Friday Update: Teams Must Cutdown Roster to 53

The fourth and final week of the 2012 preseason is officially in the books as of last night, and we are now just a mere five days away from the start of the regular season.

That can only mean one thing: teams will need to cut down their rosters to the official 53-man depth chart prior to tonight's 9 p.m. eastern time.

Rookies and long-time journeymen alike have been fighting for a spot on the roster all summer long, and it all comes down to tonight. There have already been numerous well-known and former stars that have been cut by their respective team, and we still have more than four hours to go.

Two-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch, and running back Tim Hightower (Redskins), were among the eyebrow-raising cuts to occur earlier today. In addition to Branch, the Patriots also cut ties with veteran center Dan Koppen, safety James Ihedigbo and backup quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Additional Headlines, News:

Cardinals name John Skelton Week 1 starter against Seattle; Kevin Kolb to be second-string QB for the start of the season

Jets finally got into the end zone in Wednesday night's preseason finale against Philadelphia. They, however, fell to 0-4 after the 28-10 defeat. Funny thing about this, is that it was actually third-string quarterback Greg McElroy that got New York into the end zone for the team's lone touchdown of the preseason. Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow have struggled all summer long, and will likely continue to struggle to start the season.

Colt McCoy earned the backup role in Cleveland after Seneca Wallace was sent walking. It will be interesting to see how rookie Brandon Weeden fares in his debut next weekend.

Pittsburgh's injuries woes have continued after learning that third-round pick ILB Sean Spence has torn ligaments in his knee and will miss the entire 2012 season. First-round pick David DeCastro also suffered a serious knee injury and will miss significant time. Between the two rookies, Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and James Harrison, the Steelers haven't been able to catch a break all off-season.

More cuts:

Vernon Gholston, STL

Mike Kafka, PHI

Danny Ware, NYG

O.J. Atogwe, PHI

Jerrod Johnson, PIT

Trai Essex, PIT
Rock Cartwright, SF

With less than a week to go until the start of the season, I will need to be getting my bold predictions, division winner predictions, division-by-division preview, season awards and Super Bowl picks posted as soon as I can. So look out for it this weekend, considering it's a three-day Labor Day weekend starting in 3...2...1...now!

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