Thursday, August 25
Atlanta (2-0) at Miami (1-1)
Two linemen take center stage in the week's first game. For Atlanta, Nigerian-English import Efe Obada attempts to secure a spot as an edge rusher. As per this report from chiefs.com, Obada had a troubled childhood which led him to the U.K. After never having played football, he spent a year with the London Warriors before becoming the first player ever to make the jump from overseas to the NFL without having college experience. He has previously spent time on the Dallas and Kansas City practice squads.
Defensive tackle Julius Warmsley is standing out on an already-deep Dolphins defensive line. A great performance Thursday night could earn him at the very least a practice squad position somewhere in the league, at best a 53-man roster spot on a team with little talent at the position.
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| Efe Obada has come a long way in his short life; could his breakthrough come with the Falcons? (Brad Loper/Fort Worth Star-Telegram) |
The only fullback on the Cowboys roster is Keith Smith. While this all but guarantees him a roster spot, his story is worth noting. Entering the league as a linebacker, the San Jose State product switched to a position he last played in high school for a better chance of contributing to Dallas after two years of struggling to make the cut on defense.
Like several players before him, George Fant is hoping to make the jump from college basketball to professional football. Unlike the most prominent of that hoops-to-gridiron fraternity, Fant is trying to make the Seahawks as an offensive tackle. The former Western Kentucky basketball star spent a fifth year with the Hilltoppers to play football before Seattle picked him up as an undrafted free agent. So far this preseason the Seahawks have given Fant many opportunities to prove his worth; expect to see that again against the Cowboys.
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| Fant (74) was originally signed to compete at both tackle and tight end, but is focused on the offensive line now. (Johnny Andrews/The Seattle Times) |
Buffalo (1-1) at Washington (1-1)
Remember back in 2014 when Northwestern football tried to get a players' union? Today Kain Colter, the Wildcat quarterback who was one of the main plaintiffs and players' association co-founders in the case, is a backup wide receiver for the Bills. He was signed on the same day the Bills acquired Reggie Bush, and has previously seen practices with the Vikings and Rams. Colter has yet to make a regular season appearance in the NFL.
Quarterback Nate Sudfeld is trying to make his way with the Redskins. The rookie from Indiana has struggled making in-game decisions so far in the preseason, but will have plenty of game time Friday night to show improvement. Sudfeld's brother Zach is also trying to secure a roster spot as a Jets tight end. Last week, the two were on opposite sidelines in a Jets-Washington preseason contest in which Zach caught a touchdown pass. Nate tried to take it in stride.
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| Former union proponent Kain Colter as a Viking in 2014. He'll be playing for the Bills this weekend. (Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports) |
A Western Pennsylvania native and one of the best guards last year in NCAA Division II, Cory Tucker will get to play two games a year against his hometown Steelers if he makes the Browns' 53-man roster. However, the rookie has only been in Cleveland for three and a half weeks. Originally signed out of Slippery Rock University by Green Bay, Tucker was waived by the Packers before the Browns picked him up. It is an uphill climb for the lineman, but he will have many chances to prove himself Friday night against Tampa.
On the other side of the ball will be Johnthan Banks, a defensive back who has shown both flashes of brilliance and moments of uncertainty for the Buccaneers. Last year Banks was in and out of the starting lineup, and this offseason he has been practicing and playing with the 3's. The Mississippi state product recorded an interception in Tampa Bay's game last week, leading some to believe the Bucs can trade him if they don't want to keep them for themselves.
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| Banks, a fourth-year veteran, also fought through injuries in 2015. (Chris O'Meara/Associated Press) |
Kansas City (0-2) vs. Chicago (0-2)
I was shocked researching for this week's picks to discover that Knile Davis, a mildly-successful fourth-year utility back and kick returner for the Chiefs, is apparently at risk of not making the team this year. Davis, still the primary kick return man for Kansas City, is at danger of getting cut or traded simply because the talent at running back has surpassed him. Two other backs separate the Arkansas product from All-Pro Jamaal Charles on the depth chart, which means Davis will need a strong preseason showing to remain with the Chiefs.
The antithesis to the possibly-waning Davis could be Bears rookie tight end Ben Braunecker. The Harvard grad has been sidelined for most of training camp with an ankle injury, but returned to practice last week. As an undrafted rookie, Braunecker might be making his NFL debut Saturday night; a big night would be critical to his future. Although by this point, his best bet for 2016 might be as a practice squad player, Braunecker can use that platform to jump into action on a 53-man roster later in the season or in 2017.
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| Knile Davis may be wearing another team's uniform by opening week. (Peter Aiken/Getty) |
Dominique Tovell has had quite a journey in 2016. The undrafted rookie linebacker out of Louisiana-Lafayette was originally signed by the nearby New Orleans Saints in April; in July Tovell was released by the Saints and signed with the Lions. After a week or two in Detroit, he made his way to Atlanta; a week later the Falcons released him. A week and a half ago the Lions reclaimed the defender. With any luck, Tovell will get a chance to play Saturday night; if nothing else, the barely-experienced journeyman will have further audition tape for the next team that he goes to.
