NFL teams complete roster cutdowns to 53 players and begin the regular season waiver process. Following “cutdown day,” the waiver wire order is set for the early weeks of the 2026 season, determining which clubs can claim players waived by other teams.
Both outlets report that the Las Vegas Raiders hold the top spot in the waiver order. The published lists rank teams in the order they receive the first opportunity to claim waived players. This order is used when players are placed on waivers after roster reductions, before they can be signed to practice squads or other rosters.
CBS Sports also includes a practice squad explainer alongside its waiver-wire ranking, providing context on how waiver claims can affect where players end up next. Yahoo Sports focuses on presenting the waiver order for the first few weeks, indicating the sequence in which teams will be able to make claims as the waiver process unfolds early in the season.
