The NFL is set up in a way where certain aspects of the league year are very predictable. When you are talking about trimming offseason rosters, it used to come in waves. Teams would be forced to get their roster to a certain number by a certain date. Then, as more time elapsed, the roster would eventually be trimmed to the league mandated 53 players.

But not anymore.

As of this year the league decided to eliminate the tiered approach to roster cuts, and make all cuts on one day. Now, that doesn’t mean teams have to wait to cut their players on that one specific day, but the NFL has set it up in a way where you will have thousands of players looking for work on the same day.

You can imagine what that would be like not just for the players, but also the front offices of all 32 organizations who are now sifting through the wreckage to find players who could possibly better their 53-man roster.

A way to avoid the competition with other teams in signing free agents is to make trades prior to cut down day. With Week 3 of the preseason officially here, there are teams who are willing to part ways with late round NFL Draft picks to acquire players who they feel could help put them in a better situation heading into Week 1.

The first of these trades has already happened Thursday with the Arizona Cardinals, who are in full-on fire sale mode, trading Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants for a 2024 7th Round draft pick.

This per Adam Schefter of ESPN:

Trade: Isaiah Simmons is being traded from the Cardinals to the NY Giants for a seventh-round pick in 2024, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2023

Simmons is on the final year of his current contract, and the Giants will only have to pay him roughly $1 million dollars before he will available to hit free agency following the 2023 regular season. Nonetheless, he only cost the Giants a 7th Round draft pick.

Expect plenty of these moves in the coming days as teams finish up their preseason schedules and start the process of finalizing their 53-man rosters for the regular season.