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Football

#StanfordNFL: Preseason

Hear what they're saying about former Stanford standouts as NFL training camps continue and the preseason gets underway. 

Matt Masifilo • C • Free Agent • Second Season 
Masifilo was one of 10 players cut by Carolina on Sunday after a 19-17 loss against New England in Week 3 of preseason. After the game, Masifilo was joined on the field by fellow Stanford alums Jordan Richards, Cameron Fleming, David Yankey and Tyler Gaffney.

All smiles seeing the Stanford fam post game! #StanfordNFL #gocardinal #keeppounding

A photo posted by David Yankey (@papa_yank) on Aug 28, 2016 at 8:01pm PDT

Zach Ertz • TE • Philadelphia Eagles • Fourth Season • @Z_ERTZ86
• Ertz started and caught all five of his targets for 25 yards in Philadelphia's third preseason game, a 33-23 win against Indianapolis. After the game, several former Cardinal converged on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. 

#StanfordNFL

A photo posted by Aziz Shittu (@shitrue7) on Aug 28, 2016 at 11:59am PDT

Brennan Scarlett • OLB • Houston Texans • First Season • @BScarlett17
• The undrafted rookie out of Stanford had two of Houston`s three sacks in a 34-24 win against Arizona. Scarlett added a forced fumble to his impressive tally, playing the most defensive snaps (53) of any Texan. With a week left in preseason, Scarlett has a legitimate chance to make the 53-man roster despite missing parts of training camp with injury.

Tyler Gaffney • RB • New England Patriots • Third Season 
• The Patriots released veteran running back Donald Brown, opening the door for Gaffney to make the team as a backup tailback.
• After two injury-plagued seasons in the league, Tyler Gaffney is relishing his opportunities in New England. Gaffney took his chance in full stride during the Patriots' preseason opener against New Orleans, scoring from 44 yards out in the third quarter. 


Aziz Shittu • DT/DE • Philadelphia Eagles • First season • @AzizShittu
• Shittu helped Philadelphia shut out the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-0 last week, contributing 1.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss. His emergence as an undrafted free agent is one of a few reasons the Eagles could still have more moves up their sleeve this offseason. 

Ryan Whalen • WR • San Francisco 49ers • Fourth season 
• Originally drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Whalen was signed by the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday to add much-needed wide receiver depth.

Kyle Murphy • T • Green Bay Packers • First season • @KyleMurphy78
• Not only did Murphy make his NFL debut on Saturday against the Oakland Raiders, it was the first time he had been to an NFL game. Green Bay's sixth-round pick played 36 snaps on offense in the win.  

Blake Martinez • ILB • Green Bay Packers • First Season • @Big_Blake4
• Martinez was given just 11 defensive snaps in Green Bay's first preseason game, but played the entire first half of the Packers` second exhibition.
• Martinez was drafted in the fourth round by the Green Bay Packers and has impressed coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers since his arrival. Martinez sat down with USA Today's Ryan Wood to talk about his work ethic and determination to make himself a three-down linebacker in the NFL.

Andrew Luck • QB • Indianapolis Colts • Fifth Season • @ALBookClub
• For the first time since sustaining devastating injuries in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Andrew Luck took the field, looking more mature and smarter in his return to the gridiron.

Doug Baldwin • WR • Seattle Seahawks • Sixth Season • @DougBaldwinJr
• Baldwin led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns last season, earning him a mammoth four year/$46 million extension including $24.25 million in guaranteed money. Recently, it came to light that Baldwin, a sixth-year undrafted player out of Stanford, received a hand-written letter from Seattle general manager John Schneider in 2011 about the Seahawks` intention to sign him and turn him into a Pro Bowl player.

Ryan Hewitt • FB • Cincinatti Bengals • Third Seasons • @Heuy_85
• In a league where fullbacks are a rarity, Hewitt earned himself a three year/$7.5 million contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals, including $1.5 million guaranteed. In his first two NFL seasons, Hewitt established himself as a reliable run-blocker with tremendous upside, prompting the Bengals to prioritize his stay.

