Preseason_rotator_71Preseason_rotator_71
Football

A Fresh Start

2019 NFL Season Preview

Joey Alfieri • OLB • Free agent • First season • @jalfieri4

After being released by Philadelphia on Aug. 2, Alfieri signed with the New York Giants, appearing on 58 total snaps with two tackles and one quarterback hurry across four preseason contests. Alfieri, who graduated Stanford with 165 tackles, including 26.5 for loss, and 14 sacks, was released on Aug. 31 as part of the Giants' final cuts.

Henry Anderson • DE • New York Jets • Fifth season • @HenryAnderson91

Anderson returns to New York after being traded to the Jets prior to the 2018 season, a year in which he posted career highs in sacks (8), hurries (31), total pressures (48) and run stops (25) while earning a career-high 76.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. Anderson finished 12th out of 195 defensive linemen in pressures and ninth in sacks on 668 snaps, 220 more than any other season in his career. Anderson's standout play in 2018 netted him a three-year, $25.5 million contract from the Jets, who boast one of the fiercest defensive front sevens in football with the additions of Quinnen Williams via the draft and C.J. Mosley in free agency.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside • WR • Philadelphia Eagles • First season • @jjarcega_22

Arcega-Whiteside joins a loaded wide receivers' room which also includes Alshon Jeffrey, DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor after Philadelphia picked him 57th overall in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Highly considered one of the most NFL-ready players in this year's draft, Arcega-Whiteside caught 14 touchdowns with 63 receptions and 1,059 yards as a senior on The Farm in 2018. Arcega-Whiteside gave Eagles fans a glimpse of his ability in a preseason loss against Baltimore, catching eight-of-nine targets for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Johnson Bademosi • CB/ST • Miami Dolphins • Eighth season • @J_Bademosi24

Bademosi was shipped to Miami as part of a blockbuster trade which sent blue-chip offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil to Houston on Aug. 31. He enters his eighth season in the NFL as one of the league's best and most consistent special teamers – after making six special teams tackles on 308 special teams snaps in 2018, Bademosi is due to make $2.5 million in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Texans in 2018.

Jake Bailey • P • New England Patriots • First season • @jakebailey__

Bailey beat out six-year NFL veteran Ryan Allen for New England's punting job after the Patriots picked him 163rd overall in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. A three-time All-Pac-12 selection and Stanford's all-time leader in punting average (43.81), Bailey is the first right-footed punter in head coach Bill Belichick's 20-year career as head coach.

Doug Baldwin • WR • Seattle Seahawks • Retired • @DougBaldwinJr

Baldwin announced his retirement from professional football on May 13 after eight NFL seasons, all with Seattle. A former undrafted free agent and winner of Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks, Baldwin led the league in touchdowns in 2015 and earned two Pro Bowl berths (2016-17), wrapping up his career with 493 receptions, 6,563 receiving yards and 49 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Baldwin dropped just two passes while being targeted 191 times over his final two seasons (2017-18).

David Bright • OL • Free agent • First season 

Bright joined Cleveland after missing the entire 2018 season through injury but was released on May 1.

Jesse Burkett • C • Free agent • First season 

Burkett participated in rookie minicamps with Jacksonville and San Francisco but did not receive a training camp invitation.

Eric Cotton • DE • Free agent • First season

Cotton spent the final three weeks of preseason with Tennessee, appearing on 27 total snaps during preseason Weeks 2-4 before being released on Aug. 31 as part of final cuts.

David DeCastro • G • Pittsburgh Steelers • Eighth season

A model of consistency at an increasingly-higher valued position, DeCastro earned his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl berth in 2018 despite missing two games with a broken hand. On 661 pass-blocking snaps, DeCastro allowed just two quarterback hits and zero sacks – he was one of four guards to appear on 80 percent of his team's offensive snaps without surrendering a sack. According to Pro Football Focus, DeCastro has not surrendered a sack since a Wild Card playoff game against Miami on Jan. 8, 2017. A three-time All-Pro (2015-17), DeCastro has three seasons remaining on a five-year, $50 million deal he inked in 2016.

Zach Ertz • TE • Philadelphia Eagles • Seventh season • @ZErtz_86

One half of perhaps the most powerful couple in sports, Ertz watched his wife Julie lift her second Women's World Cup in France in July after a career season in 2018 with Philadelphia. Ertz broke Jason Witten's NFL single-season receptions record for tight ends with 116, starting all 16 games with 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns. Ertz drew a staggering 154 targets in 2018, joining Jimmy Graham, Travis Kelce, Antonio Gates and Jason Witten as the only tight ends in history with at least 400 receptions in his first six seasons. Ertz enters the third year of a five-year, $42.5 million contract he signed in 2017.

