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Tommy DeVito is one of many quarterbacks released as teams trim rosters to 53 players

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Tommy DeVito is one of many quarterbacks released as teams trim rosters to 53 players
Sport

Sport

Tommy DeVito is one of many quarterbacks released as teams trim rosters to 53 players

2025-08-27 08:57 Last Updated At:09:00

Tommy DeVito is among the quarterbacks looking for a new team.

The New York Giants waived the local fan favorite on Tuesday as NFL teams released more than 1,100 players before the deadline to trim rosters to 53.

Elsewhere, Trey Lance beat out Taylor Heinicke for the backup job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Heinicke, who nearly beat Tom Brady in his second career start in the 2020 playoffs, was waived. Lance was the No. 3 overall pick by San Francisco in the 2021 draft.

Kyle Trask lost his job as Baker Mayfield's backup in Tampa Bay after the team chose veteran Teddy Bridgewater to hold the No. 2 position. Tyler Huntley didn't make the cut in Cleveland. The veteran QB joined the Browns earlier this month as the fifth QB behind veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett was traded to Las Vegas on Monday.

Desmond Ridder, who is 8-10 in his career as a starter, was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Dallas Cowboys waived Will Grier.

The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Easton Stick, the team’s starter through the preseason as coach Raheem Morris protected starter Michael Penix Jr. and veteran backup Kirk Cousins. The release of Stick and Ben DiNucci temporarily leaves the team with only Penix and Cousins at the position.

Trevor Siemian, who is 15-18 in seven seasons, was cut by the Tennessee Titans, leaving Brandon Allen to back up No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

Rookie sixth-round pick Kyle McCord didn't make Philadelphia's initial roster. The quarterback out of Syracuse is a candidate for the practice squad if another team doesn't sign him. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles acquired Sam Howell to back up Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee.

Quarterback Max Brosmer was among seven undrafted free agents to make the initial roster for the Vikings, who signed veteran Carson Wentz earlier in the week to help back up J.J. McCarthy.

DeVito, an undrafted free agent and a northern New Jersey native who picked up the nickname “Tommy Cutlets,” was not expected to make the team after the signings of veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and the selection of Jaxson Dart in the first round.

Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection who was attempting to make a comeback after sitting out all of last season with a severe case of ulcerative colitis that caused him to lose 35 pounds, was released by the Carolina Panthers. The team also cut former starting nose tackle Shy Tuttle after rebuilding its defensive line earlier this offseason.

The Pittsburgh Steelers released wideout Robert Woods, who has 863 receptions. Diontae Johnson (Browns), KJ Hamler (Bills) and Mecole Hardman (Packers) are among the wide receivers who were let go.

Veteran defensive back Jalen Mills was cut by the Houston Texans. Mills has started 91 games at cornerback and safety.

Guard Kenyon Green, a first-round pick by Houston in 2022 who was acquired in a trade by the Eagles a few months ago, was released.

Wide receiver Jalen Reagor, selected by the Eagles ahead of Justin Jefferson in the 2020 draft, was released by the Chargers, who also cut veteran safety Tony Jefferson and running back Nyheim Miller-Hines.

The San Francisco 49ers cut veteran wide receivers Russell Gage and Robbie Chosen after impressive camps but could try to bring at least one of them back to the practice squad or a roster spot before the opener.

The team has major questions at receiver with just two healthy wideouts — Ricky Pearsall and recently acquired Skyy Moore — after Demarcus Robinson was suspended for the first three games of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and Brandon Aiyuk will miss at least the first four weeks on the physically unable to perform list recovering from knee surgery. Jauan Jennings has missed almost all of camp with a calf injury and is also seeking a new contract. Jacob Cowing is expected to miss the first month with a hamstring injury and rookie Jordan Watkins has been out with an ankle injury but could return soon.

The Falcons placed right tackle Kaleb McGary on injured reserve with a lower left leg injury, leaving a big void at a position that protects Penix's blind side. The team also placed backup tackle Storm Norton on injured reserve with a designation to return with an ankle injury.

Defensive tackle Kentavius Street and safety Jordan Fuller were among Atlanta's cuts. Linebacker Troy Andersen will miss at least four games after being placed on the physically unable to perform list

The Washington Commanders placed starting right guard Sam Cosmi on the physically unable to perform list.

The Arizona Cardinals' first-round pick, Walter Nolen III, is among three players who will begin the season on the team's physically unable to perform list. The defensive lineman suffered a calf injury during summer workouts and hasn’t practiced during the preseason. Linebacker BJ Ojulari (knee) and defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (neck) are also on the PUP list.

The Buffalo Bills placed rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston on injured reserve with a designation to return after he missed the past month with a sprained right knee.

The first-round draft pick out of Kentucky has been sidelined since getting hurt during an individual drill a week into training camp in July. Hairston was projected to compete for the starting spot opposite Christian Benford, but will now miss at least the first four weeks of the season.

The Houston Texans placed several players on injured lists with running back Joe Mixon starting the season on the non-football injury list and receiver Tank Dell and defensive linemen Denico Autry and Kurt Hinish on the PUP list.

