While the Indianapolis Colts’ initial 53-man roster is set, changes may still be coming.
With final roster cuts now made across the NFL, attention turns to the waiver wire, where teams now have the opportunity to add to their 53-man roster by claiming released players from other teams.
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Last year at this time, we saw the Colts add to the cornerback room by claiming Samuel Womack off waivers.
How do waiver claims during roster cutdowns work?
Players who are released with fewer than four years of accrued NFL experience are subject to waivers. Teams have until 12:00 PM ET on Wednesday to submit a claim on any released player who meets the experience criteria.
Those players who were released and have more than four years of accrued NFL experience become free agents right away and can sign where they please.
Once on waivers, any team can put in a claim. If only one team does, then that is where the player ends up. However, if two or more teams put in a claim, then the waiver wire order determines where that player ends up.
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The waiver wire order at this time of the year mirrors the 2025 NFL draft order.
For example, if the Colts and the Bengals put in a waiver claim on the same player, that player would end up with the Colts because Indianapolis is 14th in waiver priority while Cincinnati is 17th.
If a player goes unclaimed on waivers, they then become a free agent and can sign where they please.
If a team adds a player via waivers, that player must be placed on the 53-man roster, which means a corresponding cut will have to be made in order to make room.
2025 Waiver wire priority list during roster cutdowns
29) Washington Commanders
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL waiver wire rankings: Where do Colts land in priority?