Kadarius Toney and Caleb Farley, 2021 1st-Round Picks, Cut on NFL Roster Day

Sports

By Associated Press

Published 10 months ago on

August 27, 2024

Kansas City receiver Kadarius Toney and Tennessee cornerback Caleb Farley, both first-round picks in the 2021 NFL draft, were among the cuts Tuesday as teams trimmed their rosters for the regular season. (AP/Nell Redmond)

Kadarius Toney and Caleb Farley, both first-round picks in 2021, were among the notable cuts as NFL teams trimmed rosters.
Teams had to reduce rosters to 53 players, with many cut players eligible to return on practice squads of up to 17 players.
Several high-profile players were released or placed on reserve lists, including JuJu Smith-Schuster and Nick Chubb.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

KANSAS CITY – Kansas City receiver Kadarius Toney and Tennessee cornerback Caleb Farley, both first-round picks in the 2021 NFL draft, were among the cuts Tuesday as teams trimmed their rosters for the regular season.

Toney, who figured to be on the roster bubble, was on his second team since the New York Giants drafted him 20th overall three years ago. The Titans took Farley two picks later.

A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press about the move with Toney. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t revealed Toney’s status.

Teams Trim Rosters to 53 Players

Teams had to cut their rosters to 53 players from the training camp maximum of 90. Toney, Farley and hundreds of others will be eligible to return on practice squads that allow up to 17 players, including a spot allocated for the International Player Pathway Program.

Injuries shortened both of Toney’s first two seasons, and he was traded to the Chiefs during his second year with the Giants. The 25-year-old never displayed his dynamic playmaking skills consistently, but did have a big role in the first of the two Super Bowl rings he got with the Chiefs.

In a three-minute span in the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s 38-35 win over Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57, Toney made two monumental plays. First, he caught a 5-yard TD pass that gave the Chiefs a 28-27 lead. Then, he returned a punt 65 yards to the Eagles 5-yard line to set up another TD.

But Toney couldn’t build off that success. He struggled last season, was inactive from Week 15 through the playoffs and sat out when the Chiefs finished their repeat against San Francisco.

Kansas City added veteran wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round to go with Rashee Rice. The Chiefs also have Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson.

Injuries Hamper Farley’s Career

The Titans drafted Farley out of Virginia Tech after he was the first player from a major college to opt out of the 2020 season because of the pandemic. Farley was drafted weeks after a second surgery to repair a back injury from college.

Farley started just twice as injuries limited him to 12 games over his first two seasons. Farley had another back procedure in 2023.

The 25-year-old never played last season. The Titans kept him on the physically unable to perform list after his father was killed last August in an explosion that destroyed Farley’s home in North Carolina.

Notable Roster Moves Across the League

San Francisco’s initial roster is missing a big piece with holdout All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams remaining on the reserve/did not report list as he seeks a new deal. Star receiver Brandon Aiyuk is on the roster but has refused to practice unless he gets a new contract or is traded.

Jacksonville released eight-year veteran quarterback C.J. Beathard with an injury designation, presumably clearing the way for Mac Jones to back up Trevor Lawrence. Jones started 42 games over the past three seasons with New England after the Patriots drafted him in the first round in 2021.

Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was cut by the Chiefs after re-signing with them following his release by the Patriots this month.

The Chiefs added a tight end in a trade with Dallas, getting Peyton Hendershot and sending a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026 to the Cowboys. After a promising rookie season as an undrafted free agent, Henderson had an injury-filled second season in Dallas in 2023.

The Cowboys put CeeDee Lamb on the commissioner exempt list a day after the All-Pro receiver agreed to a $136 million, four-year contract extension that ended his preseason-long holdout. Lamb signed the contract Tuesday.

The move allowed the Cowboys to put offensive lineman Chuma Edoga on the 53-man roster for a day. Lamb would take the place of Edoga, who would go on injured reserve and be eligible to return sooner than four weeks.

The Minnesota Vikings kept recovering tight end T.J. Hockenson on the physically unable to perform list, meaning the two-time Pro Bowler must miss at least the first four games. Hockenson is working through the final stage of his rehabilitation after tearing an ACL against Detroit last Dec. 24.

Vikings Waived Lewis Cine

The Vikings waived safety Lewis Cine, the final pick of the first round two years ago in the first draft directed by general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

Cine badly broke his leg on special teams in a game early in his rookie year and never made much traction on the depth chart last season. He played a total of 10 defensive snaps in two seasons.

As expected, Cleveland placed star running back Nick Chubb on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from two surgeries last year. The club is optimistic Chubb will play this season.

The Browns released running back D’Onta Foreman, who overcame a scary neck injury in training camp. With Nyheim Hines on the non-football injury list, the Browns currently have only Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. at running back.

Washington released veteran receiver Martavis Bryant, who is in his second season of trying to end a long hiatus from the NFL. The oft-suspended 32-year-old spent most of last season on Dallas’ practice squad and could land in the same place with the Commanders, who signed him Aug. 13.

“Martavis getting here later, obviously, that certainly had a factor,” said first-year coach Dan Quinn, who was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last season. “Proud of him for learning a good bit of the system to be ready to play.”

Green Bay waived kicker Anders Carlson a year after drafting him in the sixth round. He was supposed to replace Mason Crosby but had a disappointing rookie year. Greg Joseph is the only kicker on the roster.

Miami cut third-string quarterback Mike White, who started seven games for the New York Jets in 2021-22.

Safety Ronnie Harrison (Colts), linebacker Deion Jones (Bills), running backs Matt Breida (49ers), Joshua Kelley (Giants) and Boston Scott (Rams), quarterbacks Ben DiNucci (Bills), Matt Corral (Vikings) and Ian Book (Chiefs), wide receivers Sterling Shepard (Buccaneers) and Greg Ward (Colts) and defensive back Terrell Edmunds (Jaguars) also were cut.