NFL Roster Cuts Loom Sunday: Tua Tagovailoa, Anthony Richardson Among QBs Drawing Trade Calls

NFL teams have until 6 p.m. ET Sunday, August 30, to cut rosters from 90 players down to 53. That deadline is forcing decisions on more than 1,000 players leaguewide, according to NFL.com and Sports Illustrated, and it's also shaking loose trade chatter at the one position that can reshape a franchise overnight: quarterback.

Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado reported that league teams have made calls with "varying degrees of interest" on four passers: Atlanta's Tua Tagovailoa, Cleveland's Dillon Gabriel, Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy and Indianapolis's Anthony Richardson, according to Newsweek. None of these four has been traded as of this writing.

Richardson's case is the most advanced

Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been given permission by the Colts to seek a trade since early in the offseason, according to GatorsWire, citing USA Today Sports reporter Jacob Camenker. Indianapolis hasn't found a partner willing to meet its price. Colts general manager Chris Ballard has declined to give him away for nothing, per Newsweek.

The numbers explain why suitors are cautious. Richardson has started 15 career games, posting an 8-7 record while completing just 50.6% of his passes for 2,400 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, according to GatorsWire. He's been more productive on the ground, with 634 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns on 115 carries.

Indianapolis has moved on in the meantime. The Colts have Daniel Jones penciled in as their starter, with Riley Leonard and Easton Stick behind him, according to NFL Spin Zone. Richardson appeared in one preseason game against Atlanta, going 3-of-9 for 24 yards and getting sacked twice in a 34-6 loss, per GatorsWire. He was scheduled to get another look in Indianapolis's preseason finale against Detroit. Camenker floated the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins as teams that could develop Richardson behind the scenes, betting on his arm and mobility. NFL Spin Zone floated Baltimore as a landing spot.

Gabriel and McCarthy are different situations entirely

Gabriel, a 2025 third-round pick, isn't on the trade block because Cleveland has given up on him. Deshaun Watson has been named the Browns' Week 1 starter, with Shedeur Sanders slotted as his backup, according to Newsweek. Gabriel threw three touchdowns in a preseason win over New England, which is exactly the kind of tape that raises his value if Cleveland decides a trade makes sense.

That said, Cleveland's own quarterback room has been anything but settled. Yahoo Sports reported that Watson went 5-of-12 for 36 yards with an interception in a preseason loss to Buffalo. Yahoo's Brandon Little argued the Browns should be shopping for outside veteran help, floating names like Houston's Davis Mills and Tennessee's Will Levis as trade targets rather than assuming Gabriel is the one heading out the door.

McCarthy, Minnesota's first-round pick in 2024, lost the starting job to newly signed veteran Kyler Murray during training camp, according to Newsweek. A former first-rounder sitting behind a new starter is exactly the profile that generates trade calls this time of year.

Tagovailoa's situation is murkier than the others

Tagovailoa was traded from Miami to Atlanta after six seasons as the Dolphins' starter, per Yard Barker, and hasn't had a strong training camp with the Falcons, per Newsweek. Preseason has made it clearer that Atlanta is leaning toward Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback, and the Falcons have not named Tagovailoa the starter for their Week 1 game at Pittsburgh. That's a notable fall for a quarterback who spent six seasons as Miami's starter, and it's likely why his name surfaced on Allbright's list.

What to watch

Sunday's 53-man deadline is the hard cutoff, but the more relevant trade window for quarterbacks often extends into the following weeks, once injuries and Week 1 performances clarify which teams are actually desperate. Indianapolis has had since spring to move Richardson and hasn't. Whether any team meets Ballard's price before Sunday, or waits until an injury elsewhere creates urgency, remains the open question hanging over this cutdown weekend.