Seattle released veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

The Chargers acquired tackle Austin Deculus from the Houston Texans for a 2027 conditional seventh-round pick.

The Seahawks traded tackle Michael Jerrell to the Atlanta Falcons.

Frank Gore Jr., Terique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins, Qadir Ismail, Brenden Rice and Shilo Sanders were among the players cut whose dads played in the NFL. Reagor and Woods, too.

Ask any NFL coach about the worst part of the job and the overwhelming response will be cutting players.

“It rips at my heart. It does because if they were my son, I see them through that lens because my kids are getting older now and you see how hard they work and what they put into it and they’ve done everything that we’ve asked,” Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “These guys are so grateful, they’re so appreciative and full of class. Again, it’s hard from a football standpoint but even harder from a, ‘Hey, these guys are good guys and they’re winners’ (standpoint). Sometimes it doesn’t last in football, right? But that’s where you get a reminder that football isn’t everything and life is what’s most important. I told these guys they’re going to be winners in life and that’s ultimately what is most important.”

Teams can bring players back on the practice squad if another team doesn't claim them off waivers. Each team can have up to 16 players, including a maximum of six eligible veterans with unlimited experience, on the practice squad. The remainder have to be players with two or fewer accrued seasons. Teams can also have one additional player from the International Player Pathway program.

Players can be signed off a practice squad to another team’s active roster at any time.

AP Sports Writers Charles Odum, David Brandt, Howard Fendrich, Steve Reed, Beth Harris, Andrew Destin and John Wawrow, and AP Pro Football Writers Dave Campbell, Josh Dubow, Teresa M. Walker and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyler Huntley (7) runs against Los Angeles Rams safety Malik Dixon-Williams (39) in the second half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyler Huntley (7) runs against Los Angeles Rams safety Malik Dixon-Williams (39) in the second half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask passes against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) passes against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) passes against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

AL HENAKIYAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Ricky Brabec deliberately gave up his motorbike lead over Luciano Benavides in the Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah was happy to cruise through another day closer to his sixth car title on Thursday.

Al-Attiyah started 346-kilometer stage 11 between Bisha north to Al Henakiyah with a 12-minute overall lead and let it drop to less than nine minutes over new second-placed driver Nani Roma in a Ford.

Al-Attiyah was content to let Dacia teammate Sébastien Loeb catch up and pass him to have a teammate nearby for any help and to minimize errors on the mazy, dirt track. Al-Attiyah was 17th, nearly 13 minutes behind stage winner Mattias Ekström, and said he needed to execute the same plan on Friday's last effective racing stage before the end on Saturday.

“If we lose two, three, four minutes no problem,” Al-Attiyah said. “We just need to finish this Dakar in first place.”

Honda cooked up a strategy in the Saudi desert for Adrien van Beveren to open the way and let Brabec catch up after the 190-kilometer pit stop and pick up time bonuses.

Brabec boosted his overall lead from 56 seconds to nearly four minutes just 25 kilometers from the finish. He was also within a minute of the stage lead but he slowed down so KTM rival Benavides was the new overall leader, but only by 23 seconds.

Brabec got his his wish to start Friday's stage 12 six minutes behind Benavides, so he can eye him. They head west to the rally starting point of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast on 311 kilometers of gravel, some river beds with a finish in the dunes.

“A little bit of strategy today and hopefully it pays off tomorrow,” Brabec said. "I feel like its going to be a good day. We’re going back into the rocks so it will be a little bit better for us.”

Brabec is counting on his experience of winning the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 to trump Benavides, who has a best placing of fourth last year.

“I've been in this situation before,” Brabec said. “For the whole two weeks I've been just trying to stay relax, stay comfortable and just be confident, so two days more. I'm gonna do the same thing tomorrow that I've been doing every day; ride dirt bikes and have fun.”

Van Beveren helped Brabec with navigation while fighting with another teammate, Skyler Howes, the entire day for the stage win.

Howes prevailed by 21 seconds for his first career major stage in his eighth Dakar. He was third in 2023 and sixth last year. He's running fifth, 34 minutes off the pace.

Benavides was fourth in the stage and believed the race will be decided on the final 105-kilometer sprint on Saturday.

“I played no strategy like Ricky. I don't care,” Benavides said. “I'm doing what I can to control what I can control.”

Ekström won his third car stage of this Dakar, a special so fast that 12 other drivers were within 10 minutes.

Ford achieved another 1-2-3 stage. Romain Dumas, a three-time winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was a career-best second just over a minute back and Carlos Sainz was third.

Only Toyota's Henk Lategan beat Ekström to a checkpoint but Lategan's podium hopes were wrecked after 140 kilometers when a bearing broke on his rear left wheel. Lategan was second last year and second overall overnight but he plunged out of the top 15, at least.

Loeb moved up to third overall, 10 minutes behind Roma and three minutes ahead of Ekström.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Daniel Sanders competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Fabian Lurquin compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rider Skyler Howes competes during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Henk Lategan, left, and co-driver Brett Cummings repair their car during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Driver Nani Roma and co-driver Alex Haro compete during the eleventh stage of the Dakar Rally between Bisha and Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Jan.15, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

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