The NFL preseason is into Week 4 after the last slate of games and with the regular season just around the corner, teams need to start cutting down rosters from training camp and on Tuesday the deadline for teams to come down from 90 players to 75 on the roster is at 4PM and some notable names on the block include Tim Tebow, AJ Jenkins, Tyler Wilson, Danny Watkins, Robert Meachem and Taylor Mays.
A number of teams made major cuts on Monday, including the Redskins with Donte Stallworth, the Giants with Aaron Curry as well as the New York Jets, who let go of Joe McKnight and Braylon Edwards. According to ESPN.com, the Jets released Edwards and McKnight on Monday following the third preseason game against the New York Giants on Saturday and it comes after Edwards signed a one-year contract with the team and said that he felt he could make the final roster after playing with the team back when they made the playoffs in 2010.
McKnight was released after being a disappointment over his career with the Jets as a fourth round draft pick out of USC and it marks the end of a very strange preseason and summer for the running back. McKnight had a head injury that he handled and spoke about in a bizarre way during the preseason and he also failed a conditioning test at one point over the summer. On top of that McKnight also had some issues on Twitter, was arrested and also had a strange press conference after his head injury and now he will be a free agent and can sign with any team.
With the deadline coming Tuesday, one of the top names that could be on the chopping block is New England's Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow, as he didn't play in the third preseason game for the team against the Detroit Lions. Some reports have speculated that Tebow will make it through Tuesday's deadline and will get the chance to play for his job on Thursday against the New York Giants in the final preseason game before the cut day on Saturday to 53 players. Tebow is comfortable with Ryan Mallett as Tom brady's backup and Tebow did not play at all in the third game and now has just 54 passing yards on 19 pass attempts in two games.
Head coach Bill Belichick said that the roster is about 80 percent set and after the cut down to 75 players the Patriots will still have more to do with 22 players set to go by Saturday. The Patriots are coming off of a 40-9 loss to the Lions and while it is just the preseason, Belichick was not pleased with the performance. The team gave him a two-year contract, so it is likely he will make the first cut, but that means Thursday could be his last chance for a roster spot.
Some other players that have not been too effective in the preseason and could be cut include AJ Jenkins after he was traded from the 49ers, Taylor Mays on the Bengals after he played with the 49ers, as well as Tyler Wilson on the Raiders, as the team has liked what they have seen so far from undrafted rookie Matt McGloin. Robert Meachem could be released despite the injuries to the team at the position after his poor play, while other names include Tony Scheffler, Danny Watkins and linebacker Brian Banks.