2025 NFL Waiver Order
Many of the players cut Tuesday were subject to waivers, giving teams a chance to pick them up (along with the rest of their contract). Teams can claim as many players as they want before the next team gets their remaining targets.
It’s also worth noting that relatively few players are claimed off waivers during final roster cuts each year. Waiver claims will be processed at 11am CT in the following order (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). In reverse order of the 2024 NFL standings, here is how the waiver priority sits:
- Titans
- Browns
- Giants
- Patriots
- Jaguars
- Raiders
- Jets
- Panthers
- Saints
- Bears
- 49ers
- Cowboys
- Dolphins
- Colts
- Falcons
- Cardinals
- Bengals
- Seahawks
- Buccaneers
- Broncos
- Steelers
- Chargers
- Packers
- Vikings
- Texans
- Rams
- Ravens
- Lions
- Commanders
- Bills
- Chiefs
- Eagles
49ers Cut 25 Players, Set 53-Man Roster
The 49ers had some work to do to get down to their initial 53-man roster. The front office achieved that daunting task this afternoon, as the organization announced the following moves:
Released:
- WR Robbie Chosen
- OL Michael Dunn
- WR Russell Gage
- DL Jonathan Garvin
- DL Trevis Gipson
- DL Bruce Hector
- WR Isaiah Hodgins
- CB Fabian Moreau
- P Thomas Morstead
- LB Curtis Robinson
- LB Chazz Surratt
- WR Malik Turner
- RB Jeff Wilson
Waived:
- WR Junior Bergen
- LB Stone Blanton
- DL William Bradley-King
- DB Derrick Canteen
- CB Dallis Flowers
- LB Jalen Graham
- S Jaylen Mahoney
- OL Drake Nugent
- WR Terique Owens
- DL Sebastian Valdez
- TE Brayden Willis
- OL Nick Zakelj
Activated from active/PUP:
- DL Yetur Gross-Matos
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- WR Brandon Aiyuk
- S Malik Mustapha
Placed on reserve/NFI:
- QB Kurtis Rourke
Placed on reserve/suspended:
- OL Isaac Alarcon
- WR Demarcus Robinson
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- DL Kevin Givens
Placed on IR:
- CB Jakob Robinson
Punter Thomas Morstead was cut today, but it sounds like the veteran won’t be a free agent for long. Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that Morstead is expected to re-sign with the organization. The 39-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Jets, including a 2023 campaign where he led the NFL in punts and punting yards.
Barrows also notes that Jacob Cowing made the initial roster but is expected to land on injured reserve as he nurses a hamstring injury. This could open the door for one of the team’s cut WRs to land back on the active roster. That grouping includes Russell Gage, who had more than 1,500 receiving yards for the Falcons between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Elsewhere on offense, Jeff Wilson‘s reunion with the 49ers proved to be short lived after he joined the organization earlier this month. The veteran spent the past two-plus seasons in Miami, but he had a successful run in San Francisco to begin his career. This included a 2020 campaign where he compiled 733 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.
Raiders Bring Back WR Amari Cooper
11:08pm: Cooper’s one-year deal with the Raiders (which is now official) is worth a $3.5MM base value, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The contract also contains $500K in per-game roster bonuses plus up to another $2MM in incentives. The max value comes in at $6MM.
4:35pm: On a day when one Raiders receiver has asked to be dealt, a former wideout is set to return to the team. Amari Cooper is heading to Vegas. 
This will be a one-year reunion, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. Jakobi Meyers is looking for a trade in the wake of extension talks stalling, so the timing of today’s news is certainly noteworthy. Still, the Raiders were named today as one of the teams in the market for a WR addition, so this move is not entirely surprising.
[RELATED: Raiders Do Not Intend To Honor Meyers’ Trade Request; Teams Interested]
Cooper has not had a strong market for his services this offseason, a reflection of his underwhelming production upon being dealt from the Browns to the Bills midway through last season. The five-time Pro Bowler averaged 37 yards per game with Buffalo down the stretch. The team left the door open to a re-signing, but nothing took place on that front and a lucrative addition was ultimately made in the form of Josh Palmer.
