The Axe Is On Its Way: Falcons Must Cut To 80 By August 30

Today, there are 90. By August 30, there will only be 80.

The NFL is requiring teams to cut down to 80 players by August 30. The good news is that the total is higher than the 75 players the league was originally pushing for, giving teams a little more time to look at  talent. As usual, the final cutdown to the 53 man roster follows closely on its heels on September 3. That gives teams a full slate of pre-season games with a lot of undrafted talent, which should give one or two a final crack at making the roster or latching on to the practice squad.

Of course, that August 30 date is right around the corner. That means the third pre-season game against a tough Steelers team is going to be the last shot some of these guys get to make their case. Expect to see the backups step up their collective game this next week.

After the jump, I take a stab at guessing the ten guys who I think are most likely to get cut once the deadline hits. Give it a read and weigh in with your own list.

C Ryan McMahon

CB Kamaal McIlwain

DE Tom McCarthy

DT Carlton Powell

FB Thor Merrow

LB LaMarcus Thompson

LS Andrew Schulze

LB Robert James

RB Philip Sylvester

WR Kevin Cone