How Every Washington State Alumni Performed in the 2025-26 NFL Season

The 2025-26 NFL season has officially come to a close, and the offseason wait has begun. With plenty of time to pass and dominoes to fall before the 2026-27 season comes into focus, it's time to look back on the last few months and the performances of Washington State alumni.

With all the season's games now concluded, here's how all of the former Cougars played:

QB Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans (WSU 2022-2023)

Ward, like most rookie quarterbacks, has an up-and-down rookie season, but the flashes were certainly there for the former #1 overall pick. He won just three games on the lowly Titans, but his talent and star potential shone through from time to time. He finished the season with over 3,100 yards and 15 touchdowns on a 59.8 completion percentage, also throwing 7 interceptions. His legs were also utilized, albeit sparingly, adding on 159 yards and 2 scores on the ground.

QB Gardner Minshew II, Kansas City Chiefs (WSU 2018)

Minshew II's time was limited to just 4 games, a standard procedure for most backup quarterbacks. His opportunity after Patrick Mahomes' season was cut short with a season-ending injury, and he threw just 13 total passes. He completed 6 of said 13 passes, for just 37 yards and an interception, also picking up 2 yards as a rusher.

WR Kyle Williams, New England Patriots (WSU 2023-2024)

Williams wasn't used at a high rate on the Super Bowl runner-up's offense, but he made the most out of his opportunities when he had them. He averaged over 20 yards per reception, ending the season with 209 total yards and 3 impressive touchdowns on 10 catches. He was also given some run as a kick returner, with 290 yards on 11 returns.

MORE: Washington State Football: 2026 Schedule Released

OT Abraham Lucas, Seattle Seahawks (WSU 2018 -2021)

Playing 1,252 snaps for the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, Lucas was a fantastic piece on their offensive line. Pro Football Focus graded him out at 81.0 overall, with a solid 72.8 run blocking grade and a stellar 84.0 pass blocking grade. He allowed just 4 sacks and was penalized only 5 times, easily playing at the level of a top offensive tackle in the league.

OT Esa Pole, Kansas City Chiefs (WSU 2021-2024)

Pole was stuck on injured reserve with the New York Jets for the first half of the season and subsequently released, but he found his way onto the Chiefs roster and saw some time in the season's waning moments. With 275 offensive snaps from Week 14 through 18, and while he wasn't great, he was still serviceable as a backup. He only allowed a single sack and graded out at 56.5.

DT Daniel Ekuale, Pittsburgh Steelers (WSU 2014-2017)

Ekuale saw his season end prematurely with an injury, but he was putting together another decent season as a rotational defensive lineman in Pittsburgh beforehand. He got snaps in 7 games, ending with 72 on the year. He made 4 total tackles, pressured the quarterback 6 times, and registered 4 defensive stops.

DE Brennan Jackson, Las Vegas Raiders (WSU 2019-2023)

Jackson made 2 tackles on special teams, but barely saw the field wth Las Vegas before his season also ended with an injury.

LB Daiyan Henley, Los Angeles Chargers (WSU 2022)

Henley took a step back in coverage from the previous 2 seasons, but he still put together a solid statistical campaign in 2025. His tackle amount nearly eclipsed 100 for the second straight year, racking up 4 total sacks and 5 tackles for loss, picking off 3 passes in coverage. He gave up almost 600 yards through the air, and his defensive PFF grade finished at 58.7.

LB Frankie Luvu, Washington Commanders (WSU 2014-2017)

Similar to Henley, Luvu was good on paper for Washington but had some holes in his game via the advanced stats. His 53.2 PFF grade was a second straight yearly decrease, with some severe tackling issues, listed at 21 misses. He did make 80 tackles, 5 TFLs, 4 sacks, and 3 pass breakups in over 1,100 snaps.

MORE: Ranking the Top Five Incoming Offensive Transfers for WSU

CB Jaylen Watson, Kansas City Chiefs (WSU 2020-2021)

Watson took another step forward from his 2024 performance, both in his playing time and his overall performance. His tackling total increased to 65, and he finished his 2025 campaign with 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups. He allowed over 400 yards, but kept opponents out of the end zone and still put up a respectable 74.1 PFF grade.

CB Chau Smith-Wade, Carolina Panthers (WSU 2020-2023)

Smith-Wade definitely struggled at points in his expanded role, but did have some good moments throughout the season. He made 61 tackles, recorded 2 QB pressures, picked off a pass, broke up another, and only allowed a single touchdown. He was attacked heavily in the passing game, leading to worse metrics, and had a 55.7 PFF grade across the full season.

S Jaden Hicks, Kansas City Chiefs (WSU 2021-2023)

Hicks played in a similar capacity in 2024, with slightly worse results. Tackling consistency became an issue, but he did pick up 31 tackles and a QB sack. He gave up less than 200 total yards and wasn't a bad piece on the back half of the Chiefs' defense.

S Jalen Thompson, Arizona Cardinals (WSU 2016-2018)

Thompson was the leader of the Arizona secondary and was flying around the field with almost 90 tackles on the year. He picked up 5 PBU, sacked the QB once, rarely missed a tackle, and was solid in coverage to put together a respectable season.