15 Former Cardinals Make 2024 NFL 53-Man Rosters

With the NFL's 2024 season just around the corner, 15 former Louisville football players have made initial 53-man rosters across the league.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander talks with Baltimore Ravens quarterback and former University of Louisville teammate Lamar Jackson during a joint practice on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at Ray Nitschke Field in Ashwaubenon, Wis. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The preseason is now in the books, and the 2024 NFL season is just around the corner. Thursday, Sept. 5 will mark the start of Week 1, with the Ravens and Chiefs squaring off at 8:20 p.m. EST on NBC.

This past Tuesday, the 32 teams across the league were tasked with trimming down their rosters one final time to 53 players. While several former Cardinals saw their release over the course of the preseason, there will still be a sizable Louisville presence across the league entering the season.

In total, 15 former Louisville football players survived the final roster cuts, and made initial 53-man rosters across the league.

In the days leading up to Tuesday's deadline, 10 former Cardinals were cut or waived during the preseason: OL Geron Christian Sr. (Titans), LB K.J. Cloyd (Giants), QB/WR Malik Cunningham (Ravens), WR Dez Fitzpatrick (Steelers), WR Tyler Harrell (Jets), OL Bryan Hudson (Lions), RB Jawhar Jordan (Texans), OL Eric Miller (Bengals), QB Jack Plummer (Panthers) and OL Willie Tyler IV (Jets).

Below are all the former Cards currently on active rosters heading into Week 1:

Yasir Abdullah

Position: Linebacker
Team: Jacksonville Jaguars
Years at UofL: 2018-22

A year removed from being selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Abdullah didn't see much on-field time as a rookie. He played just 45 defensive snaps across five games, and logged only one tackles and a QB hit.

Jaire Alexander

Position: Cornerback
Team: Green Bay Packers
Years at UofL: 2015-17

Alexander had to miss 10 games last season due to injury, but he was still impactful in the time where he did see the field. In seven starts, he compiled 27 tackles, five pass breakups, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss.

Tutu Atwell

Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Years at UofL: 2018-20

In his third season in the NFL, Atwell became a full-time starter for the Rams, and had his best season in the league up to this point. His 39 receptions for 483 yards and three touchdowns were all career-highs, and all were fourth on the Rams this past season.

Mekhi Becton

Position: Offensive Tackle
Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Years at UofL: 2017-19

Becton started 16 games for the Jets this past season, but New York opted not to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. The former first round pick then later signed with the Eagles as a free agent.

Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Position: Cornerback
Team: Tennessee Titans
Years at UofL: 2022-23

Brownlee was the second of four Cardinals to be selected in April's NFL Draft, which was the most since the same were drafted in 2018. In his final season with Louisville, he logged 30 tackles, one for loss, six pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Kei'Trel Clark

Position: Cornerback
Team: Arizona Cardinals
Years at UofL: 2020-22

After being picked in the sixth round of last year's NFL Draft, Clark saw a fair amount of playing time as a rookie for Arizona. He played in 14 games and made seven starts, logging 43 tackles (37 solo) with two for loss and four pass break ups.

YaYa Diaby

Position: Defensive End/Outside Linebacker
Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Years at UofL: 2020-22

After being a top-100 NFL Draft pick last season, Diaby had an extremely impactful rookie campaign with the Buccaneers. Playing all 17 games with seven starts, he finished with 38 tackles (25 solo), 12 for loss, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and eight QB hits. Diaby finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Storm Duck

Position: Cornerback
Team: Miami Dolphins
Years at UofL: 2023

Duck might have gone unselected in April's draft, but the Dolphins were quick to sign him as an undrafted free agent. He finished second to Quincy Riley on the team in pass breakups this past season with seven. He also collected 32 tackles (23 solo), 1.5 for loss and a sack.

Jonathan Greenard

Position: Outside Linebacker
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Years at UofL: 2015-17

Greenard had a monstrous year in what wound up being his final season as a Texan. He led the team in tackles for loss and sacks at 15 and 12.5, respectively, and also collected 52 total tackles, 22 QB hits and a forced fumble. He signed a four-year, $76 million deal with the Vikings in March.

Isaac Guerendo

Position: Running Back
Team: San Francisco 49ers
Years at UofL: 2023

Guerendo was the first Louisville player off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft, going at No. 129 overall. In his lone season as a Cardinal, he finished with 810 yards and 11 touchdowns on 132 rushes, along with 22 receptions for 234 yards to total 1,044 yards from scrimmage.

Lamar Jackson

Position: Quarterback
Team: Baltimore Ravens
Years at UofL: 2015-17

Jackson had a fantastic 2023 campaign, one which secured him his second MVP honor in just five years. His 67.2 completion percentage and 3,678 passing yards were both career-highs, and he threw 24 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. On the ground, he ran for 821 yards and five touchdowns.

Sheldon Rankins

Position: Defensive Tackle
Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Years at UofL: 2012-15

Rankins posted one of the best seasons of his career during his lone season with Houston Texans. He logged 37 total tackles (29 solo), 9.0 for loss, 6.0 sacks, 10 QB hits, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble for a touchdown - the first in his career. He inked a two-year $26 million deal with Cincinnati in March.

Jamari Thrash

Position: Wide Receiver
Team: Cleveland Browns
Years at UofL: 2023

Thrash was the third of the four Louisville players to be selected in April's NFL Draft, all of which came on the third and final day of the draft. He caught 63 passes for 858 yards and six touchdowns last season, all of which led the team.

Jordan Travis

Position: Quarterback
Team: New York Jets
Years at UofL: 2018

After spending his freshman year at Louisville, Travis proceeded to play the next five years of his collegiate career at ACC rival Florida State, becoming one of the Seminoles' most prolific passers in program history. He is starting the 2024 NFL season on the injured list, still recovering from his season-ending leg injury late last season.

Russ Yeast

Position: Safety
Team: Los Angeles Rams
Years at UofL: 2017-20

Yeast began the 2023 season as the Rams' starting free safety, but saw his role take a significant step back in the second half of the year. He finished with 61 tackles (37 solo) and five pass breakups.

(Photo of Jaire Alexander, Lamar Jackson: Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X