The 2026 NFL preseason is over, at least for the Falcons. That means the worst time of the year, final roster cutdowns, is about to begin. The cutdown deadline happens earlier than usual this season, with teams needing to have their final cuts submitted no later than Sunday, August 30 at 6 PM ET. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for Atlanta to make some very tough decisions.
Speaking of tough, the Falcons face a difficult road to make the playoffs this season. Atlanta has the second-worst odds in the NFC South at +240, behind the Bucs (+130) and Saints (+210). A lot of people throwing their money away on the Saints, apparently!
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Final roster cuts aren’t necessarily the end for NFL hopefuls, however. Some players will end up on practice squads, while others will be claimed by other teams through the NFL’s waiver process. We’ll detail those rules, and the Falcons position in the waiver order, below.
When is the deadline for waiver claims?
NFL teams must submit waiver claims for eligible players by 1 PM ET on Monday, August 31. That’s a little less than 24 hours after the official cutdown deadline on Sunday. Once claims are submitted, the league will determine who goes where by using the official waiver order—which we’ll detail below.
After the waivers have officially processed shortly after 1 PM ET, the rest of the players will officially become free agents and can then be signed to practice squads or other rosters.
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Which players are eligible for waivers?
When determining waiver eligiblity, there are two types of players. Those with less than four “credited” seasons are subject to waivers, and are subject to claims before becoming free agents. Those with four or more credited seasons are considered “vested veterans” and are not subject to waivers. Once released, they immediately become free agents and are eligible to sign with whomever they wish.
A “credited” season is different from an “accrued” season. The latter is used to determine if players become Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs), Restricted Free Agents (RFAs) or Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFAs).
A credited season is as follows: a player must be on an active, inactive, IR, or PUP roster for three or more regular season games. A player who receives and injury settlement (or grievance) for the equivalent of three or more regular season games is also given a credited season.
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What’s the current waiver order?
How does the NFL determine the waiver order?
For the offseason, preseason, and first three games of the regular season, the NFL uses the draft order from the most recent draft—in this case, the 2026 NFL Draft. Trades in that draft do not affect the waiver order, it’s based on where teams were originally slotted. Things change after the first three games of the season.
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