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Over the next few days, the Green Bay Packers, along with the 31 other NFL teams, will reduce their roster from the maximum of 90 players down to the final 53 (plus the 10-man practice squad). With several young players fighting for position on the roster bubble, the week is always full of tension and competition.
It is almost a guarantee that the Packers, who currently carry 88 players on the roster (UPDATE: the roster now sits at 83 after Monday's cuts), will place Jordy Nelson on Injured Reserve as part of the effort to reach the first cut deadline of 75. That means that there will be eleven players released or moved off the active roster in other ways by that time.
Below, we have a list of all the critical deadlines and times as the Packers work to reach 53 men by Saturday.
Tuesday, September 1
3:00 PM Central
Teams must reduce their active rosters from 90 to 75 players. Reserve lists such as Reserve/Injured and Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform become available at this time (prior to this, players on the PUP list are designated as Active/PUP and count against the 90-man limit).
(Note: in 2013, the Packers used Injured Reserve and the Reserve/PUP list almost exclusively to cut down to 75.)
Thursday, September 3
6:00 PM Central
Final preseason game - Packers vs. New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field
Saturday, September 5
3:00 PM Central
Teams must reduce their active rosters from 75 to 53 players. Most released players (not including vested veterans) are placed on waivers.
Sunday, September 6
11:00 PM Central
Deadline for claiming players off waivers.
12:00 noon Central
NFL files the waiver claim list and awards players to teams accordingly. Teams may begin signing any players not claimed on waivers to their practice squads.
3:00 PM Central
Teams may move a player from the active roster to Reserve/Injured - Designated for Return.