The initial 53-man roster is set for the New England Patriots, and they can now shift their focus toward building a practice squad for the 2025 season. All players caught up in the massive wave of releases around the league are subject to waivers,

But for many players, getting waived ahead of the deadline does not mean they'll need to open their LinkedIn to find a cushy, corporate job, even if another team does not claim them. Every team will be adding some of the players it waived to its practice squad.