Jordan Richards • S • New England Patriots • Second Season
• Four-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick continues to heap praise on second-year safety Jordan Richards, who is already developing into a leader on and off the field. 

David Yankey • G • Carolina Panthers • Third Season • @papa_yank
• Yankey was drafted 145th overall by Minnesota in 2014, but failed to make an impact with the Vikings over two seasons. The 24-year-old out of Stanford is enjoying his new opportunity in Carolina, where he has settled in with an already strong offensive line group. 

James Vaughters • LB • San Diego Chargers • Second Season
• An injury ended Vaughters' stint on Green Bay's practice squad last year, but he has found a new home in San Diego following the Chargers' preseason opener. 

Ed Reynolds • S • Philadelphia Eagles  • Second Season
• After earning some late-season game time in 2015, Ed Reynolds is back with the Philadelphia Eagles with a chance to make the team as the third safety. An injury to Malcolm Jenkins let Reynolds back into the frame at safety, and the 24-year-old out of Stanford is taking his opportunity in stride.

Griff Whalen • WR • Miami Dolphins • Fifth Season • @GriffWhalen
• Fifth-year receiver Griff Whalen signed with the Miami Dolphins after spending four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He sat down with MiamiDolphins.com to talk diet, yoga, Andrew Luck and Stanford, among other things.

Henry Anderson • DE • Indianapolis Colts • Second Season • @HenryAnderson91
• Second-year pro Henry Anderson has said his knee "feels awesome" after going down in Week 9 with a torn ACL. He is expected to miss the preseason, but his chances of playing Week 1 are improving by the week. He sat down with Pro Football Focus to talk about his impressive rookie campaign.

Devon Cajuste • WR • San Francisco 49ers • First Season • @devoncajuste
• Devon Cajuste, a big-play receiver during his time on The Farm, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers, netting the third-highest amount of guaranteed money for such players. Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw had high praise for his former star wideout.


Coby Fleener • TE • New Orleans Saints • Fifth Season • @Coby
• Having played every snap of his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts, Fleener took a change of scenery by signing with the New Orleans Saints. Veteran Luke McCown was ecstatic with the signing of Fleener, who he believes will be an integral part of Drew Brees' aerial attack.

Joshua Garnett • OG • San Francisco 49ers • First Season • @IamJoshG
• San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly was full of praise for his first-round pick out of Stanford, Joshua Garnett. The rookie is off to a "sharp and consistent" start to his NFL career and is the favorite to start at right guard for the Niners.


Austin Hooper • TE • Atlanta Falcons • First Season • @AustinHooper18
• After some well-documented struggles in the red zone last season, the Atlanta Falcons bolstered their options by drafting Austin Hooper in the third round. Hooper figures to play a big role in the Falcon's offense, which is in need of more production at the tight end position since the retirement of Tony Gonzalez.

Johnson Bademosi • DB • Detroit Lions • Fifth Season • @j_bademosi24
• After four years in Cleveland, Johnson Bademosi took his talents to Detroit in search of a new challenge and more opportunities on defense. The fifth-year special teams ace discussed these new opportunities with DetroitLions.com's Mike O'Hara.

Ty Montgomery • WR • Green Bay Packers • Second Season • @TyMontgomery2
• Ty Montgomery is turning heads in Green Bay training camp after a season-ending ankle injury in Week 6 of 2015. He showed what he can do in his first day back.


Trent Murphy • DE • Washington Redskins • Third Season • @TMurphy_93
• Originally, the plan was to move former Stanford All-American Trent Murphy back to the defensive line and away from outside linebacker, but an injury to Junior Galette has forced Washington's hand and Murphy has responded in flying colors. 

David DeCastro • G • Pittsburgh Steelers • Fifth Season 
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have several high-profile players set to hit free agency after the 2016 season, including Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and first-team All-Pro guard David DeCastro, a first-team All-American at Stanford. DeCastro, though, is the only one in talks with the team over a long-term extension. Pittsburgh and DeCastro are reportedly far apart over terms, but the deal would likely make him one of the highest-paid guards in the league.