NFL roster cuts went down in flurries on Tuesday as teams were forced to trim their rosters to the active 53 players. Those decisions can't be made lightly, without question, especially in a division like the NFC North. It's a group where the margins might be even thinner than a year ago (somehow), considering that the expectations are that the Chicago Bears level up, the Detroit Lions potentially take a slight step back, and while the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are primed to stay in the mix at the top.
Despite the importance of the roster cuts, though, that doesn't mean every team executes it perfectly. There's risk of any cut made burning a team, but some could be more costly than others, and some sooner than others as well. In the NFC North, those are the decisions that could help decide some of those thin margins in the divisional race.
While we're not at Week 1, though, it feels like there's at least one roster cut that the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings each made that they'll be regretting in a big way before we're even through the first month of the 2025 NFL season.
Chicago Bears: DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
There's good reason for Bears fans to like what they have on the edge in the way of pass-rushers at the top of the depth chart. Montez Sweat is still a stud and Dayo Odeyingbo is reliable. However, the question throughout the offseason has been the depth at the position, which is why they've been connected to numerous trade rumors for the likes of Trey Hendrickson and others throughout the offseason. But it's also why cutting veteran Tanoh Kpassagnon could come back to bite them.
Make no mistake, nothing about Kpassagnon, a second-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2017 draft, has been remarkable throughout his career, and he was unable to play a snap in the 2024 season. At the same time, though, he's also never been anything close to a disaster, something that he put on full display throughout the preseason with a more than solid effort working as depth on the edge.
Where that could become problematic for the Bears specifically, though, is if one of Sweat or Odeyngbo were to go down. That would thrust either Austin Booker or Dominique Robinson into a much bigger role, one that it remains to be seen if they're ready for. Kpassagnon, even with a lower ceiling, would've been someone to raise the floor of the depth on the edge, and only time (and injuries) will tell if the Bears regret not recognizing as much.
Detroit Lions: DE Ahmed Hassanein
The case with the Lions and Ahmed Hassanein is a bit complicated, it needs to be said. The sixth-round rookie out of Boise State suffered a pectoral injury that could've ultimately landed him on IR to start the season until he was ready to return. Instead, the Lions waived him with an injury settlement, which means he won't be able to return to Detroit until the end of said settlement while he could still sign with other teams.
Something could be said for not wanting to use an IR spot on a depth piece like Hassanein was trending to be. At the same time, with what he showcased in the preseason combined with the trials that the Lions endured throughout last season with their lack of depth at defensive end, that makes such a move seem more reasonable than the direction that Detroit went in. The rookie was strong across the board, both as a run defender and pass-rusher, and seemingly should've been in line to get the job with guys like Al-Quadin Muhammad or Tyrus Wheat (who was eventually added on waivers).
It's a non-zero chance that Hassanein does eventually return to the Lions, but that's also not a guarantee. And if Detroit were to suffer an injury again in the edge rotation, particularly late in the season if they're ultimately unable to bring the rookie back, then they could be kicking themselves for not just using an IR spot for the Boise product instead of waiving him.
Green Bay Packers: CB Kalen King
The most shocking cut in Green Bay could also end up being the most dangerous for the Packers. Despite a pristine preseason and training camp performance from Kalen King, the organization chose to roll with Kamal Hadden and seventh-round rookie Micah Robinson on the 53-man roster over him, even after spending a year with the franchise on the practice squad a season ago.
King quickly landed with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday in the wake of cut day, which only further affirms the potential regret Green Bay could end up feeling. After all, this is a guy who was the highest-graded defensive back for the Packers in the preseason, not to mention the highest-graded in coverage, according to PFF. He was performing at a high enough level to work with the starters amid injuries in the Packers secondary throughout camp too. And now, he's suiting up for someone else.
That, in itself, would make this a potential regret for the Packers. What makes it even more so is that Matt LaFleur and Co. are instead opting for completely unproven options at depth who were ultimately less effective in the preseason when it comes to Hadden and Robinson. For a secondary that was already reshaping after Jaire Alexander's release, that puts Green Bay in a precarious position, and if their cut decision doesn't prove fruitful, they'll have to wonder if keeping King would've made more of a difference.
Minnesota Vikings: CB Reddy Steward
We know by know that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell aren't exactly fans of conventional wisdom. Even knowing that, however, it's quite curious to look at the Vikings 53-man roster and see that the club only kept four cornerbacks after cuts. One of the likeliest candidates to be the fifth corner had they kept one would've been Reddy Steward, a 2024 UDFA who spent his rookie year with the Bears.
Instead, Minnesota waived Steward but weren't lucky enough to see him clear the process as he was claimed by the secondary-starved Dallas Cowboys. Now, the Vikings will likely still be perusing the market for any depth additions they can make to their own secondary, but this all could've been avoided had they simply held onto their highest-graded defensive player from the preseason and a guy who actually showed up big for Chicago in the one game he played a season ago.
Now, to be sure, I'm always going to trust O'Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores. That coaching duo has earned that. This decision, however, is too curious to ignore, both in terms of how few corners the team kept on the final roster and that waiving Steward was part of that. There's a chance he sees the field for Dallas, too, which could only make the onset of regret quicker for the Vikings brass, not to mention their own potential issues without Steward in a thin secondary.