12 Former Cardinals Make 2023 NFL 53-Man Rosters

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The preseason is now in the books, and the 2023 NFL season is just around the corner. Thursday, Sept 7 will mark the start of Week 1, with the Lions and Chiefs squaring off at 8:20 p.m. EST on NBC.

On Tuesday, Aug. 29, the 32 teams across the league were tasked with trimming down their rosters one final time to 53 players. While several former Cardinals saw their release over the course of the preseason, there will still be a sizable Louisville presence across the league entering the season.

In total, 12 former Louisville football players survived the final roster cuts, and made initial 53-man rosters across the league.

Geron Christian Sr. was cut by the Dolphins, Malik Cunningham was cut by the Patriots, Dorian Etheridge and Trevor Reid were both waived by the Falcons, Tiyon Evans was cut by the Panthers, Dez Fitzpatrick was cut by the Steelers, Hassan Hall was waived by the Browns and Tyler Hudson was cut by the Rams.

Below are all the former Cards currently on active rosters heading into Week 1:

Yasir Abdullah

Position: Linebacker
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Years at UofL: 2018-22

Abdullah was the second of three Cardinals to be selected in April's NFL Draft, which was the most since four were drafted in 2018. In his final season with Louisville, he led the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, while also tallying 63 total tackles, two interceptions and four forced fumbles.

Jaire Alexander

Position: Cornerback
Team: Green Bay Packers
Years at UofL: 2015-17

Alexander had a bounce-back 2022 season after missing most of 2021 with a shoulder injury. He was able to set a career-high in interceptions (five) and tackles for loss (4.0), had his most tackles (56) since 2019, and earned his second career Pro Bowl nod (2020) in the process. He was the only former Louisville player to be invited to the 2022 Pro Bowl.

Tutu Atwell

Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Years at UofL: 2018-20

Atwell was finally able to crack Los Angeles' wide receiver rotation in year two. He caught his first pass in Week Five against Dallas, scored his first touchdown - a 62-yard bomb - in Week 11 at New Orleans, then earned his first start during week 13 vs. Seattle. He finished with 18 receptions for 298 yards and one score.

Mekhi Becton

Position: Offensive Tackle
Team: New York Jets
Years at UofL: 2017-19

Thanks to two separate knee injuries, Becton has not seen the field since Week One of the 2021 season. Fortunately, thanks in part to a concerted effort to shed excess weight, Becton was a full go for training camp. Starting his career at left tackle, he recently won the starting job at right tackle.

Teddy Bridgewater

Position: Quarterback
Team: Detroit Lions
Years at UofL: 2011-13

Bridgewater didn't sign until after training camp had already started, but he heads into 2023 as the primary backup to Jared Goff. He spent the the 2022 season in his hometown of Miami with the Dolphins, but suffered a myriad of injuries that season. He made just five appearances and two starts, completing 62.0 percent of his passes for 683 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Kei'Trel Clark

Position: Cornerback
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Years at UofL: 2020-22

Clark was the third and final Cardinals to come off the board during the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this year. Coming off of a 2021 campaign in which he tore his ACL, he finished the 2022 season with the fifth-most tackles on the team at 51, as well as 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, four pass break ups and an interception returned for a touchdown.

YaYa Diaby

Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Years at UofL: 2020-22

Diaby was the first Louisville player off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, and at No. 82 overall, was the first Cardinal defender to be picked inside the first three rounds since Jaire Alexander. He collected 14.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks in 2022, trailing only Abdullah for the most on the team. He also tallied 37 tackles, four QB hurries and two recovered fumbles.

Jonathan Greenard

Position: Outside Linebacker
Team: Houston Texans
Years at UofL: 2015-17

Greenard came off of a career-year in 2021 where he led the Texans in sacks, but got bit hard by the injury bug in 2022. He spent most of this season on injured reserve due to a calf injury, playing in only the first four and last four games of the season, while starting the former. He was only able to collect 16 tackles (6.0 for loss) and 1.5 sacks because of the aforementioned injury.

Lamar Jackson

Position: Quarterback
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Years at UofL: 2015-17

It's been a wild last few months for Jackson. He missed the final five weeks of the regular season after suffering a PCL sprain in his knee during the Ravens' Week 13 matchup vs. Denver, which limited him to 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air and 764 yards and three touchdowns on the ground for the 2022 season. After publicly requesting a trade out of Baltimore in late March, Jackson and the Ravens later agreed to a five-year, $260 million extension in late April.

DeVante Parker

Position: Wide Receiver
Team: New England Patriots
Years at UofL: 2011-14

Parker had an inconsistent inaugural campaign with the Patriots, but he wound up being one of their most productive pass catchers. He finished second on the team in both total receiving yards and receiving touchdowns behind JaKobi Meyers' 804 yards and six touchdowns, and led New England in yards per reception at 17.4. He inked a three-year extension with the Pats last month.

Sheldon Rankins

Position: Defensive Tackle
Team: Houston Texans
Years at UofL: 2012-15

During his second and final year with the New York Jets, Rankins was a full-time starter for the first time since his third year in the league (2018), but took a small step back in terms of his overall production. He wound up finishing tied for fifth on the Jets in sacks (3.0) and tied for sixth on the team in tackles for loss (4.0). He signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Texans in March.

Russ Yeast

Position: Safety
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Years at UofL: 2017-20

Yeast was a consistent special teams player as a rookie in 2022, but began to crack the Rams' secondary rotation in late November, eventually finishing with 20 tackles and a TFL. He even started in their regular season finale at Seattle, and is working towards potentially being a day one starter in 2023 for L.A.

(Photo of Mekhi Becton: Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports)

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