The end of the preseason in the NFL usually means quite a few things. Teams are figuring out which players performed well enough to make the final 53 man rosters. Cut down day is coming soon, but some notable players have already gotten the ax. The biggest name yet is Antonio Bryant. The Cincinnati Bengals will be left with about $8 million of Bryant’s guaranteed money from his four-year $28 million deal.

Bryant was suppose to be the second wide receiver for Carson Palmer and the Bengals. He was nursed along with a sore knee through mini camps and other offseason work outs. The Bengals coaching staff become quiet whenever the subject of Bryant’s knee came up. It never seemed to heal properly and the Bengals will eat the guaranteed money. He quickly became expendable once the team brought in Terrell Owens. Owens quickly became the top receiver in the preseason, this along with the development of rookie Jordan Shipley led to Bryant’s release. The interesting thing this season is the fact that in cutting players doesn’t mean taking a hit to the salary cap because of the uncapped year. This allows teams to shed poor contracts from under performing players or aging veterans that have back loaded contracts. Bryant may catch on with another team, but he has to prove the health of his knee before another team will sign him.

The New York Jets cut Laveranues Coles, the long time Jets wide receiver. This was in a cost cutting move to avoid paying his entire base salary for the season. The Jets want to keep Coles around for the first four games because Santonio Holmes is going to miss the first four games with a suspension. Coles hoped to play the season and retire as a member of the Jets. He had his most success as a member of the Jets. He will retire as a member of the Jets. There haven’t been that many major injuries this preseason, but teams can still make moves to get better before week one.

The Arizona Cardinals might be in the market for a new quarterback. The coaching staff isn’t enamored with starter Matt Leinart. Leinart hasn’t lit up the stat sheets and the coaching staff passed on trading for Donovan McNabb and Jason Campbell. The Cardinals are just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl berth. They can easily get back there with a solid quarterback under center. They did bring in Derek Anderson, but he’s nothing more than a suitable back up. There won’t be a front line quarterback cut, but some above average QBs may get the ax. It’s going to be an interesting week to see which players have to find new jobs and which stand outs earned another week playing in the NFL.