It’s no secret that right now is a crucial day on the NFL calendar; it’s roster cutdown day. By 4:00 pm, groups across the league should whittle down their 90-man rosters to 53, creating extra turnover than in years previous when cuts would happen step by step all through the preseason. You possibly can maintain monitor of the multitude of strikes made by the Ravens right here:

Ravens have 88 gamers on their roster. They should get all the way down to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET
Listed below are the most recent strikes:https://t.co/P6MnCgHwQU

— Baltimore Beatdown (@BmoreBeatdown) August 28, 2023

Within the waning hours earlier than these cuts occur, I wish to take a second to emphasise some extent that will get misplaced generally. From a enterprise standpoint, we as followers wish to know what our group plans to do, and so we solely care about these cuts when it comes to names on a web page and numbers counting towards the wage cap. However throughout 32 buildings within the league, as necessary as right now is, right now is just not an excellent day.

The following few days are the hardest days of the NFL calendar for gamers, coaches, executives, and so forth.

All groups should go down from 90 gamers to 53, that means 1,184 gamers will likely be instructed they will not make the roster.

About 500 will likely be introduced again on apply squads, however for the… pic.twitter.com/KKvhKVSGhw

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 27, 2023

I’ll absolutely admit that there are occasions as a fan after I lose sight of the human factor of the sport that we love. When gamers attain this echelon of soccer, they’re the perfect 1,100 or so on this planet at what they do, so the expectations and scrutiny are at their highest. That mentioned, anybody who has underperformed below strain is aware of how unhealthy that feels, particularly whenever you really feel such as you’ve let others down.

That time was illustrated in full impact by large receiver Sean Ryan following Saturday’s preseason recreation. Whereas Ryan’s had a reasonably spectacular preseason marketing campaign, he was firmly on the bubble with the Ravens, that means he needed to reap the benefits of each alternative. Ryan sadly missed a would-be landing by the fingers and posted this on his Instagram story following the sport.

I hope Ravens WR Sean Ryan retains his head up

Had a foul drop however don’t need any participant pondering this fashion pic.twitter.com/QAKmMsAHBb

— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) August 27, 2023

The 24-year-old rookie from Rutgers had an uphill battle to attempt to make the roster because it was, however I really feel for him having a second like that, particularly with as public because the backlash from followers will be. Sure, it’s preseason, however that doesn’t cease trolls from trolling, and it amplifies what will get misplaced within the means of sports activities for our leisure: on the finish of the day, these guys are human, similar to us, and so they’re preventing to attain a dream on the pinnacle of their sport.

I could not at all times agree with the way in which “Exhausting Knocks” chooses to border their episodes, however they did a unbelievable job of illustrating this level a number of years in the past. Whereas masking the Miami Dolphins, “Exhausting Knocks” captured the second that Miami’s entrance workplace workers made the choice to commerce Vontae Davis to the Colts. In that second, as his life is being uprooted to a brand new place, surrounded by new teammates, the very first thing that involves his thoughts is that he needs to name his grandmother. Each time I watch this clip, it hits me laborious.

Granted, not each personnel transfer goes to be a devastating impediment in a participant’s life, however even in circumstances like QB Josh Dobbs, who appears to be dealing with his transfer to the Cardinals properly, you may see how a lot planning and upheaval goes right into a cross-country transfer on brief discover.

“I’ll see you guys within the desert…✌️”

New Arizona Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs speaks on the final 24 hours.

📺: TikTok pic.twitter.com/zErs7lB8Qq

— Johnny Venerable (@JohnnyVenerable) August 25, 2023

Perhaps I’m feeling a bit extra sentimental due to how shut I’ve been in a position to get to the gamers this offseason, nevertheless it shouldn’t be misplaced on us that, largely, these guys are genuinely good dudes. I’ve been round skilled athletes for greater than half of my life, and the variety of occasions I’ve ever had a adverse interplay might be within the single digits. So lots of them have gotten to the place they’re as a result of they’re devoted guys who give attention to doing issues the correct manner, and it sucks to see some work as laborious as they should fall brief. It’s simple to love these guys, and I don’t envy the coaches and entrance workplace workers who make the powerful choices to allow them to go, both.

Over the subsequent few days, simply keep in mind that it’s OK to root for these guys, even when they don’t find yourself sporting purple and black when September rolls round.