Here's what you need to know about all 21 former BYU players in the NFL as training camps roll along

As BYU football fans, we not only experience the joy of watching Kalani Sitake's squad win on Saturdays, we get to also watch former Cougars excel in the NFL on Sundays. With 21 former Cougars currently on NFL rosters, let's look at each of them by category when it comes to their fortunes in 2026.

Clear starters

Tyler Allgeier - RB, Arizona Cardinals. Entering his fifth NFL season, he signed a two-year, $12.3 million deal with the Cardinals this offseason. Despite Arizona drafting fellow running back Jeremiyah Love in the first round, Allgeier is going to get his carries.

Puka Nacua - WR, Los Angeles Rams. Through three seasons his 95.3 receiving yards per game average is the highest in NFL history! Now if he can just keep his nose clean off the field....

Ryan Rehkow - Punter, Cincinnati Bengals. In his second NFL season last year his 50.5 yards per punt ranked fourth in the league, and he's only getting better.

Kingsley Suamataia - OG, Kansas City Chiefs. The 2024 second round pick struggled at left tackle as a rookie, then made a successful switch to left guard last year, starting all of Kansas City's games.

Khyiris Tonga - DT, Kansas City Chiefs. After a career year with the New England Patriots last year, Tonga signed a 3-year, $21 million deal to anchor the Chiefs defensive line this season.

Fred Warner - LB, San Francisco 49ers. He's the best linebacker in football. End of story.

Regular contributors

Zayne Anderson - S, Miami Dolphins. Coming off three successful seasons with the Green Bay Packers, mostly as a special teams contributor, Zayne took his talents to South Beach this offseason. And he was smart to do so by following former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to Miami in his new role as head coach. Reports from camp reveal Zayne is impressing and is pushing to start at safety for the Fins.

Brady Christensen - OL, Carolina Panthers. Brady recently re-signed with the Panthers to begin his sixth season as an on-again, off-again starter for Carolina. He's coming off an Achilles tear last year but played in the Panthers Hall of Fame game last week, so he has quickly recovered.

Chris Brooks - RB, Green Bay Packers. The fourth-year pro has carved out a nice third down back role with the Packers. He had nearly 200 scrimmage yards last year and could be called upon to run the ball more this year if starting running back Josh Jacobs gets suspended by the NFL.

Reserves on the 53-man roster/Special teamers

Tyler Batty - DE, Minnesota Vikings. After shaking off an early injury last year that cost him five games, the undrafted rookie had 12 tackles in 12 games. Look for him to be a special teams mainstay and potentially get more reps on the defensive side of the ball in Year 2.

Blake Freeland - OT, Indianapolis Colts. This season is a massively important one for the 2023 fourth round pick. After two seasons of unsteady play, he missed all of 2025 due to injury. Now in the final season of his rookie contract he needs to prove he can consistently contribute as an NFL player.

Jack Kelly - OLB, New York Giants. Kelly, a sixth round pick this year, joins a pretty talented Giants linebacker room. Even then, he should get some meaningful reps this year and likely play a lot on special teams.

Jakob Robinson - CB, San Francisco 49ers. As an undrafted rookie last year, Robinson was balling out in training camp before breaking his arm in the preseason and missing the entire 2025 season. He's balling out once again in camp and could see the field this year for the 49ers.

Carsen Ryan - TE, Cleveland Browns. A seventh round pick by the Browns this year, Ryan will compete for backup duty to starter Harold Fannin Jr. and could realistically earn some reps.

Zach Wilson - QB, New Orleans Saints. Oh, Zach. The beloved BYU star whose career was derailed early by the New York Jets continues to search for the right NFL home. He joined the Saints this year on a minimal 1-year, $1.4 million deal as he looks to solidify himself as QB2 to second-year signal caller Tyler Shough.

Practice squad/Waiver wire candidates

Mory Bamba, CB. New York Jets. The odds are stacked against the undrafted rookie to make a 53-man roster this year, but with his 6-foot-2 frame and athleticism, some NFL team will at least develop him on a practice squad this year.

Isaiah Jatta - OT, Las Vegas Raiders. As an undrafted rookie, Jatta will need to impress in camp and in the preseason to stick in Las Vegas. And if not in the desert, then hopefully his tape will be good enough to get another look elsewhere.

Chase Roberts - WR, Las Vegas Raiders. Yet another undrafted rookie, Chase Roberts is a special player. He will forever be a beloved in Provo. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he has an NFL body. He is a tactician in his route concepts and getting open. But at 25 years old, is he too old for a team to stash on a practice squad if he doesn't immediately break through?

Kedon Slovis - QB, Arizona Cardinals. Now entering his third NFL season and second year in Arizona, Kedon Slovis is battling to remain on a Cardinals roster that features fellow QBs Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and rookie Carson Beck. It's going to be an uphill battle for Slovis, but he did show well in the Hall of Fame Game.

Sione Takitaki - LB, Houston Texans. In a move that mostly flew under the radar, the veteran linebacker recently signed with the Houston Texans. Now entering his eighth NFL season, Takitaki will need to show he can stay healthy and productive. Injuries have limited him in recent years.

Tanner Wall - S, Miami Dolphins. As an undrafted rookie free agent this year, Wall signed with the Raiders after the draft but was recently cut. He quickly landed with the Miami Dolphins where he is pairing up with Zayne Anderson in the secondary. I'm high on Tanner Wall and think he will be an NFL starter one day, but it all starts with him successfully navigating his rookie season as a UDFA.

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