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Cal in NFL: Davis Webb, Jordan Kunaszyk State Case to Make Rosters

Patrick Laird, Richard Rodgers, Josh Drayden also play in NFL preseason games this weekend hoping to make rosters
Jake Curtis|
Cal in NFL: Davis Webb, Jordan Kunaszyk State Case to Make Rosters
Cal in NFL: Davis Webb, Jordan Kunaszyk State Case to Make Rosters

Former Cal players Jordan Kunaszyk and Davis Webb are on the bubble of making their teams' regular-season rosters, but they gave the officials of their teams something to think about with their performances on Sunday.

Webb is listed as the No. 3 quarterback for a New York Giants team that features Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, and not all teams keep three quarterbacks.  But Webb played the entire second half of the Giants' 25-22 preseason victory over Cincinnati on Sunday and was outstanding.

Playing the entire second half Webb completed 22 of 27 passes for 204 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and an impressive passer rating of 122.8.  He led the two second-half touchdown drives that put the Giants ahead, and after the first of those touchdowns Webb ran it in for a successful two-point conversion.

Webb got his first playing time in a regular-season NFL game last season, when he was on the field for four plays in mop-up duty for the Buffalo Bills.  He handed the ball off twice and knelt down twice in a blowout win.  The 27-year-old Webb has yet to throw a regular-season pass.

Here's Webb's first touchdown pass:

And here's Webb's second TD pass:

Earlier Sunday, Kunaszyk had a strong performance. He signed with the Cleveland Browns a little over a week ago, and on Sunday he gave the Browns a reason to keep him on the roster for a while.

Kunaszyk did not start the Browns’ 21-20 preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but he got enough playing time to make seven tackles, including six solo stops. He had two tackles while playing 19 defensive plays in his first exhibition game for the Browns last week.

That probably will be enough to keep him on the Browns’ roster for at least one more week. NFL teams must reduce their rosters to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon, then teams will play their final preseason game next weekend before teams make the final cut to 53 players on Tuesday, August 30.

Kunaszyk has played in 26 regular-season NFL games in his three-year pro career, and he is hoping to play a few more this season. He is listed a third-team inside linebacker on the Browns depth chart, so his status for making the Browns’ regular-season roster is uncertain.

Some other ex-Cal players in action this weekend:

--Tight end Richard Rodgers II also played in that Eagles-Browns game for Philadelphia.  He had one pass thrown in his direction and he caught it for a 4-yard gain. He had one catch for 6 yards in Philadelphia’s first preseason game. Rodgers and Noah Tagiai are both listed as fourth-team tight ends on the Eagles depth chart, so Rodgers will have some nervous moments between now and Tuesday. The 30-year-old Rodgers has played in 88 regular-season NFL games, including 28 starts, while playing eight NFL seasons.

--Running back Patrick Laird was signed by the Buccaneers last week, and he got into Saturday’s 13-3 loss to the Titans. He had one carry for no gain, and one catch for one yard on consecutive plays early in the fourth quarter. Laird and Rachaad White are both listed as fourth-team running backs on the Tampa Bay depth chart.

--Wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. will be a starter for the Jaguars when the regular season begins and he was a starter in Jacksonville’s 16-15 loss to the Steelers. He was on the field for 27 offensive snaps and had three receptions for 40 yards.

Here's one of Jones' receptions:

--Nose tackle Tyson Alualu figures to be in the starting lineup on opening day, and he was a starter against the Jaguars. He recorded one tackle and knocked down a pass while on the field for 17 defensive plays.

--Defensive back Josh Drayden played 12 snaps on defense and 10 snaps on special teams for Washington, which lost to Kansas City 24-14 on Saturday. He recorded one tackle, which came on special teams. He hopes to stick around for the final weekend of preseason games.

--Defensive back Camryn Bynum started for the Vikings in their first preseason game, but he did not play Saturday in their 17-7 loss to the 49ers. He is trying to hold off first-round draft pick Lewis Cine for a starting safety spot.

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Cover photo of Davis Webb (12) by Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY Sports

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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