The Sportsletter - Roster Cuts ✂️

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 28, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Your fantasy football draft has the green light now that the NFL's 53-man rosters are set. Yesterday was cut day, and we’re just eight days away from the NFL season. Plus, A’ja Wilson added to the WNBA’s historic scoring boom, and we saw the longest match ever played in the U.S. Open (5 hours, 35 minutes).

To end our day, we learned that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce bought a racehorse named ‘Swift Delivery’ (how fitting) hours after the Kelce brothers’ ‘New Heights’ podcast signed a $100 million deal with Amazon. Those guys are on quite a run.

Letter Rip!

NFL

Roster Cut Day ✂️

Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images

NFL Teams Make Cuts to 53-Man Rosters... And Some of the Names Might Surprise You

Yesterday was one of those sad but entertaining days on the NFL calendar. All 32 teams cut guys loose to reach their official 53-man roster before Week 1. And with 30 or more cuts on just about every team, that’s a minimum of 600 football players now looking for work. Some ended up on practice squads. Most will wait for their next phone call. Among the chaos were a few newsworthy moments, though. The Browns opted to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, at least for now. The biggest cut of the day was Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney — the Super Bowl LVII hero with a 65-yard punt return in the 4th quarter.

Notable Roster Cuts

WR Kadarius Toney (Chiefs)

QB Desmond Ridder (Cardinals)

QB Bailey Zappe (Patriots)

QB Sam Howell (Commanders)

QB Matt Corral (Vikings)

WR Allen Robinson (Giants)

DE Carl Lawson (Cowboys)

QB Trace McSorley (Commanders)

The 2022 QB Class Bust

We also saw the 2022 quarterback class basically stripped and sold for parts. That class included names like Desmond Ridder, Bailey Zappe, Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, and Matt Corral. Most are free agents after yesterday while Willis and Pickett are backups. The only quarterback from the 2022 draft class making an impact with the team that drafted him is Brock Purdy (49ers), and he was selected in the 7th round.

Expect some more moves before the season starts now that 600 eligible players just hit the market.

NFL Roster Cuts Tracker (Team-by-Team)

WNBA

The WNBA Scoring Boom 💥

Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images

A’ja Wilson (42 Points) Adds to Historic WNBA Season in Aces’ Loss to Wings (93-90)

The Wings pulled out a close one against the Aces Tuesday night in Dallas (93-90), but A’ja Wilson’s 42-point performance added another rewrite to the WNBA history books. Wilson was 16-for-22 from the field with 10 free throws to notch her third career 40-point game. That alone put her in elite company with just three other WNBA legends — Breanna Stewart (3), Maya Moore (3) and Diana Taurasi (4). The crazy part? It was Wilson’s second 40-point game this season. All three of Stewart’s 40-point nights took place this summer, too, making 2024 a historic campaign for the WNBA.

The WNBA’s 40-Point Boom

Stewart and Wilson’s combined five 40-point games in 2024 matches the WNBA’s record for most in a single season, but six other players have logged a 40-piece this year. The ‘W’ has doubled its previous 40-point mark. And there’s still plenty of basketball left.

A’ja Wilson’s Scoring Chase

Wilson is on pace to shatter the WNBA’s single-season scoring mark. She’s pace for 1,030 points, almost 100 more than the previous record of 939 (Jewell Loyd). And while that’s not surprising given the WNBA’s increased season length in 2024, Wilson’s points-per-game average of 27.1 would break the WNBA record by nearly two full points (Taurasi: 25.3 ppg — 2006).

Watch: A’ja Wilson Drops 42 to Make History in Loss to Wings

US OPEN

The Longest Match in US Open History

Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Dan Evans Outlasts Karen Khachanov in 5-Hour, 35-Minute Marathon

Round 1 at the U.S. Open continued yesterday without any major stunners. Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin took down some quality opponents while #1 Iga Swiatek, #1 Jannik Sinner and #3 Carlos Alcaraz all advanced. But the story of the day was the longest match ever played in U.S. Open history. Dan Evans beat #23 Karen Khachanov in a five-setter that lasted five hours and 35 minutes. That's about the same length as a flight from Los Angeles to New York. The first three sets went to tiebreakers. Evans trailed 4-0 in the final set before reeling off six straight games for the win. The final point was a 22-shot rally. The previous record was five hours and 26 minutes (1992).

