Former Hoosiers McCray, Westbrook, Godsil Cut by NFL Teams Saturday

Saturday was cut-down day in the NFL as teams had to trim their rosters to 53 players from 80. Several players who get cut might be brought back to the newly expanded 16-man practice squads once they clear waivers.

Former Indiana defensive lineman Robert McCray, rookie wide receiver Nick Westbrook and long snapper Dan Godsil were two of the casualties.

McCray was cut by the Cleveland Browns. McCray, a Rockdale, Ga., native, played at Indiana from 2014 to 2017. He went to camp with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 but was waived and then added to the practice squad. He was waived again in 2019, and was signed later in the year by the Browns. He was added the active roster late in the season and played one game in late December against the Baltimore Ravens, registering one tackle.

This has been a difficult summer for guys on the bubble to make the teams because the the NFL chose not to play the usual four preseason games because of concerns over COVID-19.

McCray was one of those casualties.

"We always take and evaluate all the training camp practices, evaluate every snap, every rep and really try and get as good of a feel for our guys as we can," Browns general manager Andrew Berry said. "We worked closely with our coaches and solicited their feedback as well as from our pro staff and our scouts. We really spent a lot of time on our roster. Where it's a little bit different is you don't get the preseason games, but we feel like we had enough information, enough film to make informed decisions on all 53 guys who made the team based on the practices we had throughout this month."

Here's the latest on the rest of the Hoosiers in the NFL:

Players waived on Saturday

Nick Westbrook, Tennessee Titans: Wide receiver Nick Westbrook was cut by the Titans on Saturday, but is likely to return to the practice squad in a few days. According to SI's Titans reporter David Boclair, Westbrook "has good size and was noticeable in workouts, but there just was no room for an undrafted rookie wide receiver to earn a spot against so many veterans.''
Dan Godsil, Cincinnati Bengals: Long snapper Dan Godsil was waived by the Bengals on Saturday, opting to keep Clark Harris instead.

Players who made the 53-man rosters

Ian Thomas, Carolina Panthers: Tight end Ian Thomas made the Panthers' 53-man roster but he is also dealing with a toe injury, and his status for the season opener on Sept. 13 against the Los Angeles Raiders is still in doubt.
Jason Spriggs, Chicago Bears: Offensive lineman Jason Spriggs is with the Bears after spending his first four seasons in the league with the Green Bay Packers.
Brandon Knight, Dallas Cowboys: Offensive lineman Brandon Knight is on the Cowboys' 53-man roster after cuts.
Dan Feeney, Los Angeles Chargers: Starting guard Dan Feeney is on the Chargers' roster, and a key piece to their offensive line.
Jordan Howard, Miami Dolphins: Running back Jordan Howard is fighting for the starting job with the Dolphins in his first year in South Florida. The fifth-year pro enters his first in Miami. Howard has the third-most rushing yards (3,895) and seventh-most rushing touchdowns (30) since entering the NFL in 2016.
Nate Sudfeld, Philadephia Eagles: Quarterback Nate Sudfeld has made the Eagles' 53-man roster after the team decided to keep three quarterbacks. Starter Carson Wentz and rookie draft pick Jalen Hurts (Alabama/Oklahoma) are on the roster as well.
Tevin Coleman, San Francisco 49ers: Tevin Coleman is in the mix for carries in the 49ers' deep backfield.
Rodger Saffold, Tennessee Titans: The Titans have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and guard Rodger Saffold, who's in his second year with the team, is a big reason why. Here's a great story from SI's Titans reporter Mike Hogan: CLICK HERE
Wes Martin, Washington Football Team: Wes Martin, the second-year offensive lineman is a key part of this group up front.

Players on the injured list

Simon Stepaniak, Green Bay Packers: Offensive lineman Simon Stepaniak is coming off an ACL injury suffered during Indiana's Gator Bowl practices, and the Packers, who drafted him in the sixth-round, don't want to rush him. They put him on the injured list last month.

Players waived last week

Cody Latimer, Washington Redskins: Wide receiver Cody Latimer is dealing with some legal issues and was placed on the Commissioner's exempt list because of it. The Redskins chose to let me go on Aug. 25.

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