Brandon Fanaika • OL • Free agent • First season • @BFanaika

Fanaika participated in rookie minicamps with Detroit and Oakland but did not receive a training camp invitation.

Cameron Fleming • T • Dallas Cowboys • Sixth season • @CammyJFresh

In the first season of a two-year, $7.5 million deal he signed with Dallas in 2018, Fleming appeared on 240 offensive snaps while making three starts in place of All-Pro Tyron Smith. The two-time Super Bowl champion will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019 season.

Josh Garnett • G • Free agent • Fourth season • @IAmJoshG

The former first-round pick enters his fourth professional season as a free agent after battling injury throughout the preseason – Garnett was released by San Francisco after appearing on 55 snaps in the 49ers' preseason finale on Aug. 29.

A.T. Hall • T • Free agent • First season 

Hall spent training camp and preseason with Tennessee before being released on Aug. 31. In 120 total snaps across four preseason appearances, Hall earned a solid 71.8 grade from Pro Football Focus, including an 81.0 mark in run blocking.

Nate Herbig • G • Philadelphia Eagles • First season @nate_herbig

Herbig made Philadelphia's 53-man roster as the backup center after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. In four preseason games, he appeared on 152 snaps, 143 of which were at center, and did not allow a sack in 95 pass-blocking snaps. Snaps could be scarce behind All-Pros Jason Kelce (center) and Brandon Brooks (right guard), but Herbig's versatility could earn him snaps as a rookie. At Stanford, Herbig was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection after becoming just the second true freshman since 2000 to start on the Cardinal's offensive line.

Ryan Hewitt • TE/FB • Tennessee Titans • Sixth season @Huey_85

Hewitt agreed to a one-year, $805,000 contract with Tennessee after appearing in 12 games with Indianapolis in 2018, but was released on Aug. 31 as part of the team's final cuts.

Kevin Hogan • QB • Free agent • Fourth season • @KHoagie8

Hogan was released by Denver after appearing in all of the Broncos' preseason contests, finishing 33-for-65 with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Alijah Holder • CB • Denver Broncos • First season • @alijahholder96

Holder earned a place on Denver's practice squad after appearing on 103 snaps across five preseason games – he was targeted seven times, allowing five catches for 35 yards and just nine yards after the catch. During his tenure on The Farm, Holder finished with 132 tackles, two interceptions, five forced fumbles and 28 pass breakups.

Austin Hooper • TE • Atlanta Falcons • Fourth season • @AustinHooper18

Hooper's steady improvement in three professional seasons continued in 2018 and was rewarded with his first Pro Bowl berth, catching the NFC's only touchdown of the game. The third-year tight end shattered his previous career highs in receptions (71, fourth among tight ends) and yards (660) while catching a career-high four touchdowns and seven passes of at least 20 yards. Entering the final season of his four-year, $3.2 million rookie contract, another healthy and productive campaign will net Hooper a hefty payday in 2020 free agency.

Trenton Irwin • WR • Free agent • First season • @trenton_4

Irwin was released by Miami having appeared on 59 total snaps across four preseason games, finishing with one reception for seven yards after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. In 53 career games at Stanford, Irwin caught 152 passes for 1,738 yards and five touchdowns.

Peter Kalambayi • OLB • Houston Texans • Second season • @Kalambayi34

Kalambayi enters his second season in the league after appearing in 15 games for Houston as a rookie. He totaled 13 tackles on 32 defensive snaps and 297 special teams snaps, the 63rd most of the 1,863 players to appear on special teams in 2018.

Bryce Love • RB • Washington Redskins • First season • @Blovee_20

Stanford's all-time single-season rushing leader was picked 112th overall in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by Washington despite undergoing knee surgery in January. Love rose to stardom in 2017, earning unanimous All-America honors and a trip to New York City as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Love will miss at least the first six weeks of the season while listed on the active/non-football injury list.  

Andrew Luck • QB • Indianapolis Colts • Retired • @ALBookClub

Luck shocked the sports world on Aug. 24 when he announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons in Indianapolis. The 2018 NFL Comeback Player of the Year finishes his career with 2,000 completions, a 60.8 pass percentage, 23,671 passing yards, 171 touchdown passes and an 89.5 quarterback rating, including a career-high 98.7 rating in 2018.

Blake Martinez • ILB • Green Bay Packers • Fourth season • @Big__Blake50

Martinez enters a contract year having racked up 144 tackles in each of the last two seasons for Green Bay. Martinez's 144 stops ranked second in the league while setting career highs in sacks (5) and pressures (19) with a career-best 74.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which included an 82.6 rating in coverage. The Packers overhauled its defense with major additions through the draft and free agency, but Martinez, whose 1,050 total snaps were the fourth-most of any linebacker in the league in 2018, is expected to once again play an important role in Mike Pettine's defense.

