EMU in the NFL: Who made the final cuts?
EMU in the NFL: Who made the final cuts?
Chad Ryland and Sidy Sow are instant starters for the New England Patriots.
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53-Man Roster Locks
Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
Career stats: 66 games (60 starts), 231 tackles (150 solo), 65 TFL, 37.5 sacks, 93 QB hits, 7 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 16 pass breakups
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 5 defensive snaps
PFF grade thru preseason: defense 56.1
Starting with the over-obvious here. Maxx Crosby signed a 4-year, $94 million contract last year and is one of the NFL’s premier defensive players. That’s not just me, an EMU football writer, hyping him up. Earlier in the summer, the NFL said Crosby is the #17 player in the league after back-to-back Pro Bowl years, and was Second Team All-Pro in 2021. Last year, he was the NFL’s leader in tackles for loss (22).
Considering how valuable he is to the Raiders, Crosby only saw five snaps the entire preseason. Crosby was a fourth-round selection by the Raiders in the 2019 draft (106 overall).
Chad Ryland, New England Patriots
7 kickoffs, 71.7 yards per attempt (2 return, 38 yards), 5 touchbacks
2/2 PAT
Sure Chad Ryland was last seen playing college ball at Maryland, but it’d be silly not to include him here. Ryland was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the latest draft (#112) and has been sharing time this preseason with 16-year veteran Nick Folk. Hours before the Cut Day deadline, Folk was traded to Tennessee for Ryland to be the Pats’ new kicker of the future effective immediately.
Sidy Sow, New England Patriots
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 99 offensive snaps, 5 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: Defense 52.6, special teams 60.8
The all-time leader in games played and started at Eastern Michigan was the 116th overall draft pick by the New England Patriots and has been everything they could’ve wanted out of him so far: the new starting right tackle. Sow has started in every preseason game and has held his own.
Andrew Wylie, Washington Commanders
Career games played: 71 games, 59 starts
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 35 offensive snaps, 2 special teams
PFF grades: Offense 52.1, Special teams 60.0
Andrew Wylie played the shutdown game of his life in Kansas City’s Super Bowl win last February and has parlayed his success into a 3-year, $24 million contract with Washington to be their new starting right tackle.
Wylie was an undrafted rookie when he entered the league in 2017 and bounced from three different practice squads before he finally hung around in Kansas City long enough to finally see his first start in October 2018. Injuries and a severe stomach illness would keep Wylie off the field from time to time, but he stayed in KC through the 2022 season.
Cuts
Dylan Drummond, Detroit Lions
Preseason stats: 15 targets, 9 catches, 87 yards
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 97 offensive snaps, 13 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: offense 58.7, special teams 63.3
Dylan Drummond emerged as an early fan favorite for Detroit fans. He made plays during camp, Dan Campbell said he was “hard to ignore,” and he kept working while other receivers around him kept going down with injuries. Ultimately, the Lions have waived him and will probably offer him a practice squad spot. [UPDATE: Drummond was added to Detroit’s practice squad Wednesday.]
Pat O’Connor, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 59 defensive snaps, 13 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: defense 52.7, special teams 60.2
Pat O’Connor, initially a seventh-round draft pick by Detroit in 2017, has made a living as the anonymous #79 doing a lot of dirty work on defense and special teams for the Bucs. He’s been a reliable presence for Tampa Bay since 2018, but was finally cut by the team today. The good news for him, though, is that he’s practice-squad eligible, and it sounds like he’ll be hanging around that way this season. [UPDATE: O’Connor was added to Tampa Bay’s practice squad Wednesday.]
Thomas Odukoya, Tennessee Titans
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 65 offensive snaps, 7 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: offense 41.9, special teams 76.2
So close. Thomas Odukoya made some heads turn with his play in the trenches but was ultimately one of 26 players cut by the Titans today. Odukya found himself in Tennessee through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program as an undrafted rookie in 2022. He stuck around on Tennessee’s practice squad all last year it seemed like Odukoya’s roster spot was a given after Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel gave this glowing review:
Head Coach Mike Vrabel discussed Odukoya’s overall development on Tuesday, and he clearly likes what he sees from his second-year tight end.
“Well, we didn’t bring him in,” Vrabel said when talking about acquiring Odukoya through the program. “We lucked out, we absolutely lucked out because there’s not a better human being, and we got great people around here, but there’s not anybody better (than Odukoya) that cares about this team, that works his tail off and has really taken advantage of those reps at the line of scrimmage.
“He’s had good practice against our guys, in Minnesota and then carried over to the game — wrestling and tangling with some of those big guys on the edge of the line of scrimmage. His hard work has paid off, and that’s been really cool to see. We like for good things to happen to great people.”
Odukoya will probably end up on the practice squad to begin the year, but I won’t be surprised when he gets his call. [UPDATE: Odukoya was added to Tennessee’s practice squad Wednesday.]
Jose Ramirez, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 65 offensive snaps, 7 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: defense 52.7, special teams 76.2
Jose Ramirez, per FOX Sports’ Greg Auman, was limited by a hamstring injury this preseason and is a lock for the Tampa Bay practice squad (assume he clears waivers). Ramirez, after winning the MAC Defensive Player of the Year Award, was a sixth-round draft pick (#196) in April. [UPDATE: Ramirez was added to Tampa Bay’s practice squad Wednesday.]
Mathew Sexton, Atlanta Falcons
2023 preseason snap count, per PFF: 60 offensive snaps, 14 special teams
PFF grade thru preseason: offense 65.9, special teams 45.3
Stats: 7 targets, 5 catches, 60 yards; 3 kick returns, 63 yards; 1 punt return, 6 yards
This was Mathew Sexton’s third NFL tryout after short stints with Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Sexton was waived by Atlanta today and could potentially land on their practice squad. Being behind Bowling Green alum Scotty Miller, who made the 53-man roster, probably wasn’t what Sexton wanted as a result to this point, but I’m betting that the XFL and USFL and TSL alum didn’t grind this much to stop now. [UPDATE: Sexton was added to Atlanta’s practice squad Wednesday.]