NFL roster cut day is always filled with surprises. However, there are some decisions everyone saw coming, whether they hold a clipboard professionally or not. Those players, seemingly, will have a tough time returning to previous heights or finding a new job in general. That's who we're discussing in this piece, if only because the opportunity they just lost, may have been their last.
The official roster cut deadline isn't until 4pm ET on Tuesday. There is a good chance some of the players on this list receive another chance due to name recognition alone. Rather than celebrating the fact that your team signed a player YOU heard of, instead consider why that decision was made in the first place, and if said front office is competent enough to scout the players you haven't heard of.
5. Mecole Hardman
How many second chances has Mecole Hardman received at this point? Hardman has achieved Super Bowl glory, and for his play in those games alone he continues to land on pretending teams that want a taste of the Lombardi. Hardman hasn't been a competent NFL player in years. While he's a decent enough special teams player, that alone should not be enough to cement himself as one of the 53 best players on any roster. As a receiver, Hardman has offered little value outside of Kansas City.
Hardman earned himself a nice pay day with the New York Jets back in 2023, only to eventually force his way out because he struggled to reach the same heights as his days in Kansas City. Ironically enough, that is exactly where the Jets traded him, which didn't work out for New York if Hardman really did leak their game plans to other teams.
This offseason, Hardman signed with the Green Bay Packers and found the hard way he won't be successful anywhere but Kansas City. Even the Chiefs could struggle to find a role for the Georgia product, though, as Nikko Remigio appears to have both punt returner and kick returner potential, and Hardman doesn't offer the same upside as many of KC's receiving options.
4. Desmond Ridder
How many teams must Desmond Ridder play for before we finally realize he is not even a backup-level quarterback at this level. Ridder was originally a draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons back in 2022. After a lackluster career as a starter in which he threw 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, the Falcons finally moved on, trading the Cincinnati Bearcat to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Rondale Moore.
In Arizona, Ridder struggled to prove himself as a backup behind Kyler Murray and eventually lost that backup job to Clayton Tune, who is a real person (I checked). The Cardinals waived Ridder and re-signed him to their practice squad, though that stay didn't last long. Arizona dealt Ridder to the Raiders, where he made one start following an injury to Aidan O'Connell.
You get the picture now, right? Everywhere Ridder has gone, he has proven he's not capable of leading an offense, even as an interim option.
3. Hendon Hooker
I'm happy to admit I'm wrong here when Hendon Hooker inevitably signs with another NFL team. Hooker is a former Tennessee Vols QB and second-round pick of the Detroit Lions. Because Hooker was forced to sit out his entire first NFL season with an injury, he lost out on much of the on-field development a rookie would normally receive. That has come back to bite him in a big way.
Hooker was selected by the Lions to back up and perhaps eventually challenge Jared Goff in Detroit. Since that selection, however, Goff's career has soared. The Lions are Super Bowl contenders with Goff, while Hooker was on the roster bubble prior to this preseason. Then, everything went south.
Hooker was outplayed by Kyle Allen, who eventually won the QB2 job, in training camp. Allen isn't anything special, but at least he didn't turn the ball over nearly as often as Hooker. Preseason games don't tell the entire story, but in Hooker's case many of his struggles carried over to joint practices.
Assuming he's fully-recovered from any past injuries, some team with patience and a favorable offensive system for Hooker should give him a chance. I don't have high expectations, though.
2. Bailey Zappe
The Chiefs didn't have a very tough decision to make with Bailey Zappe, who proved himself far too turnover-prone for Andy Reid's offense. Patrick Mahomes can afford to take chances every now and then, but in the rare and unlikely event he ever goes down, Reid and the Chiefs want a backup who can conservatively play in their system. There's little doubt Reid will put any quarterback in a position to succeed. All said QB has to do is not hand the ball to the other team. Zappe did just that this preseason.
Even in practice, Zappe failed to show the Chiefs coaching staff that he belonged in the same conversation as, say, backup QB Gardner Minshew. Instead, he not only lost out on that opportunity, but fell behind third stringer Chris Oladokun on the scout team.
For a player who once started over former first-round pick Mac Jones in New England (who is now a capable backup QB in his own right), what the hell happened? Zappe needs a better quarterback coach and the right situation. If it couldn't happen in Kansas City, does he really have better options on the table?
1. Diontae Johnson
The Cleveland Browns were just the latest team to release Diontae Johnson on Tuesday. Johnson, who was formerly a top-tier WR2 on the Pittsburgh Steelers, has since been traded to Carolina, signed with Baltimore and now Cleveland. Johnson is making the rounds, but his on-field play has declined while his off-field distractions have increased. Say what you want about the Steelers, but they typically know the right time to trade wide receivers elsewhere.
Johnson's production has dramatically fallen since his Pro Bowl 2021 season in Pittsburgh. Last year alone he played for three teams and finished the campaign with just over 300 yards. In Cleveland – a team with one of the weakest receiving corps in the sport – he failed to make enough of an impact in training camp to get a job. There is nowhere to go for Johnson but up.