NFL Waiver Claims Tracker 2026: Every Notable Cutdown Claim

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Last updated: Monday, August 31, 2026, 4:30 PM ET. Claims are in: 14 teams filed for a total of 29 players.

THE BIGGEST NAME WENT UNCLAIMED
QB Will Levis cleared waivers. The No. 33 pick in 2023, with 21 career starts, passed through all 32 clubs untouched and is now a free agent able to sign anywhere. Nobody spent a claim on him — a reminder that claims transfer contracts, and clubs weigh the money as much as the player.
THE HEADLINE CLAIM
Kansas City claimed EDGE Jack Pyburn from Tampa Bay — and in doing so ended his planned return to LSU. Pyburn led the NFL with four preseason sacks and had told a Louisiana court he would go back to college if released by September 1. A claim transfers his contract intact, and a standard NFL deal bars a player from suiting up for any other team or league. He is a Chief instead.

Confirmed Claims

Claimed by Player From
Chiefs EDGE Jack Pyburn Buccaneers
Chiefs DT Bryson Eason 49ers
Dolphins QB Brady Cook Jets
Dolphins TE Justin Joly Broncos
Dolphins OT Jarrett Kingston Texans
Dolphins OT Chukwuebuka Godrick Chiefs
Dolphins DB Julius Wood Cowboys
Dolphins DB Marcellas Dial Patriots
Dolphins DB Reese Taylor Broncos
Falcons LB Jared Ivey Seahawks
Falcons LB Yasir Abdullah Jaguars
Falcons OT Cameron Williams Eagles
Jets K Blake Grupe Colts
Jets LB Trevin Wallace Panthers
Patriots LB Darius Muasau Giants
Patriots TE Cameron Latu Eagles
Bengals T Myles Hinton Eagles
Browns DB Toriano Pride Bills
Colts DB Kapena Gushiken Eagles
Panthers C Corey Bullock Ravens
Raiders DB Darrell Luter 49ers

Twenty-nine players were claimed by 14 teams; the table above shows those confirmed by club. A further handful were awarded to clubs still finalising corresponding roster moves, including G Trevor Keegan, C Nick Samac, DT Colby Wooden, LB Owen Pappoe, DB Melvin Smith Jr. and DT Nazir Stackhouse.

What the Wire Told Us

Miami went shopping. Seven claims, a quarter of everything awarded, from a club that had just fielded the youngest initial 53-man roster in the league. Five of the seven are defensive backs or offensive tackles — a targeted raid on two positions rather than opportunism.

Philadelphia was the supermarket. Four Eagles were claimed, more than any other team lost: Cameron Williams to Atlanta, Myles Hinton to Cincinnati, Kapena Gushiken to Indianapolis and Cameron Latu to New England. When four of your cuts get claimed, the roster crunch was real.

Only 14 of 32 clubs filed at all. More than half the league passed entirely, which is the normal pattern — most teams would rather re-sign their own cuts to the practice squad at a sixth of the cost than inherit someone else’s contract.

The Raiders had first pick and took one player. Darrell Luter from San Francisco. Holding the top priority guarantees you anyone you want; Las Vegas wanted one defensive back.

Roughly 1,100 players hit the street at Sunday’s cutdown – and Monday at 1 PM ET, the waiver wire sorts out who gets a second chance. Every non-vested player cut this weekend passes through waivers, where all 32 clubs can claim him (contract included) in priority order, worst 2025 records first.

This tracker logs the notable claims as they’re awarded Monday afternoon, alongside the rules that decide them. Bookmark it now – the table fills fast once awards process.

NFL ROSTER TRACKER
NFL Waiver Claims Tracker 2026
Every notable claim from cutdown week – updated as awards process
CLAIMS PROCESS
Mon, Aug 31
1 PM ET – the day after cutdown
WHO’S ELIGIBLE
Non-vested players
Vested veterans skip waivers until the trade deadline
THE PRIORITY
Draft order
Worst 2025 records claim first through Week 3
THE PRIZE
~1,100 cut players
The largest talent release of the NFL year
Waiver claims tracker
Notable claims land here Monday afternoon – this table fills as awards are announced
Player (Pos) Claimed by Waived by Why it matters
Tracking begins Monday, Aug 31 at 1 PM ET — — Claims are awarded in priority order after the 1 PM deadline – the most notable awards will be logged here as they’re reported
How claim day works
The rules behind Monday’s wire
Rule Detail
The 1 PM deadline Clubs submit claims silently by Monday 1 PM ET; awards are processed immediately after, in priority order
Priority = draft order Through Week 3 of the season, claim priority follows the most recent draft order – the league’s worst teams shop first
One contract, as-is A successful claim assumes the player’s existing contract – no negotiation, no renegotiation, roster spot required
Vested vets skip the wire Players with four-plus accrued seasons aren’t subject to waivers at cutdown – they become free agents immediately, able to sign anywhere
Claimed = on the 53 A claimed player lands on the claiming club’s active roster – which usually forces a corresponding cut, and another wire entry
CLAIM-DAY FACTS
The 24 hours that build practice squads
Players who clear waivers Monday become free agents – and most re-sign to practice squads Tuesday, usually with their original club.
Claims reveal the league’s real board
A team spending its priority on another club’s castoff is a scouting-department opinion made public – watch who claims, not just who’s claimed.
Guarantee structures decide the wire
Cheap rookie-deal players get claimed; anyone with real guaranteed money usually clears – clubs claim contracts as much as players.

The Waiver Priority Order

Claim priority for the first three weeks of the season matches the 2026 NFL Draft order. Las Vegas sits at the top, meaning the Raiders win any player they claim — no other club can outbid them.

Priority Team
1 Las Vegas Raiders
2 New York Jets
3 Arizona Cardinals
4 Tennessee Titans
5 New York Giants
6 Cleveland Browns
7 Washington Commanders
8 New Orleans Saints
9 Kansas City Chiefs
10 Cincinnati Bengals

A club can claim as many players as it likes, but every successful claim goes straight onto its 53-man roster — so claiming eight players means releasing eight others. Priority resets to reverse order of current-season record after Week 3.

What to Watch Monday

Three things decide the day. First, priority position: clubs at the top of the draft order effectively get first pick of everyone else’s cuts, and a team burning its priority is a signal worth reading. Second, contract shape: claims transfer deals as-is, so cheap rookie contracts move while guaranteed money clears untouched. Third, the ripple: every claimed player lands on a 53-man roster that was full an hour earlier, forcing fresh cuts and a second, smaller wave on the wire. The mechanics live in how NFL waivers work and what happens when a player gets cut.

Who Never Hits the Wire

The wire’s biggest absences are structural: vested veteran rules mean players with four-plus accrued seasons become immediate free agents at cutdown rather than waiver-wire entries – free to choose their next team, which is why veteran cuts sign on their own schedule while young players wait on Monday’s awards. The weekend’s full picture runs across our cuts tracker, the initial 53-man rosters tracker, and the practice squad tracker – which fills Tuesday when the unclaimed sign back.

The Bottom Line

Monday 1 PM ET: claims process in draft order, contracts transfer whole, and roughly a thousand careers reroute in an afternoon. This page tracks every notable award as it lands – updated through claim day and the ripple cuts that follow.