The San Francisco 49ers’ decision to waive cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. drew considerably more interest around the NFL than a typical end-of-roster move.
The Las Vegas Raiders officially claimed Luter after San Francisco waived him during final roster cuts, with Las Vegas able to secure him because it held the No. 1 waiver priority.
The Raiders are allowed to claim however many players they want from the No. 1 waiver claim. Luter is expected to be one.
But according ESPN’s Field Yates, Las Vegas apparently was far from the only interested team. The account reported that the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts also submitted claims for Luter.
That would mean five teams attempted to add the former 49ers cornerback, with the Raiders winning solely because no club had a higher waiver position.
The account also noted that no other player waived over the weekend reportedly drew more than two claims.
That puts San Francisco’s decision to expose Luter to waivers in a different light.
Raiders’ Waiver Priority Cost 49ers Any Chance at Luter
The 49ers officially waived Luter on August 30 while constructing their initial roster.
Las Vegas then had the decisive advantage.
NFL waiver priority at this point of the season is based on the previous draft order, which put the Raiders first after they held the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Las Vegas was therefore guaranteed any player it claimed if no prior roster rights applied, and Luter ended up being the Raiders’ lone waiver addition.
Miami, Tennessee, Dallas and Indianapolis could all have valued him enough to use an active-roster spot, yet none had an opportunity once Las Vegas submitted its claim.
The Raiders had also received a recent up-close evaluation of Luter. San Francisco and Las Vegas met in the preseason finale just days before roster cuts, while Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak previously worked on Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers staff in 2023, Luter’s rookie season.
Luter, 26, entered the NFL as San Francisco’s fifth-round pick in 2023 out of South Alabama. The 49ers’ official player page lists him at 6-foot and 190 pounds.
He appeared in all 17 games for San Francisco in 2025 and logged 271 defensive snaps along with 273 snaps on special teams, giving him value beyond simply providing emergency cornerback depth.
49ers Chose Younger Cornerback Options Over Luter
San Francisco had a crowded decision to make at cornerback.
The 49ers’ initial roster included Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, Upton Stout, Jack Jones, Ephesians Prysock and Nate Hobbs, leaving Luter on the outside.
Of particular note, rookie Prysock earned a roster spot while Luter was waived. That decision was one of the factors that pushed Luter off the roster.
The calculus has already become a little more complicated.
Hobbs has since been placed on injured reserve, while San Francisco brought Jakob Robinson back on its practice squad.
Had Luter cleared waivers, the 49ers potentially could have brought him back as another depth and special-teams option. The reported interest around the league ensured that was never going to happen.
That does not necessarily mean San Francisco made the wrong roster decision. NFL cutdown weekend routinely forces teams to choose between players they would prefer to keep.
But five reported claims would be a strong indication that the 49ers were not alone in viewing Luter as an NFL-caliber roster piece.
And this time, Las Vegas’ spot atop the waiver order made sure he would continue his career somewhere other than San Francisco.
San Francisco 49ers Lose Coveted Playmaker to Las Vegas Raiders