The annual frenzy of NFL transactions happens this weekend

The Turk will be very busy this weekend.

The traditional name for the in-house harbinger of doom, each team's Turk will be telling players on the bubble that the coach wants to see them.

"And bring your playbook," he usually adds.

It's one of the basic realities of a sport that has 90 players on the roster until the limit plunges, in one fell swoop, to 53. And it will happen through an avalanche of moves that will trim the rosters, build practice squads of up to 16 players, and then spark a flurry of additional cuts and signings at the bottom of the roster.

The process is the most basic reminder of the reality that the supply of willing NFL players far outweighs the demand. And that, once the preseason ends, the demand for players to play in the games that don't count instantly evaporates.

Players who are released with four or more years of service instantly become free agents. Players who aren't "vested veterans" migrate to the waivers system.

Any team can claim a player on waivers, with no limit on the number taken. The players are awarded by priority based on the 2026 draft order, with the Raiders having dibs on all of them.

This means that players who make the 53-man roster as of Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET may not be around for long. For every player claimed on waivers, another player needs to be removed from the roster.

The roster cuts at one point were made on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, only five days before the first game. When the season moved to 17 games, the process was accelerated by a week or so, giving the players who make the team a break before Week 1 preparations begin in earnest.

The deadline had been Tuesday. This year, the decision to move the first game to the Wednesday after Labor Day (with two teams heading to Australia for a game the next day) prompted a shift to Sunday.

All in all, it's a harsh process. The teams largely have become desensitized to it, because it's a fundamental step in building a team. And the players who don't have starting jobs set in stone understand that there's a risk they'll be leaving their current teams, possibly temporarily. Possibly for good.

The practice squad helps to soften the blow. And those 16 spots for 32 teams create up to 512 more jobs.

The churning of the roster and the practice squad will continue, throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. The availability of short-term injured reserve will create opportunities. Players who aren't attached to a team will get tryouts.

For those who don't make it to a 53-man roster, the dream isn't dead. It's in limbo. And many of them will choose to stay in shape and wait for the phone to ring.