Jacob Eason, Washington Huskies NFL.
In 2021 PNWS once again looks at Washington Huskies alumni playing in the NFL. One week a month, we update the NFC, followed by the AFC the next.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have no Huskies.
Kansas City Chiefs
Neither do the Kansas City Chiefs.
Las Vegas Raiders
Linebacker Cory Littleton played four years with the Rams before signing as a free agent last year with Las Vegas. Week 1, Littleton had ten tackles in the Raiders win over the Baltimore Ravens. The second week the Raiders beat Pittsburgh and Littleton had five tackles.
Los Angeles Chargers
Tristan Vizcaino made his last kick for the Huskies in 2017. Since then, Vizcaino has bounced around the NFL trying to make a roster. He was with five other teams before landing a job as the Los Angeles Chargers’ kicker to open 2021. In two games this season, Vizcaino is 2-of-2 on extra points and made 5 of 6 field goal attempts. Unfortunately, the one he missed turned out to be the difference in LAC’s 20-17, Week 2 loss to Dallas.
Houston Texans
To begin 2021, there are no Washington Huskies on the Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have no former Huskies either. Last year’s lone Jacksonville Husky, Sidney Jones, was traded just after the third preseason game to the Seahawks.
Indianapolis Colts
Indy drafted QB Jacob Eason last year in the fourth round. The Colts made big changes at quarterback in the recent offseason, Philip Rivers retired, and Indy traded for Carson Wentz. As a result, Eason saw plenty of action this preseason. He entered 2021 as Indianapolis’ backup behind Wentz.
Eason didn’t play in Week 1 but did get into the game Week 2 after Wentz went down with two ankle injuries. He threw for 25 yards, completing 2 of 5 passes with an interception in the Colts 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If Wentz is a no-go this week against Tennessee, Eason will make his first career NFL start.
Tennessee Titans
In this year’s draft, Tennessee selected Elijah Molden in the third round. He will primarily defend receivers in the slot as a nickelback. It’s a position he excelled at while with the Huskies. Molden has a pair of tackles in his first two games.
Three-time All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters was lost for the season with a torn ACL just before opening day. He will be a hard player for the Ravens to replace.
The Cincinnati Bengals have two Huskies on their team. One is on the roster, and the other is on the practice squad. You may be surprised who landed on the Bengals practice squad.
Drew Sample is in his third NFL season. Last year he caught 40 passes for 349 yards and a touchdown in 16 games (13 starts). In the 2021 opener, Sample played on over half the Bengals NFL snaps. Last week it was slightly less. He had no catches in either.
Cincy’s other Husky alumni became available on cut-down day. The Bengals signed QB Jake Browning to their practice squad on September 7.
The Cleveland Browns have center Nick Harris who they drafted last year in the second round. Though Harris only started one game for the Browns last year, he Played in 12 (his lone start started was at guard). This year Harris is listed as the second center on the roster. The Browns are only two deep at both guard spots. If one of them goes down, Harris could step in there as well. He played in both of Cleveland’s games this year on special teams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have no Washington Huskies on their roster again this year.
Buffalo Bills
There are no Washington Huskies alumni on the Buffalo Bills roster in 2021.
New York Jets
Gang Green doesn’t have anyone from UW on their team either. But is that a bad thing?
Miami Dolphins
Miami has a pair of running backs on their roster from UW that will get a good amount of playing time. The first is Myles Gaskin. A seventh-round pick in 2019, he is now the Fins starter. In Miami’s first two games (both losses), Gaskin picked up 74 yards on 14 carries (5.3 yards-per-carry) along with 9 catches for 48 yards. So far, he has yet to find the end zone.
The other back is Salvon Ahmed, who came out early after his junior season (2019) at Washington. The undrafted free agent is third on Miami’s depth chart. He has 45 combined yards in 2021.
New England Patriots
Myles Bryant signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent last year. He began the 2020 season on New England’s practice squad but got a promotion to the main roster and played in nine games. The DB totaled ten tackles and hauled in an interception. The defensive back didn’t make Bill Belichick’s opening day roster this year either and is back on the Pats practice squad again.
We’ll be back next month for an update on Washington Huskies alumni playing for AFC teams. Go Dawgs!