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NFL Cutdown Day: Updates on UCLA Football alumni's statuses

Several Bruins will figure out whether or not they'll be suiting up for NFL teams this regular season
Sam Connon|
NFL Cutdown Day: Updates on UCLA Football alumni's statuses
NFL Cutdown Day: Updates on UCLA Football alumni's statuses

The NFL's final day of roster cuts is upon us, and there is a lot at stake for a certain number of pro Bruins.

A handful of UCLA football alumni are waiting to see if they make their respective teams' 53-man rosters, with the deadline for announcements set for 1 p.m. Tuesday. Obviously Pro Bowlers and recently signed players such as defensive lineman Kenny Clark, linebacker Myles Jack, linebacker Anthony Barr, linebacker Eric Kendricks, tight end Marcedes Lewis and linebacker Jayon Brown are safe, so their job security is far from in the air at the moment. The same goes for newly drafted players like cornerback Darnay Holmes, running back Demetric Felton and defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.

But for every UCLA alum with a job secured, there is at least one who entered Tuesday surrounded with a future shrouded in uncertainty.

Here are the notable players who heard the good or bad news regarding their NFL careers Tuesday.

This post will be updated as more information is released.

Eli Ankou, Atlanta Falcons

More than 24 hours before the deadline, Ankou got some bad news from the Falcons.

He had just signed with the Falcons two weeks prior after getting waived by the Buffalo Bills. Across his four-year NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, Ankou tallied a total of 31 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits.

Ankou played for UCLA from 2013 to 2016.

Caleb Wilson, Washington Football Team

Much like Ankou, Wilson didn't have to wait until Tuesday to get the news on his status with his new team.

The Washington Football team had just picked Wilson up off of waivers earlier in the preseason after he was let go by the Philadelphia Eagles. WFT has now cut Wilson as well, as part of a mass release spree that got them down to 70 on Monday.

Wilson was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the final pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Heading into his third season of pro football since leaving UCLA, he has yet to record a stat.

Devin Asiasi, New England Patriots

On the surface, it wouldn't normally make sense for a third round pick entering his second year to end up on the chopping block so soon, but given that the Patriots signed Pro Bowl tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith in the offseason, there were murmurs of Asiasi potentially losing his job.

That scenario didn't come to fruition, however, as Asiasi made New England's Week 1 roster after stepping up with four receptions for 64 yards in their third preseason game Sunday. Instead, it was veteran Matt LaCosse who got cut.

Takkarist McKinley, Cleveland Browns

A long, up-and-down year for McKinley hasn't costed the defensive lineman his newest job.

The Falcons declined their former first round pick's fifth-year option early in 2020, and ultimately released him midway through that season. McKinley had brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders but he never played a game with those teams due to failed physicals and injured reserve stints.

Even once he signed with the Browns in the offseason, his woes weren't over yet. McKinley spent a good chunk of the preseason away from the team, and he only came back to practice last week. What he showed in that short time was enough to secure his spot in Cleveland, apparently.

Alex Redmond, New England Patriots

While Asiasi gets to stay in Foxborough, Redmond will not.

After going undrafted in 2016, Redmond signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and stayed there through the end of the 2020 season. The Patriots scooped him up in free agency this spring, but dumped him Tuesday morning.

Redmond played three seasons at UCLA from 2013 to 2015, setting the school record for starts by a true freshman position player at 13 games in 2013.

JJ Molson, Green Bay Packers

The former UCLA kicker spent some time in Canada before coming back stateside, and he used that time to make an impression on one of the league's most storied franchises.

Not enough of an impression to secure his job, however.

Molson took and made one extra point for the Packers this preseason, and was the team's primary kickoff specialist throughout their three exhibition games. While he did not make the 53-man roster, Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Ryan Wood said Molson could stick around on the practice squad as he did late in the 2020 season.

Josh Rosen, Atlanta Falcons

It may not be a starting job, but any kind of job security is a win for Rosen.

The former No. 10 overall pick was waived by the 49ers after Week 1 of the preseason, and he was picked up by the Falcons prior to Week 3. He seemed to impress the coaching staff and possibly jump Feleipe Franks in the battle to be Matt Ryan's backup.

Rosen was 9-for-18 with 118 passing yards an a touchdown through the air, in addition to 13 rushing yards on four carries, with the Falcons against the Browns in their preseason finale Sunday night.

Matt Dickerson, Las Vegas Raiders

Another Bruins lineman got the short end of the stick Tuesday.

Dickerson got signed by the Raiders just five months ago, and now he's left looking for a new spot in the NFL after getting waived just ahead of the deadline.

Dickerson boasted the lowest Pro Football Focus rating of any Raiders defensive lineman this preseason, putting up a 28.8. That was only better than one player, rookie linebacker Divine Deablo.

In three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Dickerson tallied 15 tackles, two quarterback hits and 1.0 tackles for loss, in addition to a sack in the 2020 AFC Wild Card Game. Dickerson played at UCLA from 2014 to 2017.

Brett Hundley, Indianapolis Colts

Unlike how Rosen found a new home this summer and stayed there, the same cannot be said for Hundley.

Hundley signed with the Colts before the start of the preseason after projected starter Carson Wentz went down with an injury. Wentz returned fast than expected, however, and Hundley rarely got snaps over rookie Sam Elingher or Jacob Eason despite his advantage in the experience category.

The former UCLA star quarterback spent the first three years of his career with the Packers, but has since made three stops in four years with the Seattle Seahawks, the Arizona Cardinals and the Colts.

Hundley will now be a free agent.

Jake Brendel, San Francisco 49ers

After a few promising signs earlier in the day made it seem like Brendel would stick around in the Bay, he eventually wound up getting axed Tuesday.

Senio Kelemete was already released and Shon Coleman strained his tricep in this past weekend's preseason finale, leading many to believe Brendel would be the 49ers' ninth offensive lineman on the roster. Instead, he too got dealt some bad news, and he may have to find a new employer this fall.

Brendel played at UCLA from 2012 to 2015 and has played for five NFL teams in his five professional seasons to this point.

Cassius Marsh, Pittsburgh Steelers

The final Bruin to hear bad news Tuesday was Marsh, who was left off the Steelers' final roster.

Marsh was entering his eighth year in the NFL. After three years with the Seahawks, Marsh jumped around between six franchises in the following four seasons. He has 14.0 career sacks to his name, but did not do enough to warrant a spot in Pittsburgh this fall.

Xavier Su'a-Filo, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Andre James and Scott Quessenberry all made their teams' final rosters.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon was the Publisher and Managing Editor at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s All Bruins from 2021 to 2023. He is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s Fastball. He previously covered UCLA football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country and golf for The Daily Bruin from 2017 to 2021, serving as the paper's Sports Editor from 2019 to 2020. Connon has also been a contributor for 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' BruinBlitz, Dash Sports TV, SuperWestSports, Prime Time Sports Talk, The Sports Life Blog and Patriots Country, Sports Illustrated and FanNation’s New England Patriots site. His work as a sports columnist has been awarded by the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon graduated from UCLA in June 2021 and is originally from Winchester, Massachusetts.

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