The preseason hasn't even started yet, but it's never too early to look ahead to cutdown day.
After each team finishes its preseason slate, rosters will be under construction as teams frantically try to meet size requirements.
Some cuts will be easy, while others will be difficult decisions that could come back to haunt teams.
Here's a full breakdown of NFL cutdown day in 2023, which is just a few weeks away:
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What is NFL cutdown day?
Cutdown day is the deadline when teams must trim their preseason rosters to fit the regular season roster size. They can accomplish this by releasing players, trading players or moving players to their practice squads.
When are the NFL roster cut days in 2023?
NFL
In previous years, there were cutdown days after every preseason week to gradually trim rosters down from 90 to 53. That rule changed for 2023, as there's now just one date when teams must get to 53 players: Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Players can be traded or cut before Aug. 29, but there is no rule requiring teams to gradually make moves anymore. A team could theoretically carry 90 players throughout the entire preseason -- but it would then have to cut 37 players on the cut day.
Since this is the first year without multiple cut days, it's unclear how each team will handle the process of setting its regular season roster.
How many players are on an NFL team in 2023?
Teams are allowed to carry 90 players in the offseason, but rosters must be cut to 53 players by Aug. 29 and remain at that number throughout the season.
Despite having 53 players on the roster, only 48 are allowed to be active on game day.
In addition to the 53-man active roster, each club can carry up to 16 players on its regular season practice squad.