Josh Mauro • DE/DL • Oakland Raiders • Sixth season • @JustJoshin90

Mauro inked a one-year, $1.4 million deal with Oakland after playing his fifth NFL season with the New York Giants, finishing with one sack on five pressures, 15 run stops and 28 tackles. Mauro was released as part of final cuts but promptly re-signed with the Raiders on Sept. 2 as part of the 53-man roster.  

Christian McCaffrey • RB • Carolina Panthers • Third season • @run__cmc

After a strong rookie season, McCaffrey erupted in 2018 to finish third in the league in yards from scrimmage (1,965) while setting an NFL record for running backs with 107 receptions. The centerpiece of Carolina's offense who appeared on 966 offensive snaps, including all but 30 during Weeks 1-16, McCaffrey nearly doubled his rushing attempts (219) from his rookie season to gain 1,098 yards with seven scores and an exceptional 5.0 yards per carry. After accounting for 32.9 percent of the Panthers' yards from scrimmage in 2018, McCaffrey's use rate could decrease in favor of preserving him, long-term.

Quenton Meeks • CB • Free agent • Second season • @ShowTimeQM

Meeks, who made eight tackles on 47 defensive snaps as a rookie, was released by Jacksonville on Aug. 31. He appeared on 124 total snaps in the Jaguars' four preseason games, earning a 73.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus while allowing seven catches for 48 yards on 12 targets.

Ty Montgomery • RB • New York Jets • Fifth season • @TyMontgomery2

The versatile Montgomery made the New York Jets' 53-man roster after the first training camp of his career outside of Green Bay. Montgomery, who was traded to Baltimore during the 2018 season, is expected to share snaps with Le'Veon Bell to start the season. In 42 career games, Montgomery has rushed for 932 yards on 192 attempts with seven touchdowns to go with 107 receptions for 892 yards and a 22.7 career kick return average on 35 such plays.

Alameen Murphy • DB • Free agent • First season • @KingLeonidus23

Murphy participated in San Francisco's rookie minicamp but did not receive a training camp invitation.

Kyle Murphy • T • Los Angeles Rams • Fourth season • @KyleMurphy78

Murphy signed a futures contract with the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams at the start of the league year in March but was waived with an injury designation in April shortly before the 2019 NFL Draft.

Trent Murphy • DE/OLB • Buffalo Bills • Sixth season • @TMurphy_93

Murphy enters the second season of a three-year, $22.5 million contract he signed with Buffalo in 2018. Murphy registered four sacks, 21 pressures and 24 tackles in his first season with the Bills, battling through several injuries and appearing on a career-low 441 defensive snaps while recovering from a 2017 knee surgery.

Bobby Okereke • LB • Indianapolis Colts • First season • @BobbyOkereke

Okereke enters his rookie season as Indianapolis' backup middle linebacker having been picked by the Colts 89th overall in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In 51 career games on The Farm, Okereke totaled 240 tackles, including 19 for loss, nine passes defensed and 10.5 sacks while earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2017 and 2018.

David Parry • DT • New England Patriots • Fifth season • @DavidParry58

Parry registered four pressures in 117 total snaps with New England during preseason but was released on Aug. 31. In four seasons, Parry has appeared on 1,355 total snaps in 36 games with Indianapolis, New Orleans and Minnesota.

Andrus Peat • T/G • New Orleans Saints • Fifth season • @AndrusPeat

New Orleans exercised Peat's $9.6 million fifth-year option, part of a four-year, $11.4 million contract he signed as a rookie in 2015. Peat started all 15 games in which he appeared for the NFC South-champion Saints, helping the team reach the NFC Championship as a cog in one of the league's best offensive lines. Appearing on 879 offensive snaps at guard or tackle, Peat helped the Saints earn a 92.9 grade on offense from Pro Football Focus, the third-highest in the league, and earned his first Pro Bowl invitation.

Harrison Phillips • DT • Buffalo Bills • Second season • @HorribleHarry99

Phillips put forth a solid rookie season in 2018, making 35 tackles, including four for loss, and appearing in all 16 games for Buffalo. He did not miss a tackle all season, totaling eight quarterback pressures and 13 run stops. With the retirement of Kyle Williams, Phillips will most likely play more snaps than his 389 defensive stops as a rookie.

Justin Reid • S • Houston Texans • Second season • @jreid_viii

Reid quickly emerged as one of the highest-impact rookies in the NFL last season, totaling 88 tackles, 10 passes defensed, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one touchdown for the AFC South-champion Houston Texans. The versatile safety, a third-round selection in 2018, appeared on 946 defensive snaps for the league's fifth-best scoring defense (19.6 points allowed per game) while earning a 77.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked second among rookie safeties and 20th out of 93 qualifying safeties.