A return to the Cowboys received consideration shortly after the draft, but in the end Dallas worked out a trade for George Pickens. No other suitors emerged over the course of the summer, and with the preseason in the books Cooper will now face a quick ramp-up period ahead of the campaign. He will do so with the franchise he began his career with (albeit in a different city).
A first-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders, Cooper enjoyed a highly consistent start to his career. He totaled 3,183 yards and 19 touchdowns across 52 games before being dealt to the Cowboys midway through the 2018 season. Cooper went on to top 1,000 yards another four times after that trade, giving Dallas and later Cleveland a dependable WR1. Expectations will be tempered for 2025, but the 31-year-old will give Vegas an experienced starting-caliber option with Myers’ future at least somewhat uncertain.
The receiver-hungry 49ers showed interest in Cooper, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Instead of heading to San Francisco, though, he will re-join a Raiders team which is much different than when he left.
49ers Place Isaiah Prince On IR, Make Five Other Moves
The 49ers made six roster moves on Monday, per a team announcement, including the placement of veteran offensive tackle Isaiah Prince on season-ending injured reserve.
Prince, 28, was auditioning for a depth tackle job in San Francisco before suffering a left knee injury on Saturday against the Chargers, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Originally a Dolphins sixth-round pick in 2019, Prince has also played for the Bengals, Falcons, and Titans in his career with 22 appearances and six starts. The 28-year-old will now spend the season on the IR unless he pursues an injury settlement.
The 49ers also released veteran running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn a few days after acquiring Brian Robinson from the Commanders. Vaughn spent the 2024 season on San Francisco’s practice squad and played a handful of snaps across three appearances, primarily on special teams. He began his career as a Buccaneers third-round pick in 2020 and played a tertiary role in their backfield over his first four seasons.
Here are the team’s four other moves:
Waived/injured:
Waived:
- DL Jaylon Allen
- DL Shakel Brown
Bradley and Mordecai, a pair of 2024 UDFAs, appeared to pick up injuries on Saturday, according to Barrows. They will revert to the 49ers’ IR if they go unclaimed before Wednesday’s waiver deadline. As a result, veteran Nate Sudfeld will likely be the team’s third quarterback, though San Francisco may want to release him during final roster cuts and bring him back on the practice squad.
49ers Unlikely To Pursue K Addition
Jake Moody remains in position to handle kicking duties for the 49ers in 2025. The former third-round pick’s up-and-down performances have continued this summer, leading some to speculate about a move being made at the position. 
That should not be expected, however. In the wake of San Francisco’s preseason finale – a game in which Moody missed an extra point – head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked whether the team would consider bringing in competition ahead of Week 1. He did not entirely close the door to an addition, but Shanahan offered a vote of confidence for Moody.
“I don’t know. I thought he had one of the best games I’ve ever seen a guy have last week,” Shanahan said (via 49ers WebZone). “I know he missed an extra point today, which definitely doesn’t make us happy. But, we’ll see how it goes in the year. I know he is a talented kicker. I know he has done some really good things for us. He had a rough last seven games last year, but I think he’s had a really good offseason and a really good preseason also.”
To Shanahan’s point, Moody connected on a game-winning 59-yard field goal during the 49ers’ second preseason contest. The Michigan product showed his potential during a strong rookie campaign, but things did not go according to plan last season. Moody missed three games due to injury and upon returning he missed nine field goal attempts in a nine-game span. During the early portion of that inconsistent stretch, Shanahan voiced his support for the 25-year-old.
During the spring, though, veteran Greg Joseph was brought in as a potential Moody replacement. That proved to be short-lived, as Joseph was released earlier this month. Moody is thus the 49ers’ only kicker on the roster at this point. Things could change at the position over the coming days, but for now another year relying on him in the kicking game is in store.
Shanahan: 49ers Acquired Brian Robinson To Be Christian McCaffrey’s Top Backup
Although the 49ers traded Jordan Mason in March and had changed their backfield makeup behind Christian McCaffrey, the Brian Robinson trade became an about-face of sorts. The All-Pro has a new backup.