Watch: Evans Beats Khachanov in Longest U.S. Open Match Ever Played

Women’s Singles (Round 1)

#1 I. Swiatek def. K. Rakhimova (6-4, 7-6)

#5 J. Paolini def. B. Andreescu (6-7, 6-2, 6-4)

#6 J. Pegula def. S. Rogers (6-4, 6-3)

N. Osaka def. #10 J. Ostapenko (6-3, 6-2)

C. Dolehide def. #11 D. Collins (1-6, 7-5, 6-4)

S. Kenin def. E. Raducanu (6-1, 3-6, 6-4)

C. Wozniacki def. N. Hibino (6-0, 6-1)

Men’s Singles (Round 1)

#1 J. Sinner def. M. McDonald (2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2)

#3 C. Alcaraz def. L. Tu (6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1)

#5 D. Medvedev def. D. Lajovic (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1)

#7 H. Hurkacz def. T. Skatov (6-3, 7-6, 7-6)

#10 A. de Minaur def. M. Giron (6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4)

T. Kokkinakis def. #11 S. Tsitsipas (7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5)

Today’s U.S. Open Schedule (Round 2, Day 3)

NBC Sports: Dan Evans Outlasts Karen Khachanov in Longest U.S. Open Match in Modern History

MLB

MLB Quick-Hitters

Royals Tied for AL Central Lead

The Royals lost starter Michael Lorenzen to a hamstring injury early on Tuesday, but a clutch game from the bullpen earned a 6-1 win over the Guardians to grab a share of the lead in the AL Central. Both Kansas City and Cleveland are now 75-58.

Alonso Ties Piazza in Mets HR History

The Mets ended the Diamondbacks’ six-game win streak on Tuesday (8-3) thanks to the 220th home run for Pete Alonso. That ties Alonso with Mike Piazza for third on the Mets’ all-time home run list.

Nola Keeps Phillies on Fire

Phillies’ ace Aaron Nola brought the heat last night against the big bats of the Astros, throwing seven scoreless frames to notch a 5-0 shutout. The Phillies have won four in a row to tie the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL.

Other MLB Highlights

Braves Beat Twins in Extras (8-6, 10 Innings)

Cubs Offense Goes Off Again With 9 Runs

Nats’ Rookie Dylan Crews Gets 1st Hit, SB

NFL STORYLINES

🏈 NFL Launches Private Equity Era

In a move that will mean little to most fans, the NFL has made a major change to team ownership structure. On Tuesday, the NFL adopted a policy allowing private equity ownership in teams. The initial limit is 10 percent of the franchise. (NBC Sports)

🏈 How to Win Your Fantasy League

If you’re looking for a quick, down-and-dirty approach to your upcoming fantasy football draft, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 11 rules to follow that will set you up for success and (hopefully) help you dominate your draft. (The Ringer)

🏈 Understanding the NFL’s New Kickoff

This three-week crash course in the league's new kickoff is very much uncharted territory, but more than 400 kickoff returns is a sample size from which we can produce a clearer picture of how it might impact the upcoming season. (FOX Sports)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Washington Commanders Reveal New Stadium Name to Replace FedEx Field (SI)

📺 Ex-Michigan Staffer Connor Stalions Denies Sign-Stealing Allegations in New Netflix Documentary (CBS Sports)

⚾️ Astros Add 5-Time Gold Glover Jason Heyward to Fill OF Spot (CBS Sports)

🎙️ Kelce Brothers Sign Podcast Deal With Amazon Worth More Than $100 Million (ESPN)

🏈 Top QB Recruit in 2026 Class Sues North Carolina State Board of Education Over Ban on Endorsements (CBS Sports)

🏁 Williams Racing Drops Lone American in Formula 1, Logan Sargeant, for Rest of 2024 (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Wisconsin High School Football Under Investigation After Players Cited for Harassing Amish Community (Sporting News)

🏁 NASCAR Announces Historic Cup Series Race in Mexico (SI)

🏇 Travis Kelce Buys Ownership Stake in Racehorse Fittingly Named ‘Swift Delivery’ (Yahoo! Sports)