Jordan Richards • S • Oakland Raiders • Fifth season

Richards was released on Aug. 31 as part of final cuts after spending training camp and preseason with Oakland. He appeared on 116 snaps in the Raiders' four preseason games, making six tackles while earning a solid 73.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. A four-year veteran and Super Bowl champion, Richards has appeared in 56 games as a professional, setting career highs in tackles (39), run stops (16), starts (12) and defensive snaps (429) with the Falcons in 2018.

Brennan Scarlett • OLB • Houston Texans • Fourth season • @BScarlett17

Despite suffering a season-ending injury in Week 12, Scarlett earned a contract extension worth $5.8 million to keep him in Houston through the 2020 season. Until the injury, Scarlett was enjoying the best season of his three-year career, finishing with 18 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and an excellent 89.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. 

Dalton Schultz • TE • Dallas Cowboys • Second season • @BinghamBaller9

Schultz started the final six games of 2018 for Dallas after being picked in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. One of seven tight ends (minimum 20 percent of snaps) in the league to not allow a single pressure last season, Schultz caught 12 passes for 116 yards on 387 offensive snaps while earning a 78.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in pass blocking.

Richard Sherman • CB • San Francisco 49ers • Ninth season • @R_Sherman25

Sherman enters the second season of a three-year, $27.2 million contract with San Francisco he signed after his tenure in Seattle ended with an Achilles injury in 2017. Sherman's first season with the 49ers was limited due to his recovery, but reports out of San Francisco's training camp are that the former fifth-round pick is physically near where he was a four-time All Pro with the Seahawks. In 2018, Sherman surrendered only 25 receptions for 365 yards and one score while being targeted just 40 times by opposing quarterbacks, which tied a career low – he also allowed just 0.72 yards per coverage snap, the fifth-best rate among cornerbacks.

Aziz Shittu • DL • Philadelphia Eagles • Third season • @AzizShittu

Shittu was placed on Philadelphia's injured reserve on Aug. 30 after having appeared in three preseason games, racking up five pressures, including one sack, on 44 total defensive snaps.

Kaden Smith • TE • San Francisco 49ers • First season • @TheKadenSmith

Smith made San Francisco's 53-man roster alongside fellow former Cardinal Levine Toilolo after being drafted 176th overall in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Smith appeared in all four preseason games, catching one pass in each contest for a total of 44 receiving yards. In 25 career games at Stanford, Smith totaled 1,049 yards and seven touchdowns on 70 receptions.

Michael Thomas • S • New York Giants • Seventh season • @Michael31Thomas

Coming off of his first career Pro Bowl appearance, Thomas enters his seventh NFL season as one of the league's premier special teamers whose versatility makes him a valuable piece of any defense. Appearing in all 16 games in 2018, Thomas finished with 59 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble while setting career highs in passes defensed (6) and interceptions (2). His 344 special teams snaps ranked 20th in the league and his nine special teams tackles were the 13th-most of any player. Furthermore, Thomas has evolved into an influential leader in the locker room – he was named a team captain on Sept. 2 for the second consecutive season.

Solomon Thomas • DL • San Francisco 49ers • Third season • @SollyThomas90

Thomas, the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, generated a career-high 21 hurries during his sophomore season, adding 16 run stops on 28 total pressures on 644 defensive snaps. Late in 2018, Thomas' production increased after seeing more snaps as an interior rusher, a position he saw plenty of snaps at during the 2019 preseason. The 24-year-old Thomas, now entering his third season as a professional, also continues to be one of the league's most outspoken advocates for mental health.

Levine Toilolo • TE • Detroit Lions • Sixth season • @LevineToilolo

Toilolo was reunited with Kyle Shanahan after being released by Detroit in March, inking a one-year, $2 million contract with San Francisco. Appearing in all 16 games during Atlanta's NFC Championship-winning 2016 season with Shanahan as offensive coordinator, Toilolo posted a career-high 264 receiving yards on 703 offensive snaps with a whopping 20.3 yards per catch. In 2018, his only season with Detroit, Toilolo caught 21 passes for 263 yards – in six NFL seasons, he has missed just one of 96 games.

James Vaughters • LB • Chicago Bears • First season • @javaughters

Vaughters was a breakout performer in Chicago's preseason, producing three sacks on 46 pass-rushing snaps across four appearances to earn a spot on the Bears' practice squad after playing in the CFL since 2016. On 90 total snaps in preseason, Vaughters, Stanford's defensive MVP of the 2014 Foster Farms bowl, earned a phenomenal 90.3 overall grade, including a 91.6 pass-rushing grade with six total pressures.