Isaac Guerendo is a third-round pick who has three years left on his rookie contract, but the 2024 draftee has seen his role change shortly before the season. Robinson will be the 49ers’ primary backup, Kyle Shanahan said (via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman). Shanahan indicated this 49ers regime had been fans of Robinson coming out of Alabama.
The 49ers have been in need of backfield depth for years. The team has regularly lost starters — from Jerick McKinnon to Tevin Coleman to Raheem Mostert to McCaffrey — during Shanahan’s tenure. While McCaffrey stayed healthy after being acquired in 2022 and throughout his Offensive Player of the Year 2023 season, he missed most of 2024. That made the Mason trade somewhat surprising, but the 49ers used a third-round pick on Guerendo — who clocked a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash time at the 2024 Combine.
Guerendo averaged 5.0 yards per carry in 16 games last season but had been battling a shoulder injury for a few weeks in training camp. Robinson, who recovered from gunshot wounds sustained just before his rookie season, had operated as the Commanders’ top running back for most of his rookie contract. But he was a Ron Rivera–Martin Mayhew draftee whom the current regime considered trading last year. The Adam Peters-run team then began shopping him in earnest this month, and after the 49ers and Commanders connected on the Deebo Samuel trade March 1, Robinson will take up Bay Area residency in a deal that sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to Washington.
Adding an important note on the pick, CardsWire’s Howard Balzer specifies it is a conditional selection. The conditions are not known, but it is not guaranteed the Commanders will fetch a sixth for their previous RB1. The 49ers have their own sixth-rounder that year in addition to Minnesota’s thanks to the Mason trade. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes the Commanders will receive the lower of those two selections provided the conditions are met.
Guerendo will also presumably retain a role should McCaffrey go down, but he has been bumped down to the third-string level as a result of the trade. The speed back complementing Robinson’s between-the-tackles work would seemingly be San Francisco’s plan in the even CMC is hurt again, but Robinson will also see a significant role reduction — after 570 carries from 2022-24 — as a result of this trade.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/25
Here are today’s minor transactions that may have slipped through the cracks with a day full of mass cuts:
Buffalo Bills
- Released: CB Tre Herndon
Denver Broncos
- Released: OLB Andrew Farmer
- Waived: CB Micah Abraham, WR Joaquin Davis, G Clay Webb
- Waived (with injury settlement): CB Joshua Pickett
Detroit Lions
- Released (with injury settlement): CB Dicaprio Bootle
New England Patriots
- Waived (with injury designation): G Layden Robinson
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: CB TJ Moore
- Released: S K’Von Wallace
Philadelphia Eagles
- Reverted to IR: S Lewis Cine
- Waived: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: WR Malik Knowles
Thompson-Robinson continues to struggle to find his place in the NFL. A fifth-round pick for the Browns out of UCLA, Thompson-Robinson was asked to make a number of spot starts in Cleveland. In five starts, he went 1-4, averaging about 150 passing yards per game. Over those two seasons, he scored only one touchdown while throwing 10 interceptions. He was sent to Philadelphia along with a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Kenny Pickett, but the Eagles seemingly do not have a place for him.
Moore was hospitalized with a leg injury suffered in the Giants’ final preseason game but has been discharged following a successful surgery. Barring an injury settlement, he’ll spend the 2025 season on New York’s injured reserve.
Webb received a large signing bonus to sign with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. While other teams will get their chance to claim him, the Broncos will hope to be able to bring him back to their practice squad.
49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Expects WR Jauan Jennings To Play In Week 1
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings has been sidelined for weeks due to a lingering calf problem. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan expects Jennings to be ready for Week 1.
“I expect him to be back, he should be back from it,” Shanahan told reporters, including Matt Barrows of The Athletic, on Saturday. “But you never know with a calf.”
Jennings, 28, is entering a platform campaign, the result of the two-year deal player and team worked out last spring in lieu of an RFA tender. San Francisco’s negotiations with fellow WR Brandon Aiyuk dominated the club’s storylines last year, but Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Week 7, thus opening the door for Jennings to earn more targets.
