When Are First Cuts? Important Dates and Upcoming NFL Schedule

Nov 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers cheerleaders perform during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Here are some important dates for the NFL Schedule that are coming up. First cuts will be a week from today on August 27th. Rosters will go down from 90 to 75. Then on August 31, rosters will go down to 53.

Here is the list of dates via NFL:

August 27 — Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 75 playerson the Active List.

August 28 — All tryouts on this date and for the remainder of the season must be reported to the Leagueoffice.

August 29 — Final Preseason Games.

August 31 — Prior to 6:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on theActive/Inactive List.

August 31 — Simultaneously with the cut-down to 53, clubs that have players in the categories ofActive/Physically Unable to Perform or Active/Non-Football Injury or Illness must select one ofthe following options: place player on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform or Reserve/NonFootball Injury or Illness, whichever is applicable; request waivers; terminate contract; tradecontract; or continue to count the player on the Active List.

September 1 — Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 12:00p.m., New York time.

September 1 — Beginning at 12:00 p.m., New York time, clubs may establish a Practice Squad of eight playersby signing free agents who do not have an Accrued Season of free agency credit or who wereon the 46-player Active List for less than nine regular season games during each of anyAccrued Seasons. A player cannot serve on the Practice Squad for more than three seasons.

September 1 — Final day of preseason training camp for all clubs, as defined in CBA Article 23, Section 9.

September 3 — After 4:00 p.m., New York time, a club is permitted to place a player on Reserve/Injured as“Designated for Return.”

September 4 — At 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for all NFL Player Contracts, Practice Player Contracts,tender offers, and miscellaneous amounts to fit within each Club’s 2013 Salary Cap, inanticipation of the midnight expiration of the Top 51 Rule.

September 5 — At 12:00 a.m., New York time, the Top 51 Rule expires for all NFL Clubs.