Five recently cut NFL players who should find another team this season

NFL teams made their choices this weekend, but the bottom of a 53-man roster tends to have a short shelf life.

A player who didn't make sense on Saturday can become useful after one injury the following week. That should be good news for several veterans who were just shown the door. They may be unemployed entering September, but it's difficult to imagine all five staying that way.

Will Levis has one advantage most available quarterbacks don't

The Titans gave Will Levis plenty of chances to keep the job in Tennessee. It didn't happen, and a 5-16 record as a starter isn't going to have another team viewing him as its future.

That isn't the market Levis is entering now.

He's 27 and has started 21 NFL games. Once a team loses a quarterback, that's going to carry some weight. Coaches know Levis can at least prepare for and start an NFL game on short notice. There will be teams carrying backups with far less experience.

His days as a quarterback of the future are probably over. His days in the NFL shouldn't be.

Evan Neal is exactly the kind of gamble teams take

There isn't much from Evan Neal's Giants tenure worth defending. New York drafted him seventh overall in 2022, and four years later, the Giants were willing to move on.

Another team won't care nearly as much about what New York originally paid for him.

It will see a 25-year-old offensive lineman with 27 NFL starts who was once considered good enough to go in the top 10. Given how difficult it is to find tackle depth during the season, Neal is almost certain to get another look.

Whether he does anything with it is another question.

Jake Browning could help a team immediately, just not Tampa Bay

Jake Browning has already been through the situation that usually creates jobs for quarterbacks like him.

Joe Burrow was lost for the season in 2023, Browning took over and Cincinnati went 4-3 in his seven starts. He completed 70.4% of his passes along the way.

That's enough evidence for a team looking for insurance.

Browning isn't a developmental project and nobody is going to confuse him with a long-term starter. If a team suddenly needs someone capable of running its offense for a couple of weeks, however, his name belongs near the top of the call list.

Khalil Herbert can still run the ball

Khalil Herbert getting cut doesn't require much analysis.

San Francisco had other options. Herbert became expendable.

He also has nearly 2,000 rushing yards in the NFL during four seasons with Chicago. That's a useful player to have available once running backs start missing games.

Herbert may not get signed immediately. His best opportunity probably comes after the season begins and a team suddenly needs another veteran in its backfield.

Mecole Hardman still offers a useful role outside of Buffalo

The expectations surrounding Mecole Hardman changed a long time ago. He's not developing into a featured receiver at 28.

He doesn't have to.

Hardman's speed, return experience and ability to handle a limited offensive role should keep him on teams' radar. He's the type of veteran who becomes more appealing when injuries leave a contender searching for its fourth receiver in October.

That's really the theme with all five players. They weren't good enough to survive cutdown weekend with their current teams.

They don't have to be.

They just have to be better than the next option when another team needs help.