Penn State players cut in the final wave of NFL roster moves
It was cutdown day in the NFL yesterday, and over 1,000 NFL players are now looking for a new home after failing to make the 53-man roster for their current teams. Fourteen players are former Penn State Nittany Lions who will now look for a new home. Check out the full list of players here, and PFF provides stats for context.
Bills
The Bills defense is built on solid run defense up front, which means they don’t like small pass-rushing specialists on the edge. In that perspective, former Penn State Nittany Lion turned NC State Wolfpacker Daniel Joseph was a good fit. The 6-3, 265-pound edge rusher played a 5-technique position during his time with the Wolfpack, meaning he was in a heavy run defense position.
Unfortunately, his pass-rushing ability never materialized. Joseph saw 61 pass rushing attempts in the preseason and only managed three total pressures. While he did corral a sack in the first game, he didn’t produce much after that.
Jets
The big-bodied Charles saw ten targets in the preseason and only came down with four receptions. He had some tough drops in contested coverage against the Eagles but only managed to haul in one contested pass in four attempts. As a 6-4, 219-pound receiver, that part of his game had to show up. Another issue was that Charles struggled on special teams as well. However, he’s still very talented, so we’ll see if a team wants to pick him up as a practice squad player.
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Steelers
Marcus Allen (currently cut but is expected to be resigned)
It didn’t look great for Allen, who has hung around on the Steelers roster for four seasons as a depth and special teams player. The former Penn State star suffered a hamstring injury at the start of training camp and was unavailable for the preseason to re-earn that spot on the team. Initially, Allen didn’t make the 53-man roster, but that was a temporary move by the Black and Gold.
More NFL: Former Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki is a fish out of water with the Dolphins
Allen has carved out a role with the Steelers as a depth player at linebacker and, more importantly, a positive locker room presence for the team.
Raiders
There’s a fine line between getting a good look in the preseason and playing too many snaps. Players out there chewing up plays aren’t normally ones that will make the team unless it’s a rookie.
Former Penn State tight end Nick Bowers was on the former side of that equation. The Raiders played in the Hall of Fame game, so Bowers saw action in four games this year, with three starts. At 6-4, 260, his run-blocking presence was crucial to his survival, and unfortunately, he didn’t make a massive dent in that department.
Washington
Apke’s run in Washington was much longer than most expected. The former fourth-round pick bounced between safety and corner but hung around as a special teams ace with the team. He has a great chance of finding another home once the dust settles in a similar role.
Green Bay
The Packers brought in loads of young depth on the offensive line this offseason, including three drafted rookies. Menet was caught in a numbers crunch at the position, and his perceived lack of versatility, with no career, snaps anywhere but center, might have been a factor. Menet is still a candidate for the practice squad, and some team that runs a zone-heavy system looking for an athletic interior lineman might pick up a flier on the former Penn State lineman.
Penn State players who stood out in Week Two of NFL preseason
On the flip side, the real story is that former starting left tackle Rasheed Walker made the team after only playing in one preseason game. Walker’s long return from an undisclosed injury went amazingly well, which we detailed last week. However, the Packers have a screaming need for tackles, and Walker might have been too talented to release and hope that he would land on the practice squad.
Minnesota
Dan Chisena
Chisena fought a leg injury all camp and never made it back to the field for the Vikings after a 22-yard catch in the first quarter of preseason game one. The ultra-fast Penn State gunner has a great chance of landing with another team in a similar role once he’s recovered from his injury. However, at this point, it’ll likely be due to some other player’s injury.
Falcons
Tangelo had a slow start to the preseason but finished with a sack in the Falcon’s final game of August. He’s an immediate practice squad candidate who provided a great presence for the Falcons off the field.
Tangelo is a good fit for the Falcons’ defense as a 300-pound defensive tackle tweener. His ability to play some nose and three technique is an excellent mix of skills for the practice squad.
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Panthers
With Christian McCaffery, D’Onta Forman, and Chuba Hubbard all on the roster ahead of him, Lovett had little chance of making the final 53, no matter how well he played. Lovett didn’t see any significant playing time until the last game of the preseason and rushed 14 times for 35 yards.
Penn State players who stood out in Week One of NFL preseason action
Cardinals
McSorley is a great backup candidate for any NFL team that runs an option-based offense. The issue for him in Arizona is that the prototype backup QB for that system, Colt McCoy is already a Cardinal. Also, teams with a franchise quarterback, like Kyler Murray, typically only carry two QBs. Yet McSorley is a practice squad lock for some teams in the league, including Arizona.
Luketa initially made the 53-man roster for the Cardinals but found out later that the team changed their mind, and he was out.
Much like Penn State, Arizona talked more about using him as a positionless player than they put into function. He had one snap at off-ball linebacker and another at slot corner, which can be a technicality based on condensed running formations from the offense.
The biggest issue for Luketa is still his pass rushing. He tallied six pressures on 47 rushing attempts and only got one hit on a quarterback in the preseason. Still, his special teams and run defense capabilities make him a practice squad candidate.
Rams
Like Bowers, when you see a player playing too many snaps in the preseason, it can be a warning sign of what’s to come. Haley played 131 snaps in three games for the Rams, who don’t play many of their key players in the preseason. Despite that, Haley made the most of the opportunity and put good film for another team. He split time between slot and boundary corner and finished with 18 tackles, including nine stops.
Penn State alums who stood out in Week Three of NFL Preseason
Unfortunately, based on his snap distribution, he was auditioning for the backup job to All-Pro Jalen Ramsey at the Star position for the Rams. However, Haley is a good run defender from the slot and will be on a very short list of players to resign during the season if another player gets injured in the secondary.
49ers
We tracked Castro-Fields’ progress throughout the preseason and unfortunately, this cut doesn’t come as a surprise. The former Nittany Lions starter struggled to put together a complete game in three attempts for the 49ers. First, he struggled with run defense and contain. Next, his coverage suffered from some mental busts and errors. Finally, he missed tackles in the final game, where he did get a pass breakup against the Texans.
He’s yet another possible Penn State practice squad player to keep on the team and let him develop off the official roster.
Seattle Seahawks
Wilson’s journey in the NFL was tough. After getting cut in the initial wave of roster moves by the Saints, Wilson finds himself out of a job with the Seahawks.
