Eight Former UVA Football Players Make 53-Man NFL Rosters

See which former Cavaliers made NFL rosters and which were cut on Tuesday's roster deadline

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Aug 31, 2022 10:21 AM EDT

Seattle Seahawks safety Joey Blount (35) celebrates after recovering an on-side kick against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. — Joey Blount and seven other former UVA football players made the cut on an NFL team's 53-man roster at Tuesday's deadline.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday marked decision day for each of the NFL's 32 franchises, as each team had to trim its roster to just 53 players by 4pm ET on Tuesday. Of course, that means that several players got the wonderful news that they had made the roster for their team while countless more received the tough call that they had been waived or released.

Eight former Virginia football players were included on 53-man NFL rosters, while 11 former Cavaliers were cut on Tuesday. Here's a breakdown of how the various UVA football alums fared on cut day:

Most notably, the Seattle Seahawks included former UVA safety Joey Blount on their 53-man roster after signing Blount as an undrafted free agent back in the spring. Blount caught the eye of the Seattle coaching staff during camp and he continued to impress during preseason, totaling 14 total tackles, nine of which were solo stops. Blount also recovered an onside kick against the Bears and head coach Pete Carroll noted that Blount's impact on special teams was a major factor in him earning a spot on the roster.

The other significant news was that the Los Angeles Rams once again chose to keep three quarterbacks on their roster and former UVA star Bryce Perkins is one of them - along with starter Matthew Stafford and fellow backup John Wolford. Perkins got a great deal of playing time during the preseason and he made the most of the opportunity, showing off his athleticism and elusiveness on some highlight scrambles, but more importantly, displaying significant improvement as a downfield passer. Bryce Perkins is beginning to make the case that he could develop into a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL.

UVA fans looking to follow a new NFL team in 2022 might consider the Indianapolis Colts, who have two former Cavaliers on their 53-man roster. Rodney McLeod signed with the Colts in April after spending the last six seasons in Philadelphia, where he helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl. McLeod is joined in Indianapolis by tight end Jelani Woods, who was drafted in the third round by the Colts after earning First-Team All-ACC honors in his lone season at UVA.

Other former Wahoos who made 53-man rosters are Bryce Hall (New York Jets), Juan Thornhill (Kansas City Chiefs), Morgan Moses (Baltimore Ravens), and Olamide Zaccheaus (Atlanta Falcons).

Here are the former UVA football players who found themselves on the wrong side of the cut line:

Joe Reed (Chargers)
Andrew Brown (Chargers)
Tony Poljan (Ravens)
Brent Urban (Ravens)
Anthony Harris (Eagles)
Charles Snowden (Bears)
Tim Harris (Bills)
Eric Smith (Giants)
Ra'Shaun Henry (Panthers)
De'Vante Cross (Packers)
Chris Glaser (Jets)

It is expected that a number of these players will be signed to the practice squads of their respective teams in the coming days. It has also been reported that defensive end Brent Urban could be re-signed to Baltimore's 53-man roster, as two Ravens are expected to be placed on injured reserve.

Stay tuned to CavaliersNow for more coverage of former Hoos in the NFL.

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