Five Pitt Rookies Survive NFL Roster Cuts

Of the seven Pitt Panthers to be drafted this spring, five made NFL rosters.

PITTSBURGH -- As training camps around the NFL opened in late August, 35 former Pitt Panthers were on rosters and fighting for a chance to play professional football. 

But after each and every NFL teams was forced to cut down their rosters from 90 to 53 players, just 19 remain. And of the seven former Panthers to have been selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, five - Calijah Kancey (Buccaneers), Jordan Addison (Vikings), SirVocea Dennis (Buccaneers), Carter Warren (Jets) and Israel Abanikanda (Jets) - made the initial rosters for the teams that selected them. 

They join 14 other former Pitt players - including Kenny Pickett, Aaron Donald, Tyler Boyd, James Conner, Brian O'Neil and others - on NFL rosters. 

Dennis and Kancey both had been impressing their coaches down in Tampa prior to suffering mid-training camp injuries. Kancey is dealing with a calf strain that has sidelined him for the past few weeks, but the former first round pick is expected to be ready for the season opener next weekend and Dennis, listed as a backup on the Bucs' first depth chart, returned to practice last week. 

Warren (undisclosed) and Abanikanda (thigh) are also dealing with injuries of their own, but still survived cuts. Abanikanda's ailment is not feared to be anything long-term, so the Jets have opted to keep their preseason leading rusher around as a depth piece. Meanwhile, Warren could be headed for the injured reserve to open the season. 

Two Pitt rookies - Erick Hallett (Jaguars) and Brandon Hill (Texans) - were among the last cuts their respective teams made. Gabe Houy (Bears) was released with an injury settlement after hurting his leg in their final preseason game. 

Cam Bright (Browns), J.P. Holtz and Lucas Krull (Saints), Jimmy Morrissey and Jared Wayne (Texans), Jaryd Jones-Smith (Commanders), Qadree Ollison (Jaguars), Deslin Alexandre (Jets), Habakkuk Baldonado (Giants), Nathan Peterman (Bears) and Jaylen Twyman (Dolphins) made up the remainder of the 14 Panthers cut this week. 

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