ATHENS — Kirby Smart’s phone is always attached to his hip, ready to take or make the next call that will lead to future success, but on Tuesday it was about taking time for the past.

Smart said he texted Chaz Chambliss and Nazir Stackhouse to congratulate them on beating the odds in making the 53-man roster for their respective teams, Chambliss with Minnesota, Stackhouse in Green Bay.

“They certainly earned it the hard way, I wouldn’t expect anything less out of those two guys because they’re workhorses,” Smart said on Tuesday night at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. “They played a lot of football around here. They’re tough, they’re hard-nosed and they’re dependable. I’d love to have them in any organization that I would be in because of their work ethic and what they stand for.”

Tight end Ben Yurosek, who started six games at Georgia after transferring in from Stanford, also made the Minnesota 52-man roster as an undrafted free agent.

Of course, there were several other established Georgia stars, along with all 13 of the UGA players drafted, who made rosters, along with several former Bulldogs getting cut.

Smart’s heart went out to those players who did not make 53-man rosters, even though he knows once waivers clear at noon tomorrow many of them will likely be signed to teams’ 16-man practice squads.

“The message to them is simple, football does not define who you are,” Smart said. “I remember being lost in that moment. You got to pick yourself back up, get to work, and decide what you want to do if the football’s over. That’s a critical time in kids’ lives when they have to pick up and move on.”

Three-time Super Bowl champion Mecole Hardman and former Georgia defensive captain Monty Rice were among the more notable veterans to get cut on Tuesday, as NFL teams chopped their active rosters down to 53 players.

Rice and Hardman have both overcome injuries in their pro careers to make it this far, Rice (Achilles) selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, while Hardman (knee) was a second round pick in 2019.

There were other key transactions to note, as Philadelphia middle linebacker and former UGA captain Nakobe Dean indicated he will start the season on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, so he won’t be eligible to return to the roster until after the fourth game.

Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was activated from the PUP list in Buffalo, having overcome a calf injury, while former Georgia star Nick Chubb figures to get a shot as Houston’s lead back with tailback Joe Mixon (ankle) on the Texans’ PUP list.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett also made the Los Angeles Rams’ 53-man roster, as the team elected to keep three quarterbacks with starter Matthew Stafford battling through a back injury.

In all, CBS reports there were 1,184 players released in fall camp, including the following former Georgia players who will be watching their phones on Wednesday with hopes of getting a call to be claimed by another team, or being re-signed to their team’s practice squad.

Georgia players released

• OL Xavier Truss released by Denver

• OL Clay Webb released by Denver

• LB Monty Rice released by New England

• LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson released by Green Bay

• SS Lewis Cine released by Green Bay, injury settlement

• RB Kendall Milton released by Cincinnati

• CB Derion Kendrick released by Los Angeles

• DT Bill Norton released by Los Angeles

• TE Tre’ McKitty released by Houston

• CB Jalen Kimber released by Tennessee

• WR Matt Landers released by Tennessee

• TE Lawrence Cager released by Washington

• WR Jackson Meeks released by Detroit

• DL Zion Logue released by Bills

• LB Channing Tindall released by Miami