Inside The Huskies

An NFL Huskies Season Review: Who Did What

Nearly three dozen former University of Washington football players drew at least a snap.

Dan Raley

Former University of Washington players turned up everywhere in the NFL this past regular season. Sacking. Scoring. Rushing. Catching. Intercepting. Signing $73 million extensions.

Thirty-five of these ex-Huskies took part in at least one regular-season game over these past five months, with 15 of them playing for teams headed for the playoffs. Six of them scored touchdowns, two on defense.

Looking back over the past 18 weeks, here's how the NFL Huskies fared, with starts and stats, beginning with the richest guy:

Defensive tackle Vita Vea completed his fourth regular season with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers by starting all 16 games he appeared. He collected 33 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, 3 pass defends, a fumble recovery and that rich, rich contract negotiation. Alas, this big hunk of 6-foot-4, 347-pound humanity did not add to his pro football touchdown total, which currently stands at 2.

Playing next to Vea, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had what was considered an exceptional rookie season for the Bucs. The first-round draft pick appeared in all 17 games, starting six times. He finished with 29 tackles and, same as Vea, 5 TFLs and 4 sacks. He also logged 10 quarterback hits and 3 pass defends, including 2 in the season finale against Carolina.

Defensive tackle Benning Potoa'e played in one game for the Bucs, drawing 9 snaps and making a tackle against Carolina the day after Christmas. He's played in two games in his two NFL seasons.

Kick returner/receiver Jaydon Mickens split the season between Tampa Bay and the Jacksonville Jaguars, getting released by one and signed by the other but not leaving Florida. He had 27 kick returns for 438 yards and he caught 2 passes for 10 yards for the Jags.

In Miami, running back Myles Gaskin completed his third NFL season and what may be his final one with the Dolphins. The franchise just fired coach Brian Flores, who was a notable Gaskin supporter. The 5-foot-10, 194-pound runner, while briefly going on the COVID/reserve list, appeared in all 17 games and started 10, though none of the last four on the schedule as his role diminished some. He rushed 173 times for 612 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 49 passes for 234 yards and 4 scores. 

Similarly, running back Salvon Ahmed appeared in 12 games in reserve for the Dolphins, but he was used for far fewer plays than in his rookie season. He rushed 54 times for 149 yards and hauled in 12 passes for 117 yards. He also spent time on the COVID/reserve list.

Kaleb McGary completed his third season at offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons, starting in all 16 games he appeared for a 7-10 team, and now 45 of 46 in his career. He might be on the move this offseason, with critics saying he hasn't progressed as much as preferred for a one-time first-rounder.

Same as Tryon-Shoyinka, cornerback Elijah Molden had a productive rookie season for the playoff-bound Tennessee Titans, who are 12-5 and the No. 1 AFC seed. Molden started 7 of the 16 games he appeared, while dealing with the COVID/reserve list. He piled up 62 tackles, including 3 TFLs, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and most notably an interception that he returned 2 yards for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts and Carson Wentz.

For Carolina, linebacker Shaq Thompson logged his third consecutive 100-tackle season over seven years in the league, totaling 104 tackles after previously producing 114 and 109. Banged up a little with a foot injury, he played in 14 games, starting 13. He had 9 TFLs, including a pair of sacks, and turned in 6 quarterback hits.

Playing alongside Thompson, rookie cornerback Keith Taylor started 3 of 17 games for the 5-12 Panthers and rang up 38 tackles, a TFL, 3 pass defends and a forced fumble.

Cornerback Jordan Miller, in his third season, appeared in a single NFL game this season for the New Orleans Saints, drawing a pair of special-teams snaps against Carolina in September. He has 12 games under his belt, counting a prior stop in Atlanta.

In New York, defensive tackle Danny Shelton and wide receivers John Ross and Dante Pettis each pulled game time for the Giants.

In his seventh NFL season, the 6-foot-2, 345-pound Shelton played in 13 games without a start, dealing with the COVID/reserve list at one point. He finished with 31 tackles, a TFL, a half sack and a quarterback hit. 

Ross was saddled with a knee injury in his fifth pro football season, which limited him to 10 games and a start. He caught 11 passes for 224 yards and a score, and ran once for 16 yards.

Pettis dealt with both a shoulder injury and the COVID/reserve list, which restricted him to just 3 games this past season. He caught 10 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

In New England, second-year defensive back Myles Bryant appeared in 12 games and started 2 for the playoff-bound Patriots before ending up on the COVID/reserve list to finish the regular season. He totaled 41 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and 3 pass break-ups.

Tight end Drew Sample, playing in his third NFL season, started 8 of 17 games for the playoff-bound Cincinnati Bengals and caught 11 passes for 81 yards, down from the 40 receptions he had the year before. 

