Week 1 Waiver Wire: Highlighting Top Pickups from 2017 Preseason

The NFL sure knows how to turn something dull into an exciting time for fans. 

Typically the cut-down process and trip to the waiver wire for all 32 teams is a skippable process, one final point of relaxation for fans before Week 1 kicks off. 

Not anymore. 

Check a note by ESPN's Field Yates an hour after waivers went to the league office: 

With roster rules changing and fewer cuts needed before the big one over the weekend, teams pulled off more trades than usual to make sure they'd get the guys they want. The waiver wire also crammed most of the normal transactions into a span of hours. 

Here are the best pickups of the wild period. 

Kasen Williams, WR, Cleveland Browns 

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Kasen Williams was one of the biggest names to not make a 53-man roster. 

Well, one of the biggest names that most fans don't know. 

An undrafted free agent in 2015, Williams put on an absolute show this preseason with the Seattle Seahawks, tallying 208 yards and a touchdown over the course of the exhibitions. 

Claimed by the Cleveland Browns, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team went right to Twitter to show fans why they should be excited: 

Fans should be excited, especially if even Richard Sherman was allegedly a bit dismayed about Williams not sticking in Seattle. 

Any help for rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer is a win for the Browns. Based on the early returns, the team just got him an upside-filled weapon he can grow alongside. 

Tre McBride, WR, Chicago Bears 

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While Tre McBride isn't as exciting as Williams, sometimes the landing spot weighs in enough to make a signing notable. 

This is the case with the Chicago Bears and McBride, a move reported by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. He's 24 years old and has seen four targets over the course of his professional career after coming off the board in the seventh round to the Tennessee Titans in 2015. 

Mostly a presence on the practice squad, McBride saw plenty of usage with the first team this preseason, per Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke. Meaning, the Bears had plenty of film to analyze when putting in their claim. 

McBride might be a bigger signing than expected in hindsight because the Bears could ask him to contribute right out of the gates. The team needs to help new quarterback Mike Glennon as much as possible after No. 1 wideout Cameron Meredith suffered a season-ending injury, and it doesn't know what it has in new arrival Kendall Wright. Markus Wheaton is hurt and Kevin White remains a candidate for the bust label. 

It's a locale, at least, that could help McBride make the Titans regret letting him walk.  

Pierre Desir, CB, Indianapolis Colts 

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A 26-year-old defensive back who came off the board in the fourth round back in 2014 will keep getting chances with teams in need. 

So goes the tale of Pierre Desir, drafted by the Cleveland Browns and eventually cut loose. The former Lindenwood product filled in for Joe Haden at times and dabbled at safety, though the versatility didn't help him keep a job in Cleveland, nor with the Los Angeles Chargers (five games last season).

Now Desir joins the Indianapolis Colts, per Schefter, and has a chance to help a rebuilding secondary right away. Per at least one set of advanced metrics, Desir had a strong preseason, according to PFF's Louie Benjamin: 

Still, Desir has had problems sticking on a roster. The Colts will throw him on special teams while seeing what he has to offer from a versatility standpoint. 

This is one of the better recent upside signings, even if Desir is ways out from taking the field alongside guys like Vontae Davis and Darius Butler. 

Will Tye, TE, New York Jets 

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The New York Jets need quite a bit of help to escape their worst-case roster status heading into the regular season. 

Claiming tight end Will Tye, per Yates, helps. 

Also an undrafted free agent in 2015, Tye stuck with the New York Giants and over two seasons tallied 90 catches for 859 yards and four touchdowns on 132 targets. 

Tye didn't hit the market because he can't play—the Giants simply like the tandem of veteran Rhett Ellison and rookie first-rounder Evan Engram. 

The Jets won't complain. An offense with Josh McCown under center isn't going to blow anyone away, but Tye can be an immediate help right out of the gates while potential starter Austin Seferian-Jenkins serves a two-game ban and rookie Jordan Leggett continues to learn the pro game. 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.