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BYU Football: Preseason NFL Week 2 recap for former Cougars

By Shaun Gordon

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Jay Ajayi #36 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Jay Ajayi #36 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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Of the 20 former BYU Football players that are currently on NFL rosters, 15 of them saw game action in Week 2 of the preseason.

The NFL’s preseason is a little more than halfway done.

That means a lot of former BYU Football standouts are running short on time to impress coaches and make sure they make the regular season roster.

In preseason’s Week 2, some former Cougars stood out, most contributed, and a few probably wish they could have a do-over.

Kyle Van Noy

Van Noy had a pretty quiet first preseason game, but made up for it in Week 2. The New England Patriot finished with three tackles, with two of them solo and one for loss. That tackle for loss also happened to be a sack.

His stat sheet is reminiscent of his time at BYU, when he put numbers up in nearly every category.

Jamaal Williams

The Green Bay Packer only played one possession before leaving the game with a slight ankle injury. In that drive he rushed twice for two yards and caught a six-yard pass, but his most impressive play was his last one, as he made a diving block to protect Aaron Rogers.

Fred Warner

In his first NFL game, Warner proved why San Francisco took him with one of their top picks. He led the team with 5 tackles, three of them solo and one for loss.

Oh, and he also recovered a fumble.

That’s how you stuff a stat sheet.

Taysom Hill

After a solid first preseason game, Hill may have played his way out of the primary backup quarterback slot for New Orleans. He turned the ball over four times, including two interceptions, and you can’t do that when you’re battling for playing time.

He did have a nice 43-yard run, though.

The Rest of the Cougars

Most of the rest of the former Cougars saw game action, contributing to varying degrees:

  • Dallin Leavitt (Oakland Raiders) – 4 Tackles, 4 Solo, 1 Tackle for Loss
  • Kai Nacua (Baltimore Ravens) – 5 Tackles, 3 Solo
  • Michael Davis (Los Angeles Chargers) – 4 Tackles, 4 Solo
  • Micah Hannemann (Cleveland Browns) – 3 Tackles, 2 Solo
  • Jordan Leslie (Denver Broncos) – 1 Reception, 14 Rec. Yards
  • Ziggy Ansah (Detroit Lions)- 2 Tackles, 2 Solo
  • Bronson Kaufusi (Baltimore Ravens) – 1 Pass Breakup
  • Colby Pearson (Atlanta Falcons) – 1 Target, 0 Catches
  • John Denney (Miami Dolphins) – Played, no stats recorded
  • Algie Brown (Kansas City Chiefs) – Played, no stats recorded
  • Tomasai Laulile (Indianapolis Colts) – Played, no stats recorded

Last week seven former Cougars didn’t take the field. Ansah and Warner returned from injury and Colby Pearson played, dropping the number that didn’t play in Week 2:

  • Jonah Trinnaman (New York Jets) – DNP (Coach’s Decision)
  • De’Ondre Wesley (Buffalo Bills) – DNP (Coach’s Decision)
  • Harvey Langi (New England Patriots) – DNP (Injury)
  • Daniel Sorensen – (Kansas City Chiefs) – DNP (Injury)
  • Tejan Koroma – Kansas City Chiefs) – DNP (IR)

dark. Next. Ranking the BYU Football Schedule

The time for fringe roster players to prove themselves is dwindling, since teams tend to start ramping up the playing time of their starters as the preseason progresses.

NFL teams must cut their 90-man rosters to 53 players by September first.

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