Cut day is always a stressful time for the NFL. Coaches and general managers must work together to compile a roster of 53 players that gives them the best chance at winning a Super Bowl, while those players must sit back and wait to hear their fate.

Or, if a player made the right impression, not hear it.

“I had to keep my phone on me,” Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson said. “I’m hoping I don’t get that call. I kept it near me at all times.”

It’s bad news to get a phone call for a player on the day of the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline. On the other end, they will hear what way they will be left off the team and when to come down to pack up their locker. A phone call on cut day is the signal for the end of a player’s time on that team, and sometimes the end of a career and a dream.

That dreaded ring came for many Texans on Tuesday, as the team released or waived 32 players as a part of shrinking their roster from the 91 they carried into their last preseason game. The other subtractions were put on reserve lists for injury or suspension, and depending on their status, could be activated at some point this season.

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But for the final 53 Texans, the cell phone silence through the 3 p.m. CT deadline sounded so sweet.

“I would say at 4 o’clock, that was the brief little joy that I got right there,” Hutchinson said. “I just got to text my mom, text my dad and really just be around my girl and just have the love, the true love and compassion, just pure joy around me.”

Hutchinson was on the Texans roster “bubble” as he put it, fighting for one of the final spots on the 53. A strong preseason contributing offensively, leading the team in receptions (12) and receiving yards (114), and on special teams led them to keep the second-year wideout active on gameday.

The Texans’ 2023 sixth-round draft selection knows that making the team isn’t the end all, be all, however. With the Texans’ first game coming Sept. 8, Hutchinson knows there is a lot of work to be done in the season ahead.

“I’ve got a long journey ahead of me and this is only the stepping stone of what I want to continue to do,” Hutchinson said.

Another player to survive the “bubble” was British Brooks, who made the team Tuesday as a running back then began practicing with the tight ends and as a fullback Wednesday.

An undrafted rookie signed out of North Carolina in May, the odds were stacked against Brooks to make the team, especially stepping into an already deep running back room. But Brooks also shined in the preseason, scoring twice in the finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, which earned him enough favor to be a part of the 53.

“He’s earned his opportunity,” general manager Nick Caserio said of Brooks. “He’s earned his way on to the team. We’ll see if he is able to stay on the team, but he’s here for a reason. Credit to him.”

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While Caserio knew the rookie’s spot was secure, Brooks did not. So, like Hutchinson, he was glued to his phone all cut day.

“I didn’t get a call, but I guess it was very stressful and then once I saw the roster, it was very emotional just because of my past,” Brooks said. “Not even dating back to college, but even before that since I was a little kid. Just remembering all the little things people say, or people do and act, or how they treat you. Just a very emotional day.”

Brooks began his career as a walk-on at North Carolina and suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2022 before breaking out in his sixth college football season last year.

Along with Hutchinson and Brooks, cornerback Myles Bryant got to celebrate peace and quiet on cut day as well. But unlike the duo on the other side of the ball, Bryant has heard that direful ring before, as he was relegated to the New England Patriots’ practice squad to start his first two NFL seasons.

Bryant joined the Texans as a free agent this offseason, and with a new team comes a new cut day protocol. But silence is synonymous across the league, and Bryant heard nothing from his new organization. Still, the veteran didn’t feel comfortable until the final roster was set.

“Being around the league now, my fifth year, you always hear about different stories,” Bryant said. “So, you think once it got to the deadline, that’s when you kind of understand that you made the team.”

Head coach DeMeco Ryans heralded Bryant for his positional versatility, being able to play the nickel corner, safety and corner while also contributing on special teams.

“When you have guys who are versatile and who can do more, that makes a nice case for you making our team,” Ryans said. “Excited for Myles and how far he’s come with picking up all the things we’ve asked him to do.”

But like Hutchinson, Bryant knows the job doesn’t end with just making the team. The new Texan said he took a moment to congratulate himself after making the roster but is now ready for the task of meeting the team’s lofty sights for the year.

“The work doesn’t just stop there,” Bryant said. “It has to continue. We got a long season ahead of us, and we got goals that we want to achieve. So, I think it’s time to turn it up even more.”