How does the waiver wire work in the NFL?

The NFL's waiver wire system might seem complex and intimidating to fans who aren't familiar with it. But the waiver wire system is a fair system that's understandable whence you learn the rules of it.

The waiver wire is set up to promote parody and give struggling teams the first chance to sign a released player. The waiver rules change throughout the NFL calendar.

Depending on when the waiver claim takes place determines what the order is.

It's relatively straightforward whence you learn about it. The hardest thing to remember is when the rule changes for the order go into effect.

How does the waiver wire work in the NFL?

After Week 3 of each regular season, the waiver wire is determined by NFL teams' records. Ahead of Week 9, the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans have the highest priorities.

The Lions earned top priority with a 0-7 record, while the 1-7 Dolphins and 1-7 Texans took second and third priorities.

But those rules are only in effect after Week 3 of each regular season. What about the rest of the NFL calendar? In the weeks between the draft and Week 3, the draft order is what decides the order.

Teams who pick at the top of the draft have higher priorities throughout the offseason and training camps. Whoever picks 32nd in the draft is the lowest team prioritized on the waiver wire until Week 3.

There aren't just rules for how the order is determined. There are designations teams make when moving on from a player.

Pending on their experience determines whether they make the waiver wire or not.

How does a player make it to the waiver wire?

Not everyone who gets cut goes to the waiver wire. If a player has four or fewer seasons totaled in the NFL, they go on waivers, and the claiming process begins.

If a player has more than four years of experience, they bypass waivers and can sign wherever.

The rule is in effect from the offseason up until the trade deadline. However, that changes somewhat after the trade deadline.

After the trade deadline, everyone who is released must go through the waiver process.

Odell Beckham Jr. is an example of this rule. He must go through waivers rather than being able to sign anywhere.

The final rule is that if a waived player is injured, the team must make the injury known. If nobody claims him, the original team can release him with an injury settlement.

And with that said, that's how the NFL waiver wire works.

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