Hawkeyes in the NFL: Week One

The preseason is over, the rosters are set, the practice squads have been filled and the NFL season is about to get underway. Once again, the Iowa Hawkeyes are well represented across the league. 13 former Hawkeyes will get a start during the opening weekend, while 28 total players made opening day rosters. An additional eight players are on practice squads across the league, while two players are on injured reserve to make it 38 Hawkeyes in the NFL.

HawkeyeReport takes a look the week one slate and we break down who is playing who and what you can expect from Iowa players in each game.

Former Hawkeye players on practice squads

Injury Updates

Green Bay RB Tyler Goodson (shoulder) and New England OT Riley Reiff (lower body) will start the season on injured reserve. Since an injured player cannot be released, the Packers must reach an injury settlement with Goodson before they can release him.

THURSDAY

Detroit Lions vs Kansas City Chiefs

LB Jack Campbell (Detroit), TE Sam LaPorta (Detroit), LT Matt Nelson (Detroit)

The rookie linebacker Jack Campbell may not get the start in his first career NFL game, but he is going to play a lot of snaps on the Lions defense. Campbell played 71 snaps during the preseason and finished with nine tackles. DC Aaron Glenn said that Campbell, along with Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez will all see playing time.

Sam LaPorta is listed behind Brock Wright on the Lions depth chart, but it’s hard to imagine LaPorta not getting a decent workload considering reports said he was working with the first team during training camp. WR Amon-Ra St Brown is their top target, but LaPorta could be next with Jameson Williams suspended for six games.

Matt Nelson is listed as LT2 behind starter Taylor Decker, but it is hard to see him getting a lot of snaps unless there is an injury. Decker played 1,142 snaps last season at LT, while Nelson never saw more than 14 snaps in a game. Still, that means you will see him for at least a few snaps this evening.

SUNDAY

Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens

C Tyler Linderbaum (Baltimore), S Geno Stone (Baltimore)

There’s a handful of former Hawkeyes that you just see the name and pencil in “starter” without needing to read up on the position battles. Tyler Linderbaum is one of them. He played over 1,000 snaps during his rookie campaign and graded as the fourth-best run blocking center in the league by Pro Football Focus.

Geno Stone enters the season as the backup to Kyle Hamilton at strong safety, but could still see a good chunk of snaps. Hamilton can move around quite a bit in the secondary and actually played over 50% of his snaps at slot corner last season, while Stone played 65% of his snaps at free safety per PFF. If that’s the case, despite being SS2 on the depth chart, Stone and Hamilton can both play at the same time.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Minnesota Vikings

S Kaevon Merriweather (TB), OLB Anthony Nelson (TB), OT Tristan Wirfs (TB), TE TJ Hockenson (Minnesota)

Rookie Kaevon Merriweather was limited in practice on Wednesday due to a quad injury, but is listed as S2 behind starter Antoine Winfield Jr. It’s going to be hard to get many snaps with a guy like Winfield in front of him, but an type of injury and Kaevon will be the next guy in line.

Anthony Nelson was also limited in Wednesday’s practice due to an injury. He is listed as OLB2 behind Shaq Barrett on the Bucs depth chart. Nelson saw his snap count increase after Barrett was injured in week eight last season, but prior to that, he was rotational piece as an edge rusher. That’s likely the role that he will have at least to start the year.

Tristan Wirfs is moving from RT to LT this season, but there is no change with his status as a starter on the Bucs offensive line. He missed three weeks last season, but still managed to play 931 snaps and grade as the second-best pass blocking tackle in the league. He also landed as the 51st overall player in the NFL by ESPN.

TJ Hockenson just got paid a lot of money and in return he is going to catch a lot of passes for the Vikings this season. He caught 60 passes in ten games after getting traded to Minnesota from Detroit and was targeted 86 times. Hockenson was just left off the ESPN Top 100 list, but 100 catches and/or 1000 yards is not off the table for him this season.

Tennessee Titans vs New Orleans Saints

S Amani Hooker (Titans)

Amani Hooker was graded as the fifth best safety in the league in 2021, but dealt with several injuries last season that caused him to miss several games. He was limited to 522 snaps (705 in ’21) and his PFF grade dropped drastically. Now, Hooker is healthy again and looking to get back to the level that he was at a couple of years ago.

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons

WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (Carolina)

Ihmir Smith-Marsette racked up nine catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns during the preseason for the Chiefs. Kansas City then traded him to Carolina and now Smith-Marsette is listed as WR2 behind Adam Thielen heading into week one against the Falcons. Will be interesting to see how the Panthers use him.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts

QB CJ Beathard (Jags), OG Brandon Scherff (Jags)

CJ Beathard has made a career out of being a backup quarterback and starts the season as QB2 behind Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. Beathard completed 60.5% of his passes during the preseason for 352 yards and two touchdowns, which won him the backup job over Nathan Rourke.

The Jags starting RG Brandon Scherff was named a team captain and is looking to get back to the level he was at with the Commanders in 2020 when he was graded as the seventh best guard in the league. Last season he dropped down to 62nd in the league. He will try to get off on the right foot against Indianapolis.