The Tennessee product took advantage of his opportunity, setting career-highs across the board with 77 catches for 975 yards and six scores. That showing, along with Aiyuk’s injury – which will keep him sidelined until at least Week 6 of the 2025 season – and the offseason trade of Deebo Samuel had Jennings angling for a raise.
Last month, it was reported that Jennings wanted a contract extension or, failing that, to be traded to a different team. Shanahan later said Jennings had not formally requested a trade, and the wideout did participate in practice at the beginning of training camp before the calf injury arose.
There has been speculation that Jennings’ absence is driven at least in part by his contract situation and not entirely by his health. In the wake of his recent trade for Skyy Moore, GM John Lynch was asked whether the move was designed to send a message to Jennings.
“No message,” Lynch predictably replied (via Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area). “We like the player, Skyy. We love Jauan. We’re getting close to the season. Players got to practice, but if they’re not healthy enough to do it, they can’t. So that’s kind of where we’re at with Jauan right now.”
Although the Jennings contract/injury matter remains murky, Shanahan was at least able to put a positive spin on it by saying he expects Jennings to be available for Week 1. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 2024 fourth-rounder Jacob Cowing.
Shanahan announced Cowing has reinjured the hamstring injury that kept him out of the bulk of training camp, and that he “pulled it fully” (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Cowing will miss at least six weeks as a result. Fourth-round rookie Jordan Watkins may not be available for Week 1 due to a high ankle sprain, and it sounds as if Shanahan expects Demarcus Robinson’s three-game DUI suspension to be upheld on appeal, so the Ricky Pearsall-fronted WR corps could sorely use Jennings’ presence.
On the defensive side of the ball, Shanahan announced rookie corner Jakob Robinson sustained a broken forearm near the end of Saturday’s preseason finale (via Wagoner). That is an especially tough development for Robinson, a rookie UDFA who appeared to have a real chance to make the 53-man roster.
NFL Injury Updates: Fisher, 49ers, Samuel
Texans right tackle Blake Fisher is dealing with a mild ankle sprain that will sideline him for an indeterminate amount of time, according to KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson.
Fisher suffered the injury in last Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Panthers and missed practice this week. His absence, if it extends into the regular season, will add another wrinkle to Houston’s plans at tackle.
The Texans already overhauled the position this offseason. They traded Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders and replaced him by aqcuiring Cam Robinson from the Vikings. Houston also signed veteran Trent Brown in free agency and drafted Aireontae Ersery in the second round of April’s draft. Along with Fisher and Tytus Howard, who combined to play every snap at right tackle in 2024, the Texans have a variety of options on either end of their offensive line.
Robinson returned to the field this week after missing a few practices with a minor leg injury. He has been splitting first-team LT reps with Ersery. The rookie has been cross-training at right tackle as well, but only lined up on the blind side during the preseason. With Brown still on the physically unable to perform list, Howard has been playing right tackle in camp and sat out both preseason games, suggesting he will start in Week 1. Fisher started both preseason games at right tackle; if his ankle has recovered by the start of the regular season, he’ll likely be the Texans’ swing tackle.
As teams prepare to finalize their initial 53-man rosters by the Tuesday deadline, here is the latest from the injury front:
- 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner) that defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos may start the season on the PUP list as he recovers from a knee injury. San Francisco has been hoping that the five-year veteran could get back on the field during training camp, but it now appears that his absence will extend into the regular season.
- Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee injured his finger on Monday and missed practice for the rest of the week. He won’t need surgery, per Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer, but head coach Nick Sirianni could only offer a “we’ll see” when asked about McKee’s status for Week 1.
- Free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. visited multiple teams this offseason with repeated links to the Dolphins given their lack of cornerback depth. However, one of Samuel’s agents “declined to say Sunday whether he has been cleared medically from a neck injury,” according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
- Steelers rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon had an injury scare on Thursday night, but the first-round pick will not go on IR and may only miss one game, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
49ers To Acquire RB Brian Robinson From Commanders
Brian Robinson‘s tenure in Washington is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco.
The 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4MM), Garafolo adds.
It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though.
Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield.
The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent.
The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team.
San Francisco entered Friday with with nearly $49MM in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17MM in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.