and they shouldn't be for fans, either, not with the cut-down process by coaches searching to finalize the best possible rosters. Let's nail down some predictions for some of the league's more notable releases. 

Brock Osweiler, QB, Cleveland Browns

David Richard/Associated Press

The quarterback situation in Cleveland feels like it could go any which way.

That includes Brock Osweiler winning the starting gig to losing a job outright. 

Osweiler was part of the NBA-esque trade that landed him in Cleveland. The Browns went on to add DeShone Kizer in the second round of the draft, then more recently named the rookie the starter for the team's third preseason game, according to ESPN.com's Pat McManamon.

Oh, and those sources told McManamon the Browns want to trade Osweiler.

No team will trade for Osweiler, though, seeing as the Browns clearly don't intend to keep him around and he's carrying a $16 million base salary. Unless Kizer implodes, which he hasn't shown any signs of doing so far, the Browns will be more than content to dish Osweiler his walking papers and roll with Kizer and Cody Kessler. 

Sheldon Richardson, DE, New York Jets

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson is another guy who has seen his name in trade rumors for a long time. 

Richardson has had a bevy of issues over the past few seasons, from injuries to getting hit with a few suspensions. While this has occurred, the Jets dished a monster contract to Muhammad Wilkerson and drafted Leonard Williams. 

Cash, of course, is one of the big factors surrounding Richardson. He's due $8 million this year and even told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News this offseason that other teams had asked him to take a pay cut. 

It doesn't sound like a slash in pay is coming and now Richardson looks like a one-year rental with a hefty salary who is playing nowhere close to his former No. 13 overall status. 

Richardson might simply need a change of scenery to get back on track, but the Jets aren't going to find much in the way of trade partners. 

Alfred Morris, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

Somebody has to go in the Dallas Cowboys backfield.  

It's not going to be Ezekiel Elliott, obviously, but how his discipline angle with the league plays out continues to cast a shadow over the maneuverability the coaching staff has at the position.

As of now, Morris looks like the odd man out. The Cowboys made him play snaps well into the second quarter of the Hall of Fame game before falling behind Darren McFadden in the pecking order over the next two exhibitions. 

Keep in mind these snap counts from Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke, too: 

It seems clear the Cowboys view McFadden as the primary backup. And while the coaching staff might go with a committee approach if Elliott can't suit up, the coaching staff still needs to throw the versatility factor into the fray. 

This is where Morris runs into problems. He's a better rusher than a depth option like Rod Smith, but he's not a major factor as a receiver and isn't contributing on special teams. 

Sliced like that, it's not hard to see why Morris is the odd man out. 

Sammie Coates, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

It's easy to forget about Sammie Coates, which doesn't exactly say much about his roster chances with the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The 2015 third-round pick has shown flashes of ability while waiting in line for a chance. But an injury-riddled offseason chases him into this preseason, where he's going to war with Justin Hunter and others for a roster spot. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin even hinted Coates sits right in the middle of a competition with Hunter.

“Sammie, he's grabbing that,” Tomlin said in mid-August, according to Dale Lolley of the Observer Reporter. “You've got to start grabbing that. It's two dogs for one bone. I'm going to start applying pressure.”

Martavis Bryant is back now, which pushes everyone else not named Antonio Brown down the depth chart. To make things harder on Coates, Eli Rogers flashed a season ago and the team drafted  JuJu Smith-Schuster with a second-round pick. 

It's now-or-never time for Coates, though the door already seems shut.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Contract information per Spotrac.