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BYU Football: Eight former Cougars survive NFL cuts

By Shaun Gordon

SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Wide receiver Steve Johnson #11 of the San Diego Chargers is pursued by defensive end Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions at Qualcomm Stadium on September 13, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Wide receiver Steve Johnson #11 of the San Diego Chargers is pursued by defensive end Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions at Qualcomm Stadium on September 13, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) /
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Only eight former BYU Football players are still on active NFL rosters after each team cut their rosters down to 53 men.

In a little more than 24 hours, more than half of the former BYU Football players in the NFL are looking for new jobs.

19 former Cougars started the preseason on one of the 32 pro teams, but that number is just eight after each team cut their roster to 53 players over the last two days.

Those eight are:

  • Ziggy Ansah (Detroit Lions)
  • Michael Davis (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • John Denney (Miami Dolphins)
  • Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints)
  • Kyle Van Noy (New England Patriots)
  • Daniel Sorensen – (Kansas City Chiefs)
  • Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers)

There really aren’t any major surprises in this list. Aside from Fred Warner, each of these players has NFL experience.

In New Orleans, Hill beat out Tom Savage and JT Barrett for the third quarterback slot. And in Miami, John Denney faced a battle at long snapper but won out over Lucas Granvelle.

Davis played sparingly for the Chargers last season, and a steady preseason performance kept him on the roster.

The rest (Ansah, Van Noy, Sorensen, Warner, and Williams) were near-locks to keep their roster spots.

The bigger surprises cam in the list of former Cougars who were cut:

  • Algie Brown (Kansas City Chiefs)
  • Robertson Daniel (Baltimore Ravens)
  • Micah Hannemann (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • Bronson Kaufusi (Baltimore Ravens)
  • Tomasai Laulile (Indianapolis Colts)
  • Dallin Leavitt (Oakland Raiders)
  • Jordan Leslie (Denver Broncos)
  • Kai Nacua (Baltimore Ravens)
  • De’Ondre Wesley (Buffalo Bills)

Four names stick out in that list.

Jordan Leslie led all Broncos receivers in the preseason, but that wasn’t enough to secure a roster spot.

Harvey Langi was cut without ever playing a game, preseason or otherwise, due to injury. When he’s finally healthy he’ll get another shot.

Both Kai Nacua and Bronson Kaufusi had big moments for Baltimore in the preseason, but neither kept their jobs.

Now, these cuts aren’t necessarily the end for those players. There’s still the opportunity that another team could pick a player up on the active roster, and there’s also a good chance that some of them will be signed to practice squads.

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One Final Note

Two former Cougars suffered long-term injuries and were placed on injury waivers. Both cleared waivers and became eligible to be placed in Injured Reserve.

The Kansas City Chiefs have placed Tejan Koroma on reserve, meaning he’s on the roster but doesn’t count against the 53-player maximum.

Jonah Trinnaman is eligible to be placed on Injured Reserve by the New York Jets, but that hasn’t happened as of yet.

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