Inside The Huskies

NFL Preseason Has Been Notably Harsh on 3 Former Huskies

Ex-UW players sidelined one after the other in run up to the regular season.
Dan Raley|
Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary (76) went down with an injury at practice.
Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary (76) went down with an injury at practice. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

No one gets out of the NFL unscathed, but the pro game has sorely punished and sidelined three former University of Washington players, all of whom were set to have big seasons.

On Wednesday, one-time Husky offensive tackle Kaleb McGary was carted from the Atlanta Falcons practice field with what appeared to be a leg injury, unable to put any weight on it, with a diagnosis coming later in the day.

This past Saturday, ex-UW wide receiver Jalen McMillan made a sensational 18-yard catch for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game at Pittsburgh, collided with a defensive back, landed on his head and traveled back to Florida wearing a neck brace.

Before anyone got started in training camp, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell revealed his team had lost the services of former Husky defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike to an offseason knee injury, which will make him miss the second NFL season in five.

Currrent UW football coach Jedd Fisch currently preaches for his players and recruits to come to Montlake "to be a pro," that he'll help get them obtain NFL careers.

Yet Fisch would be remiss if he didn't tell each of them to enjoy it as much as they can, because it can end at any moment.

McGary's injury is especially disheartening to everyone involved because the 92-game starter at right tackle and a team mainstay just signed a two-year, $30 million extension to keep him with the Falcons through the 2027 season.

Tampa Bay ended up placing McMillan on injured reserve with "a severely sprained neck," a move that will force him to miss at least four games. After starting 12 games and catching 8 touchdown passes as a rookie, he was positioned to assume an even greater role that will be delayed.

However, Bucs coach Todd Bowles said McMillan's injury wasn't believed to be "career-ending."

The 6-foot-3, 304-pound Onwuzurike was coming off his best NFL season out of three as an active player, after starting 10 games last fall for a playoff team. He previously sat out the 2022 season after having back surgery.

The Lions hope he makes yet another full recovery and returns to anchor the defensive line in 2026.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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