NFL waiver wire order following 2026 cutdown day, led by the Raiders

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 29: Will Levis #8 of the Tennessee Titans looks to pass during the first half of a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium on August 29, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. | Getty Images One of the toughest days of each NFL season is behind us. Cutdown day. The 32 NFL clubs had until 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday night to trim their rosters down to 53 players. That meant that more than 1,000 hopefuls received some bad news over the weekend. But for many of those players, this is not the end of their NFL journey, but rather a bump in the road. Players will be signed to practice squads, and others to active rosters, over the coming days and weeks. For those players with less than four accrued seasons in the league, they now head to waivers. Players with four or more years of accrued service become free agents, and are free to sign with any team. But for those players subject to waivers, they are now governed by the league’s waiver process, including the waiver order. Under NFL rules, for the first three weeks of the season the waiver order is determined by last season’s draft order. Once we reach Week 4, the waiver order will be determined by the current standings, in reverse order. That means the Las Vegas Raiders sit in the No. 1 spot, followed by the New York Jets, and on down the line. If two teams put in a claim on a player, the team listed first in the order will secure the rights to that player. So for now, here is the waiver order as the 2026 NFL season begins. The first waivers will be announced on Monday, August 31. 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 11. Miami Dolphins 12. Dallas Cowboys 13. Atlanta Falcons 14. Baltimore Ravens 15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16. Indianapolis Colts 17. Detroit Lions 18. Minnesota Vikings 19. Carolina Panthers 20. Green Bay Packers 21. Pittsburgh Steelers 22. Los Angeles Chargers 23. Philadelphia Eagles 24. Jacksonville Jaguars 25. Chicago Bears 26. Buffalo Bills 27. Houston Texans 28. San Francisco 49ers 29. Los Angeles Rams 30. Denver Broncos 31. New England Patriots 32. Seattle Seahawks

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