NFL Roster Cuts: 6 Biggest Surprises Who Didn't Make Final Cut

The deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters down to the 53-player limit came and went this past Saturday.  While there were no definite shockers at the time, there were some surprise names who didn't make the final cuts.

But as you may know by now, there was one totally shocking cut that occurred yesterday.  We'll delve into that a little later, though.

Most times when you see a player released who comes as a surprise, it has to do with age, money, scheme-fit or some combination of the three.

Sometimes even if a player does make it past the final cuts, he might not be safe for very long.  They also have to survive the market flooding of other teams' cuts.

Scouring the waiver wires for upgrades and team needs on the back-ends of roster is another way teams round out their roster.  One man's trash is another man's gold, right?

Here are my top six surprise players who didn't survive the final bloodshed known as "cut day," nor did they make it to opening day on their team.

6. WR Brandon Tate

Brandon Tate is only entering his third season after being drafted by New England in the third round of the 2009 draft.

He was surprisingly beaten out for a roster spot on the Patriots by the likes of Taylor Price and Mathew Slater, neither of which has done anything in an NFL game.

Last season, Tate caught 24 passes for 432 yards and three TDs.  He also returned 41 kickoffs for 1,057 yards and two TDs, including one for 103 yards.

I'm sure Bill Belichick is using his masterful talent evaluation skills here but I'm sure he felt Tate's value was diminished when the NFL decided to have teams kickoff from the 35 yard-line instead of the 30.  More touch-backs on kickoffs means less need for return specialists.

However, he actually did return a kickoff for a touchdown from his own end zone last season so it's not out of the question that a player like Tate would still have value in this regard.

5. DE Igor Olshansky

Igor Olshansky became a casualty of an apparent youth movement by the Dallas Cowboys this year.  Though he's just 29 years old, the Cowboys felt they would be better off with 32 year-old player Kenyon Coleman.

So much for the youth movement, huh? 

It's probable they felt Coleman would be more productive but Olshansky has been a solid, if unspectacular, player for the Cowboys the past two seasons.  Furthermore, Coleman appears to be a better fit for new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

Olshansky, who bench-pressed an amazing 505 lbs in college, will likely find work this season.  He's a prototypical 3-4 defensive end who excels at stopping the run.

4. DE Everette Brown

Everette Brown was Carolina's second-round draft pick just two years ago.  He appeared to have come-on a little bit last season when he recorded 3.5 sacks and even had an interception.

Even though he may not have developed into the pass-rusher they had hoped for, it's still surprising that they gave up on him this early.  Especially after investing a second-round draft pick in him.

What I find even more surprising is that the Panthers kept back-up defensive ends George Selvie and Eric Norwood over Brown.  Selvie is a 2010 seventh-round pick cast-off from the Rams and Norwood seems to be a player who can't quite settle into a position (LB or DE).

Brown was not drafted by new head coach Ron Rivera so there was also no feelings of commitment to give the high draft pick one more shot.

3. S Brandon Meriweather

Brandon Meriweather will probably top most people's list for the most surprising cut this year so far.  But was it really a "surprise" after weeks of speculation that he was on his way out of New England?

Nonetheless, Meriweather was a productive player for the Patriots for the past four seasons.  He played in every game since being drafted in the first round in 2007. 

His resume includes 12 interceptions, five forced fumbles, 27 passes defensed and two pro bowl appearances. 

However, also on his resume are two incidents where he was involved in a shooting in some form or another.  One from back in college and the other back in March of this year.

He was cleared on both accounts but as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire. 

Head coach Bill Belichick cited a schematic fit for 2011 as his reasoning for releasing the talented but possibly troubled player.

2. C Andre Gurode

Andre Gurode is the most surprising cut because he has made the pro bowl in each of the past five seasons.  He's been a stalwart of the Cowboys' offensive line for the past nine seasons after being selected in the second round of the 2002 draft.

However, a knee injury and a hefty salary in 2011 became the key reasons for Dallas to decide to part ways with Gurode. 

The Cowboys seemingly wanted to keep Gurode as they tried to re-work his contract.  But due to salary cap constraints for Dallas and Gurode's apparent reluctance to take a pay-cut, this situation could certainly fall under the "cap casualty" term.

The release of Gurode basically completes an overhaul on the Cowboys' offensive line for 2011.  They just better hope they didn't make one change too many.

1. QB David Garrard

In a move that seemed to come from left field, the Jaguars released starting QB David Garrard.  Talk about a surprise cut, this one takes the cake!

There was no reason to even think that Garrard wouldn't be the starting QB this year.  Yes, they drafted Blaine Gabbert but he wasn't expected to supplant Garrard this year.

In fact, the Jaguars just anointed Luke McCown as the starting QB.  Luke McCown?  Yes, the 30 year-old career backup with more INTs (10) than TDs (9).

Head coach Jack Del Rio is on the hot seat this season and will probably need to make the playoffs in order to keep his job.  So this move seems a little odd in that it now appears the Jags will just make this a transition year.

However, Del Rio did offer an explanation that cited "football reasons" for making this move.  In an article on ESPN.com, he was quoted as saying that Garrard "just couldn't get it going."

The article also alluded to apparent internal issues between he and some of his teammates.

By cutting Garrard the Jags also save $9 million in cap space.  For a small market team that has trouble selling game tickets, I'm sure they're happy to the save money.

Unfortunately, it appears they'll be putting an even worse product on the field this year though, which doesn't bode well for ticket revenue either.