Every NFL team’s most surprising cut candidate

This offseason, there seems to be a long list of NFL stars who have been cut. However, these aren’t the final surprise cuts before the 2023 NFL season starts.

Last week, the Minnesota Vikings finally did what we all suspected. They cut Dalvin Cook. It was hardly a surprise since the Vikings made it clear they were moving on. He isn’t even close to the biggest star to be cut. The Dallas Cowboys cut Ezekiel Elliott. Frank Clark won a title with the Kansas City Chiefs, and now he’s facing his former team twice a year with the Denver Broncos. Shaquill Griffin, Ronald Darby, Bud Dupree, Carson Wentz, Myles Jack, and the list goes on and on.

There are myriad reasons that teams cut players during training camp. Sometimes they need the cap space. That’s by far the biggest reason. Other times, star players end up losing starting jobs to younger, cheaper players. There are players who cause a fuss, players that don’t fit in the locker room, and players who aren’t good for a new scheme.

Remember, there is one major change to the cut process this year. Teams will carry 90 players until Aug, 29, when they will cut the rosters down to 53 in one fell swoop. That means approximately 1,184 players will hit free agency all at the same time. Talk about a frenzy.

Every NFL team’s most surprising remaining cut candidate

By far, the biggest surprise cut this offseason was the Arizona Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins. The superstar wide receiver was on the trade block for weeks before the Cardinals new regime decided it was better to just cut bait and let him pick his next destination. That isn’t the only offensive star leaving the Cardinals for the sake of cap space.

Arizona Cardinals — Zach Ertz

The Cardinals are looking toward the future. Hopkins didn’t even get them one asset. They cut Kliff Kingsbury as head coach despite just signing him to an extension. Kyler Murray might miss the entire season. They didn’t even draft a quarterback, and now they might be going with Colt McCoy as the starter.

There is no reason to keep a 32-year-old tight end on the roster. If a rookie quarterback was looking to build his confidence, then we could see it. With Colt McCoy? There is zero value in Ertz on this roster.

Let Ertz find a contender to spend his twilight NFL years. He has between one and three years left in the league. He shouldn’t spend any with the Cardinals organization.