Up the road in Cleveland, second-year center Nick Harris appeared in 11 Browns games, starting once against the Green Bay Packers when needed because of an injury to the normal center. He started once at guard over 12 games as a rookie. He got banged up some this season and played mostly special teams. 

Second-year defensive tackle Josiah Bronson played 7 games, 6 with the New Orleans Saints before getting waived and ending up with the Browns for a solitary outing. He had a combined 12 tackles, a TFL and a QB hit.

In Detroit, rookie defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike went through a lot of growing pains, appearing in 16 games without starting. He finished with 35 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, a quarterback hit and 2 pass defends, and didn't have the best outing when he returned to Seattle to play the Seahawks. 

Cornerback Kevin King started 6 of 10 games he appeared for the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers in his fifth season, sitting out at times with hip and knee injuries. He came up with 29 tackles, an interception, 3 pass break-ups and a QB hit. 

In Arizona, safety Budda Baker was as productive as ever in his fifth NFL season for the 11-6 and playoff-bound Cardinals. He started all 17 games, giving him 68 in 78 career games. He intercepted 3 passes, returning one of them 77 yards, and totaled 98 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 sacks, 7 pass break-ups, 3 quarterback hits and a fumble recovery.

Playing next to Baker in the Cardinals secondary and proving equally effective, cornerback Byron Murphy started all 16 games he appeared. He intercepted 4 passes, 2 against top overall NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence of the Jags, and returned one of them 29 yards for a score. Murphy piled up 64 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 3 QB hits, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and 12 pass defends.

Another Husky turned Cardinal, special-teams player Ezekiel Turner lasted 5 games and registered 4 tackles before going on injured reserved with a shoulder injury.

Also for Arizona, tight end Darrell Daniels has carved out a niche role for the Cardinals. He appeared in 15 games and started 4, caught a pass for no gain and came up with 5 tackles on special teams. 

In Los Angeles, safety Taylor Rapp finished the regular season for the playoff-bound Rams with 4 interceptions, 94 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 3 QB hits and 5 pass break-ups, and one memorable on-field, hot-tempered skirmish with secondary teammate Jalen Ramsey coming out of a huddle for everyone to see. Rapp started all 17 games in third season, giving him 32 starts in 41 career outings.

The Husky making the biggest NFL career breakthrough this past season undoubtedly was defensive tackle Greg Gaines, who became a starter for the first time in his third year with the Rams. He opened in 13 of 17 games after coming off the bench in 30 previous outings. The 6-foot-1, 312-pound defender made a lot of stuff happen, finishing with 55 tackles, 4 TFLs, 4.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits. 

Also for the Rams, center Coleman Shelton enjoyed his first two NFL starts in his third NFL season, with the 6-foot-4, 299-pound veteran opening against the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings when injuries necessitated him stepping up.

Across town, kicker Tristan Vizcaino played just 5 games for the Los Angeles Chargers, getting waived after going only 10 for 15 on extra-point conversions. He was good on 6 of 7 field goals, though. Vizcaino was re-signed and put on the practice squad. 

Offensive guard Senio Kelemente joined the Chargers as a midseason signee and played 9 games, starting 2. The 6-foot-3, 301-pounder was in his ninth NFL season.

In Las Vegas, linebacker Cory Littleton might have had the biggest NFL falloff for a former UW player. In his sixth season, he went from starter through the first 13 games for the playoff-bound Raiders, to reserve and special-teamer for two outings to special-teamer only for the final two games after losing his job to rookie Divine Deablo. He picked up 98 tackles, 2 TFLs, a half sack, 2 QB hits, a fumble recovery and 4 pass defends. 

Cornerback Desmond Trufant, in his ninth NFL season, began the year with the New Orleans Saints, was cut and now plays for the Raiders. He appeared in 10 games, starting one. He turned in 17 tackles and 6 pass defends.  

In New Orleans, running back Dwayne Washington appeared in 14 games, all in reserve, while dealing with the COVID/reserve list. He rushed 4 times for 16 yards and caught 2 passes for 12 yards, and mostly played special teams. 

In Seattle, cornerback Sidney Jones seemed to resurrect his NFL career in his fifth season by starting 11 of 16 games for the Seahawks while briefly going on the COVID/reserve list. He came up with 66 tackles, a TFL and 9 pass defends. 

Tight end Will Dissly started 14 of 15 games for the Seahawks, though sitting out at the end of the season with a heel injury. The fourth-year pro caught 21 passes for 231 yards and a score. 

Finally, second-year quarterback Jacob Eason began the season with the Indianapolis Colts, played two series late against the Rams in his NFL debut, threw a fateful interception and was waived shortly thereafter. He completed 2 of 5 passes for 25 yards in that brief appearance. The hometown Seahawks signed him as a third quarterback, where he only watched. 

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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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