Aggies in the NFL: Week 1

on September 13, 2020 at 9:28 am

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect signings that happened prior to Sunday’s games as well as individual stats for all players that are on an active roster.

The NFL season has already begun with Week 1 matchups concluding Monday night which means it’s time to look at the eight former Utah State football players who are currently active on NFL rosters.

But before that, there’s time to go over the names of Aggies who failed to make the cut this offseason. Placekicker Dominik Eberle, edge rusher Tipa Galeai and tight end Caleb Repp all tried out for NFL teams but all were cut at some point. Galeai made it all the way to the final roster cuts but the Green Bay Packers let him go in that final cut. Both Galeai and Eberle have made practice squads for the Packers and Raiders, respectively. Repp’s last NFL news came from a workout with the San Francisco 49ers in late August, having been cut by the Atlanta Falcons earlier in August.

UPDATE: Galeai was promoted to the active roster by the Packers on Saturday and played in nine defensive snaps in Green Bay’s 43-34 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Darwin Thompson, RB

Kansas City Chiefs

Thursday vs Houston (Chiefs won 34-20) and Thompson appeared in eight special teams snaps.

Thompson gets to be first on this list because his team already played this week. The term “his team” being used because the former sixth-round pick played zero snaps while rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire broke out in a huge way with 138 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The backup carries went exclusively to Darrel Williams who had seven touches.

Hey @Chiefs PUT DARWIN IN!
Is this how you be a fan?
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 11, 2020

Bobby Wagner, ILB

Seattle Seahawks

11 a.m. (MDT) at Atlanta

Wagner started at linebacker and recorded seven tackles, two of which were solo stops, along with one tackle for loss and two passes defended while playing in all 79 defensive snaps, as well as five special teams snaps.

Easily the most recognizable Aggie alumni in the NFL, the five-time All-Pro linebacker will begin his ninth professional season (all with the Seahawks). Last year Wagner led the NFL in tackles with 159 which was the second-highest single-season total of his career (best was 167 in 2016). He also had 3.0 sacks in 2019 which was his highest total since 2016. Wagner is now on the wrong side of 30, but the signs of slowing have yet to show.

Tyler Larsen, C

Carolina Panthers

11 a.m. vs Las Vegas

Larsen played in five special teams snaps in Carolina’s 34-30 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Larsen hasn’t been a regular starter since 2017 when he started 10 of the 14 games he appeared in for the Panthers, but he has played in all 16 games the past two years. And with Carolina’s starting left guard out injured for the opener, Larsen could see plenty of snaps as a fill in on the interior offensive line.

Nevin Lawson, CB

Las Vegas Raiders

11 a.m. at Carolina

Lawson did not play in Carolina’s 34-30 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders.

After five years with the Detroit Lions, Lawson played for the then Oakland-based Raiders in 2019, recording 24 tackles in 11 appearances (five starts). Lawson will not play in Week 1 due to a suspension he incurred from “using his helmet as a weapon” in last year’s finale against the Denver Broncos. The last few years have seen Lawson spend more time on special teams with most of his snaps on defense being in corner-heavy defensive packages.

Dallin Leavitt, S

Las Vegas Raiders

11 a.m. at Carolina

Leavitt did not play in Las Vegas’ 34-30 win against the Carolina Panthers.

Last year, Leavitt made the jump from the “bump-on-a-long” roster status to just about a full-time special team-er. In his rookie year, 2018, Leavitt spent most of the season on the practice squad, making it into two games late in the year where he played just 23 snaps, 22 of which were special teams. In 2019, he was on the field in 61 percent of the Raiders’ special teams snaps (261 total) and got 32 snaps on defensive plays. Leavitt held on to his roster spot for a third year and could once again be a fixture on the Raiders’ special teams.

Nick Vigil, OLB

Los Angeles Chargers

2:25 p.m. vs Cincinnati

Vigil recorded five tackles, including three solo stops, and recovered a fumble while playing in 58 defensive and 11 special teams snaps in the Chargers’ 16-13 win against the Bengals.

Following a career year with the Cincinnati Bengals — 111 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and five pass deflections (all career bests or tying career-highs) — Vigil signed a one-year deal with the Chargers. In LA, Vigil will be a backup, a rotation linebacker among the crew of Denzel Perryman, Kenneth Murray Jr. and Kyzir White, making it unlikely that Vigil will reach his 2019 numbers due to a much lower volume of snaps. He should still provide some valuable depth, though.

Patrick Scales, LS

Chicago Bears

11 a.m. at Detroit

Scales played in 10 special teams snaps in the Bears’ 27-23 win over the Detroit Lions.

Playing the ever-forgotten position of long-snapper, Scales won’t draw much attention. He’s been on the Bears’ roster for five seasons and between 2018 and 2019 played 281 snaps (predictably, all on special teams) and he’s recorded five career tackles in his role. If you look hard, you’ll see Scales snapping the ball on a field goal, PAT or punt, still having flashbacks to the double-doink which he had the misfortune of delivering the snap on.

Jordan Love

Green Bay Packers

11 a.m. at Minnesota

Love did not play in Green Bay’s 43-34 win against the Vikings.

The former first-round pick will only see time if the Packers use him as a human victory cigar or Aaron Rodgers gets hurt. But this has been known from the moment Green Bay used the 26th pick on Love back in April.

Kyler Fackrell

New York Giants

Monday vs Pittsburgh 5:15 p.m.

Fackrell recorded two tackles, including one solo stop, while playing in 28 defensive and nine special teams snaps.

Fackrell had a disappointing follow-up to a great 2018 year in which he had 10.5 sacks (close to double the next man on his team at the time, the Packers). He recorded just 1.0 sacks and had the fewest tackles (23) since his rookie year back in 2016. Now with the Giants, Fackrell can look for a bounce-back 2020 season. He’ll be reunited with the linebackers coach, Patrick Graham, who was Fackrell’s position coach for his career-best 2018 year.