Syracuse in the NFL (Part II): Kyle McCord’s New Home, Sean Tucker’s Status, and More

Following our look at Matthew Bergeron and Oronde Gadsden, Part II breaks down how Kyle McCord's new opportunity in Miami, Sean Tucker's status in Tampa, and other former Orange standouts are faring.

August 23, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Marlowe Wax (58) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Orange pipeline to the National Football League extends far beyond the household names, supplying gritty depth pieces, rookie developmental projects, and rising playmakers across the league.

In Part II of our alumni tracker, we dive into the rest of the former Syracuse stars making waves.

DL Kevin Jobity - Pittsburgh Steelers

After an impressive 5-sack year to close out his collegiate career with Syracuse, Kevin Jobity went undrafted in the 2026 draft. 

Jobity signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and through an impressive camp and preseason, the front office saw enough to sign him to the 53-man roster.

The Steelers have plenty of depth on the defensive line, so Jobity likely will not play this year. He will get the opportunity to grow and develop by watching a solid defensive line. 

QB Kyle McCord - Miami Dolphins

Kyle McCord was drafted by his hometown Philadelphia Eagles in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL draft. He showed flashes of NFL QB ability in that 2025 preseason and spent the entire year on Philadelphia’s practice squad. 

In January of 2026, McCord signed a reserve/futures contract with Green Bay. McCord, once again, had a noteworthy preseason in which he threw for 446 yards and 4 touchdowns, completing 46 of 70 passes. 

McCord’s performances caught the eye of an AFC team as the Dolphins quickly traded for him after preseason in exchange for a sixth round pick. Miami is one of the best spots for him to land as their quarterback situation is up in the air to say the least.

McCord is now acting as the primary backup to Malik Willis who has the Dolphins sitting at 0-2 to start the year. There is more than a real chance McCord sees his first NFL regular season action in the coming weeks. 

TE Jackson Meeks - Detroit Lions

Jackson Meeks was the story of the preseason for the Lions in 2025. He led the receivers with 11 receptions for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns. Due to a crowded receiver room, Meeks was left off the official roster but the Lions made sure to keep him in the organization, signing him to the P-squad. He was called up a couple times and saw some special teams snaps. 

Following the season, Meeks signed a reserve/futures contract with Detroit. Since then, Meeks and the Lions have experimented moving him to tight end. At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds he would give the Lions a lot of interesting one off looks on offense. Ultimately, the move should be an intermediary step to try something while waiting for a receiver seat to open. 

K Andre Szmyt - Cleveland Browns

After several years of fighting for an NFL opportunity, Szmyt finally received one in 2025. The former Lou Groza Award winner made 88.9 percent of his field-goal attempts, including a long of 55 yards, and scored 97 points. He also converted 96.2 percent of his extra points.

Szmyt is off to a fine start to 2026 as he is 4-4 on field goals, including a 50-yard make, and is 3-3 on extra point attempts.

RB Sean Tucker - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tucker continued to make the most of limited opportunities in 2025. He rushed 86 times for 320 yards and seven touchdowns, leading Tampa Bay in red-zone carries and rushing scores. His biggest game came against Buffalo when he became one of only three running backs that season to record at least 100 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards and three total touchdowns in the same game.

Tucker remains behind Bucky Irving, but his combination of power and explosiveness makes him valuable near the goal line. Tucker missed Tampa’s Week 1 matchup due to a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined. His status for Week 2 was questionable but he was active at game time. Despite this, he did not see a touch the entire game, and played just one special teams snap. 

LB Marlowe Wax - Los Angeles Chargers

Marlowe Wax appeared in all 17 games as an undrafted rookie, recording 21 tackles while playing 73 percent of the Chargers’ special-teams snaps. Wax played 39 defensive snaps, a low number due to the oversaturation of Charger linebackers. 

Wax performed well in the 2026 preseason, according to PFF his preseason performance was graded a 90.9. This was the highest Charger grade, and the second highest of any linebacker that played preseason. He was the defensive signal caller in their preseason game against San Francisco. Wax seems to be trending in the right direction with regular season responsibility soon to come. As now, two games in, no defensive snaps have been recorded. 

DB Garrett Williams - Arizona Cardinals

Williams was building another solid season before injuries interrupted his progress. The third-year cornerback recorded 46 tackles, five passes defended and an interception in 10 games. His season ended after he suffered a torn Achilles against Atlanta in December.

Before the injury, Williams had developed into one of Arizona’s most dependable defensive backs, capable of playing both in the slot and outside. His entire 2026 season now revolves around his recovery. If he returns to full strength, he has the talent to reclaim a major role in Arizona’s secondary.

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