In the Ravens locker room, aspiring Baltimore defensive backs have been coping with the loss of former teammate Tray Walker, who lost his life this spring. One of the secondary members fighting to remain on the team, safety Anthony Levine, was able to honor his friend's memory in a big way after returning an interception for the game-winning touchdown against Indianapolis last week. A fifth-year Ravens vet, Levine has played in every game for Baltimore over the last three seasons. However, he only recorded seven tackles through all of 2015 and is near the bottom of the depth chart heading into the last weeks of preseason. Saturday will be crucial for Levine.
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| The former UDFA out of Tennessee State is in the second year of a $2.4 million contract (Wesley Hitt/Getty) |
Just last week the Giants, struggling with defensive back health, signed a defensive back named Joe Powell. Powell played Division III football collegiately before a stint in a semi-pro arena league. This spring and summer he was a member of the AFL's Cleveland Gladiators, right through when the Giants signed him last Wednesday. Powell should get plenty of chances to pad his resume Saturday and could end up on an NFL practice team. At only 22 years old, the Globe Tech alum has plenty of time to work his way through the NFL ranks.
Christian Hackenberg is in an interesting position. The Jets' second-round pick has been tabbed as "quarterback of the future" material, but he is the fourth-string signal caller in a league whose team keeps, at most, three QBs on the roster. The three guys ahead of him? Renaissance man Ryan Fitzpatrick, the entrenched starter; former NFL starter Geno Smith, who I mentioned last week may be the best backup in the league; and up-and-coming Bryce Petty, whom the Jets are also very high on. Hackenberg's best bet to make the Jets' active roster is for ownership to somehow fall completely out of favor with Geno over the next two weeks, which would cost the team a decent amount of money. For now, consider the Penn State alum's week three appearance an audition for the practice squad.
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| Joe Powell recorded five interceptions in eight games with the Gladiators (clevelandgladiators.com) |
An undrafted rookie out of Tennessee, the Titans' Alex Ellis caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Carolina last week. His story is all the more improbable because Ellis has Type 1 diabetes. Ellis has a decent chance of making the Titans' 53-man; with established NFL starters Delanie Walker and Anthony Fasano on the roster, the Maryland native is fighting with Phillip Supernaw - himself a third-year vet whom the Titans really like - and Jerome Cunningham for a backup tight end spot. The rookie may only have to beat out one - likely Cunningham - seeing as last year the Titans played four men at the position throughout the season.
One of the men who may cover Ellis on Saturday is Kyrie Wilson. The undrafted rookie linebacker played his collegiate ball with Fresno State, which means he is used to practicing against second-year Raiders starter Derek Carr. Wilson will look to a good game against Tennessee to boost his stock as a bench or practice team player for the Raiders.
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| Lifelong diabetic Alex Ellis catches a touchdown in Nashville. (Donn Jones/titansonline.com) |
This game is full of family ties. One defensive end who should see significant playing time is Ian Seau, nephew of the late Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau. The younger Seau has had a quiet (read: not newsworthy) camp, but was featured in a recent episode of Hard Knocks. If the two-time all-MWC product of Nevada does make a big play or two Saturday, there will almost certainly be at least one story about it.
Denver's Kyle Peko is fighting to make a roster spot at the same position in which his brother has quietly excelled for a decade. His brother, of course, is Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko. Kyle, undrafted out of Oregon State, is one of only a few healthy defensive tackles in Denver right now and looks to be impressing defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Despite being undersized (only 6-1) Peko's camp has been good so far. A decent week three performance could cement his spot on the final roster for the defending champs.
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| Peko has drawn praise from coaches, but not many comparisons to his big brother...yet. (Associated Press) |
Cincinnati (1-1) at Jacksonville (0-2)
After ditching a comfortable NAIA scholarship to walk on at Big Ten football factory Illinois, Clayton Fejedelem earned a scholarship before the 2015 season. In 2015 the Illini named him their defensive player of the year and the Cincinnati Bengals rewarded him by drafting Fejedelem in the seventh round of this year's draft (Full story here). The rookie recorded six tackles on defense last week and contributed on special teams. He's still an uncertainty to make the final Cincinnati roster, but all indications appear as if the Bengals will have a hard time letting him go.
Another seventh-round selection, Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum has been on the rebound from an ACL tear. The former Steeler standout is hoping to make his Jaguars debut on Sunday after missing most of 2015 with the knee injury. Once he is healthy, Beachum will compete with Luke Joeckel for the left tackle position. For now, he will likely play with the third-stringers if he gets any game reps.
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| Fifth-year pro Kelvin Beachum is hoping to rebound from injury with a new team in 2016. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports) |
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