It is folklore meant to keep hope alive and interest high in the NFL as more than 850 NFL players will become unemployed by next Tuesday. Many will have their dreams of making it as a professional football player extinguished.
Some will find temporary homes on another team’s 53-man roster, and slightly more than 500 will join practice squads throughout the league, as developmental players worth a continued investment.
But the truth is that players released in the next few weeks are merely fringe NFL players, and the chances that more than a handful — if that — will ever become more than that are slim.