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Cal in Preseason Games: Camryn Bynum, Jake Curhan Are Starters; Aaron Rodgers Sits

Don't read much into these lineups. Packers QB, Cameron Jordan, Keenan Allen among several ex-Golden Bears who did not play Saturday because they don't need to
Jake Curtis|
Cal in Preseason Games: Camryn Bynum, Jake Curhan Are Starters; Aaron Rodgers Sits
Cal in Preseason Games: Camryn Bynum, Jake Curhan Are Starters; Aaron Rodgers Sits

A one-paragraph snapshot of former Cal players’ playing time in Saturday’s preseason NFL games:

Vikings rookie cornerback Camryn Bynum, Seahawks rookie offensive tackle Jake Curhan and Ravens offensive lineman Patrick Mekari were starters. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, Rams wide receiver DeSean Jackson and 49ers center Alex Mack did not play at all. Giants linebacker Devante Downs played a lot. Jaguars wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr., Dolphins running back Patrick Laird and Vikings defensive tackle Zeandae Johnson played sparingly. Jets safety Ashtyn Davis is still sidelined following foot surgery and won’t be ready for the regular-season opener.

Now let’s break down the activity of the 16 ex-Golden Bears on the rosters of the 20 teams who played preseason games Saturday:

Camryn Bynum, Vikings safety – Bynum was in Minnesota’s starting lineup at safety because the Vikings' two starting safeties, Harrison Smith and Xavier Woods, were held out of the game in the Vikings’ 33-6 loss to the Broncos. The Vikings obviously wanted to take a good look at Bynum, though, because he was on the field for 59 defensive plays, the most on the team. He had a team-high seven tackles, including three solo stops, but the commentator on this long touchdown play by Denver wondered whether Bynum (No. 43) was at fault.

Jake Curhan, Seahawks offensive tackle – An undrafted free agent who signed with the Seahawks, Curhan is not even listed on the Seahawks’ depth chart, so it’s unclear what his status is as far as making the 53-man roster. But with a slew of offensive linemen held out of Saturday’s 20-7 loss to the Raiders, Curhan was plugged into the starting lineup at right tackle for Seattle, so he must at least have a shot to make the regular-season roster.

Zeandae Johnson, Vikings defensive tackle – A rookie who went undrafted, Johnson did not record any statistics on Saturday but he was on the field for 12 defensive plays. He is listed as a third-string defensive tackle and needs to do something to impress coaches, but he is at least on the radar.

Patrick Mekari, Ravens offensive linemen – Mekari was in the starting lineup for Baltimore in its 17-14 win over the Saints, but he didn’t play center, his starting position for most of last season. Instead Mekari started at guard, and he even played some tackle during the game as the Ravens tinker with their offensive line. Mekari was on the field for 28 plays.

Marvin Jones Jr, Jaguars wide receiver – Jones was in the starting lineup for his new team, and he had three receptions for 52 yards, all on throws from rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Jones’ production was impressive since he was only on the field for 12 offensive plays, all in the first half, in the 23-13 loss to the Browns. Jones (No. 11) had one spectacular catch, seen here:

Patrick Laird, Dolphins running back – Laird has some work to do to make the 53-man roster, and he probably needs to show his worth as a special teams player. He was the fourth Miami running back to get into Saturday’s 20-13 loss to the Bears and he had three carries for 12 yards. He was on the field for just six offensive plays, but participated in nine special-teams plays. One good sign: Malcolm Brown, who was the Dolphins’ starting running back Saturday, carried nine times for just 8 yards.

Devante Downs, Giants inside linebacker – Downs, who was in the Giants’ starting lineup for last year’s season opener, did not start in Saturday’s 12-7 loss to the Jets. However, coaches got a good look at Downs, who played 53 defensive plays and recorded three tackles, including two solo stops. He’s listed on the second team on the depth chart.

Ashtyn Davis, Jets safety -- Davis did not play Saturday and is expected to miss at least the first game of the regular season as he continues to recover from foot surgery. He is not listed on the Jets’ depth chart at the moment, but he was listed as a starter just before he was placed in the Physically Unable to Play category in late July. He started six games last season as a rookie before suffering the season-ending foot injury.

Jordan Veasy, Texans wide receiver – Veasy signed with the Texans on July 29 and is a fourth-string wide receiver on the Texans’ depth chart. He did not record any statistics in the 26-7 victory over the Packers.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers quarterback – The reigning MVP did not play Saturday and is not expected to play at all in the preseason, but it has nothing to do with his dispute with management and his absence from offseason workouts. Rodgers did not play in any preseason games in 2019, and there were no preseason games in 2020. He has been on the field for just six preseason series since 2016.

Cameron Jordan, Saints defensive end – The six-time Pro Bowler did not play Saturday, as a number of veterans sat out, but he did get some work in before the game:

Keenan Allen, Chargers wide receiver – Allen, a Pro Bowl selection each of the past four seasons, needs no preseason work so he did not play Saturday.

DeSean Jackson, Rams wide receiver – Jackson has been riddled with injuries in recent years so there was no reason to risk more for his new team in the preseason. He's healthy now and wants to stay that way.

Stephen Anderson, Chargers tight end – The Chargers’ third-string tight end is hoping to play a fifth NFL season, but he recorded no statistics on Saturday. He did play on special teams.

Alex Mack, 49ers center – Mack is expected to be the 49ers starting center in his first season with San Francisco, but the six-time Pro Bowler did not need any work in the 19-16 loss to the Chiefs.

Hardy Nickerson II, Texans linebacker – Nickerson, who played his first three college seasons at Cal before playing his final season at Illinois, did not record any statistics against the Packers.

Cover photo of Marvin Jones Jr. is by Bob Self/Florida Times-Union via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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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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