As the NFL preseason whittles down, that also means that cut day is coming across the league. Florida has a ton of players sprinkled throughout the NFL, but there are a number of former Gators who find themselves on the chopping block when teams have to cut down to their respective 53-man rosters.
ESPN has done a 53-man projected roster for all 32 teams in the NFL. So with that in mind, these are ten notable Gators who either were drafted since 2021 or were UDFAs this year that ESPN doesn’t think will make the cut.
Ten former Gators who could get cut from the NFL
Kyle Trask - Carolina Panthers
We’ve touched on the journey Kyle Trask has taken a couple of times this preseason, but it does look like the end of the road could be coming for the former 2nd-round draft pick. Trask worked out with Carolina and ended up signing with them after Haynes King got hurt in the Hall of Fame Game. Trask has appeared twice in the preseason and has gone 10 for 13 for 105 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. But ESPN envisions Carolina keeping Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, and Haynes King at QB.
Stone Forsythe - Carolina Panthers
Another former Gator on the Panthers who is currently in danger, Stone Forsythe had a decent Hall of Fame game only to have a really poor showing against Buffalo. He has bounced around a bit since his initial time with Seattle. Forsythe was with Las Vegas last year and took a career high 704 snaps, but was otherwise not great. He signed a one-year deal with the Panthers in March but is at risk of being left out of their eight-man offensive line unit.
Kaiir Elam - Kansas City Chiefs
The former first round pick has seen himself get shuffled out of Buffalo after a poor showing in the 2024 playoffs. He was traded to Dallas last year, was waived in November, picked up by the Titans, and then signed a one year deal with Kansas City in April. It’s been a quiet preseason for Elam and he is not among the six cornerbacks that Kansas City is projected to keep.
Zachary Carter - Arizona Cardinals
Since being drafted by Cincinnati, Zachary Carter is another player who has bounced around. He took 100 snaps with Arizona last year and was effective with those snaps, but he has alos been limited during training camp. ESPN notes that if Arizona opts to keep eight defensive linemen, Carter would be the 8th man, but if they only keep seven, then he is at risk of getting cut.
Dameon Pierce - Philadelphia Eagles
The catalyst for why we all thought Dan Mullen didn’t know what he was doing: Dameon Pierce just hasn’t been able to capture the magic he had his rookie year with the Texans. He is on a one-year deal with the Eagles, but he has been hurt this preseason, and with Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, and Will Shipley also on the roster, he is very much on the bubble.
Amari Burney - Jacksonville Jaguars
The man who will always be remembered for his interception against Utah, Amari Burney is doing everything he can to hang on in the NFL after being a 6th-round pick with Las Vegas. He’s actually had two strong outings on the field this preseason, but ESPN sees him getting bumped by six other linebackers in Jacksonville, including fellow former Gator Ventrell Miller.
Graham Mertz - Houston Texans
Mertz tore his ACL and is going to miss the 2026 season. The real question is whether he would have made the 53-man roster anyway, or would he have still been cut even if healthy? If and when Mertz recovers, the Texans will have a decision to make on Mertz down the line.
Trikweze Bridges - Dallas Cowboys
For the record, Trikweze Bridges is one of those players who probably won’t get the love from Florida fans he should, but his efforts during the back half of the 2024 season shouldn’t be ignored. With that said, Bridges has struggled to catch on in the NFL. He was cut last year by the Chargers and was picked up by the Cowboys. He wound up playing 248 snaps for Dallas last year, but they didn’t go well. He is not projected among the members Dallas is going to keep in the secondary.
Tyreak Sapp - Cleveland Browns
It’s been a bit of a downfall for Tyreak Sapp. There were legitimate mock drafts ahead of the 2025 season that had Sapp as a potential 1st-round pick. Now he is a UDFA with Cleveland who has had an otherwise quiet preseason and is projected to get cut.
J. Michael Sturdivant - Green Bay Packers
J. Michael Sturdivant was a case of “We told you so” when he transferred to Florida as Billy Napier’s “big fish” out of the transfer portal. We just never got the hype with him. With that said, he has made the most of his training camp with Green Bay, but ESPN thinks he will get left out unless they opt for a 7th wide receiver.
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