Former Oklahoma QBs See Mixed Results in Week 1 of 2026 NFL Season

Former Sooners Jalen Hurts and Caleb Williams both put together star-studded performances in the NFL's opening week.

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) walks off the field after the game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Four ex-Oklahoma quarterbacks started for their NFL teams in the opening week of the 2026 season — and the results varied for those signal callers.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who led OU to the College Football Playoff in 2019 after starting his career at Alabama, logged a strong performance in his team’s 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders.

Hurts completed 14 of his 25 pass attempts for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 46 yards on seven carries.

Caleb Williams — who played at OU in 2021 before transferring to USC and eventually winning the Heisman Trophy — was even better than Hurts.

Williams logged 269 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-29 passing, helping the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37. The one-year Sooner quarterback also rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, on the other hand, had a day to forget.

Mayfield, an Oklahoma legend who won the Heisman in 2017, lost three fumbles as the Bucs lost 33-27 to the Cincinnati Bengals. Mayfield threw for 216 yards, and he also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown.

Kyler Murray, playing his first season for the Minnesota Vikings, threw an interception on his first pass attempt with his new team. Murray sustained a concussion just two series later in Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, forcing him to miss the rest of the game.

Murray finished his Minnesota debut with 18 passing yards and an interception on 3-of-5 passing. Veteran backup Carson Wentz relieved Murray and led the Vikings to a 39-22 win over the Packers.

Oklahoma rookies play first professional games

Seven players from OU’s 2025 squad were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, and several of them saw game action on Sunday.

Linebacker Kendal Daniels, who the Falcons picked in the fourth round, started in Atlanta’s 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Daniels registered four total tackles and one solo tackle, and he also posted the team’s eighth-best Pro Football Focus (PFF) defensive grade at 70.5.

On the other side of that game was safety Robert Spears-Jennings, a former Sooner who was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round. Spears-Jennings didn’t log any defensive snaps, but he was a star on special teams, notching three tackles and a 77.1 special teams grade.

Defensive lineman Gracen Halton appeared on 31 defensive snaps in the San Francisco 49ers’ 27-7 win against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. Halton finished the day with a 30.4 PFF defensive grade.

Offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu didn’t make an appearance in the Houston Texans’ loss to the Buffalo Bills after the franchise picked him in the fourth round.

Former OU star edge rusher R Mason Thomas will make his NFL debut on Monday, when the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs picked Thomas in the second round, making him the Sooners’ highest selection in 2026.

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