The 5 most shocking midseason player cuts by NFL teams

While news breaking about surprising cuts is a common occurrence in the NFL's preseason, it's fairly rare to see cuts announced in midseason — like the news linebacker Jaylon Smith was presented with by the Dallas Cowboys this week.

The 26-year-old Pro Bowler was deemed surplus to requirements by owner Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy, which leads us to look at five of the NFL's most shocking midseason roster moves where a leading player was cut off.

5 of the most surprising cuts made by NFL teams during the season

#1 – LeGarrette Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers, November 2014

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount

LeGarrette Blount was already in hot water with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014 after being handed a DUI when he was caught driving his Camaro with Le'Veon Bell and a 20 gram bag of marijuana. Things turned even more sour after Blount was benched in Week 11. He left the field while Steelers were in victory formation and was later cut. Blount's stay in Pittsburgh lasted less than a season.

#2 – Ryan Mallet, Houston Texans, October 2015

Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallet

After a series of embarrassing events, Ryan Mallet blew his chance to establish himself as the Houston Texans starting quarterback. After being acquired by trade from the New England Patriots, head coach Bill O'Brien installed Mallet as the starter for the 2014 season but the QB only played three games before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season.

Brian Hoyer beat Mallet for the starter's jersey during the 2015 preseason, and a day after the announcement, Mallet missed practice after sleeping through his alarm in scenes amplified by NFL Films' hit show Hard Knocks. The comedy of errors didn't end there. Ahead of a Week 7 road game, Mallet missed the team flight and the Texans severed ties and cut the gaff-prone QB on October 27.

#3 – Antonio Brown, Oakland Raiders, September 2019

Antonio Brown with Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the 2019 preseason

Another awkward scenario that played out on Hard Knocks was the tale of Antonio Brown's frozen feet. After signing a big-money deal to be the marquee signing in Jon Gruden's first year at the Oakland Raiders, Brown froze his toes by not wearing the correct protection in a cryotherapy chamber.

While training alone during camp, Brown kicked up a fuss about the league's new helmet rules and refused to embrace enhanced safety gear. After making a public apology for the distractions he caused, Brown demanded his release two days before the Raiders' Week 1 game. He signed for the New England Patriots and was cut by them after one game, following accusations of sexual assualt.

#4 – Dwayne Haskins, Washington Football Team, December 2020

Former Washington Football Team QB Dwayne Haskins

Dwayne Haskins was the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft. After an underpar rookie season, Haskins was benched in Week 5 of year two for showing a lack of work ethic. He was fined $5,000 for breaking COVID-19 protocols by bringing a friend into the team bubble, and was later stripped of the captaincy and fined $40,000 for being photographed at a party without a facemask.

After being benched once again for poor performance, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera felt Haskins had been handed enough chances and the quarterback was cut with one game remaining in the 2020 season.

#5 – Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys, October 2021

Ex-Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith

While the previous examples in this list have a theme of questionable decision making by the player involved, there is a much different story behind the release of Pro Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith. The sudden rise of rookie star Micah Parsons left Smith on the fringes, and despite his high-level play during his six years in the league, the Cowboys simply opted to cut Smith.