San Francisco 49ers vs Pittsburgh Steelers

TE George Kittle (SF), OG James Daniels (Pittsburgh), CB Desmond King (Pittsburgh)

George Kittle was limited during Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury and is listed as questionable for the season opener against Pittsburgh. Still, if he plays Sunday and when he plays this season, he will be one of the 49ers top pass catchers. ESPN ranked him as the #30 player in the league in the Top 100.

James Daniels will be the starting RG for the Steelers this season after starting all 17 games there last season. He played 1,160 snaps and was listed as the 27th best pass blocking guard, but the 58th best run blocking guard.

It was a suprise to see the Texans release Desmond King, but he quickly found a home with Pittsburgh. He is listed as RCB3 behind Levi Wallace and James Pierre on the Steelers depth chart, but one would believe that he will play. King has versatility to play nickelback, corner and be a punt returner. It will be interesting to see how he is used in Pittsburgh.

Las Vegas Raiders vs Denver Broncos

LB Josey Jewell (Denver), CB Riley Moss (Denver)

Josey Jewell is coming off a season where he made a career-high 128 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He will start at ILB alongside Alex Singleton and will continue to be a high-volume tackler for the Broncos all year.

Rookie Riley Moss dealt with an injury during training camp, but by the sounds of it he will be ready to go for the season opener against the Raiders. He is listed as RCB2 behind Damarri Mathis on the depth chart. Moss did not play during the preseason, so it is hard to get a gauge on how he will be used and if he will play.

Miami Dolphins vs Los Angeles Chargers

LB Nick Niemann (LAC)

Nick Niemann is entering his third year in the league, but has mostly been a special teams player for the Chargers through his first two years. Just 75 of his 742 snaps have been on the defense. Niemann is listed as LB2 behind Eric Kendricks who played over 1,000 snaps for the Vikings last year. Nick will likely be a special teams guy again, but will see some defensive snaps here and there.

Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears

OLB Lukas Van Ness (Green Bay)

Rookie Lukas Van Ness starts out at OLB2 behind Preston Smith on the Packers depth chart. He is another guy that will be interesting to follow early in the year to see what chances he gets. During the preseason he generated just two quarterback pressures on 33 pass rush snaps, which may have him starting a little lower on the list of Green Bay pass rushers than initially expected.

Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks

OT Alaric Jackson (LAR), OLB Zach VanValkenburg (LAR), TE Noah Fant (Seattle)

Alaric Jackson played in just eight games last season before blood clots sidelined him for the rest of the year. Joe Noteboom took over the starting role and they came into the preseason battling. Jackson played in two preseason games, while Noteboom was out with an undisclosed injury. They are both listed at LT for the opener, but it would be a surprise if it’s not Jackson.

Final roster cuts were not nice to former Hawkeyes, but Zach VanValkenburg was a fun story. He spent his rookie season with the Raiders and Rams practice squad, but made the Rams 53-man roster this season. VanValkenburg finished with eight tackles during the preseason and is listed as OLB2 behind Michael Hoecht.

The Seahawks had three tight ends last season and Noah Fant led the way with 50 catches. Will Dissly (34) and Colby Parkinson (25) combined to get 54% of the share. Seattle starts two tight ends in their offense and the week one depth chart has Fant/Dissly as the TE1 options. Expect Fant to be the top option, but to share catches again.

Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants

DT Chauncey Golston (Dallas), S Dane Belton (NYG), LS Casey Kreiter (NYG)

Chauncey Golston entered training camp battling Neville Gallimore for the DT2 spot on the Dallas defensive line, but he was not able to overtake the former Oklahoma Sooner per the depth chart. Golston finished the preseason with five quarterback hurries in 40 pass rush snaps. Reports are that he may be one of the five inactive players for Dallas on Sunday.

Dane Belton had a really good preseason and was graded as the fourth best safety in coverage. Last season, Belton started five games and played 390 snaps. He is listed as SS2 behind Jason Pinnock, but should get a decent amount of snaps on the Giants defense.

Casey Kreiter is entering his eight year in the NFL and once again he is going to be a starter at long snapper. Last year for the Giants, Kreiter was the long snapper for every punt and every kick. He is listed as the starter for the opener against Dallas.

MONDAY

Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

DE AJ Epenesa (Buffalo), FS Micah Hyde (Buffalo)

AJ Epenesa begins the season listed as DE2 behind Leonard Floyd after playing 374 snaps last season. He racked up a career-high 26 pressures last season over 245 pass rush snaps, including a career-high seven sacks. The Bills reportedly received trade interest, but opted to hang on to him. With Von Miller out, Epenesa may get a few more chances early in the year.

Micah Hyde has been a consistent starter in the NFL for the majority of his career with the Packers and the Bills. Last season, he was injured after just two games and missed the rest of the year. He has graded as a top ten safety in the league three times in his last five full seasons. Hyde is listed as the starting free safety for the Bills.