Out of the 12 former Rutgers football players in the NFL right now, seven of them saw action for their teams on Sunday. The other five were either on injury reserve or just did not see the field.
CB Max Melton was the Scarlet Knight with the most playing time, as he recorded all 75 defensive snaps for the Arizona Cardinals in their 20-13 win over the Saints on Sunday. Melton showed some struggle early in the game before tightening up in the second half. He allowed a total of five catches for 60 yards,
which was the highest on the team. However, he only let up a total of five yards after catch, meaning he was staying with his man step for step.
The former Knight with the second most playing time was DT Sebastian Joseph-Day, who recorded 35 snaps for the Tennessee Titans. Despite the close 20-12 loss, Joseph-Day had one of the best games of his career as the Titan defensive line overwhelmed the Denver offense repeatedly. In total, Joseph-Day recorded five tackles and a fumble recovery deep in Bronco territory.
Former Rutgers Running back Isiah Pacheco recorded 31 snaps for the Chiefs in their Friday night 27-21 loss to the Chargers. Pacheco is looking to have a bounce-back year after sustaining two injuries last season. In his first game, Pacheco carried the ball five times for 25 yards and caught two passes for three yards. 16 of his 25 rushing yards came after first contact.
Kyle Monangai played in nine snaps during his NFL debut for the Chicago Bears, who lost to the Vikings 27-21 after a late comeback. Despite all the off-season buzz, Monangai did not record a rushing stat in his debut, with his lone star being an 11-yard catch from quarterback Caleb Williams. He was used primarily as a pass blocker in this game.
The other three former Knights who saw NFL snaps last weekend were all on special teams. Green Bay Packers Cornerback Bo Melton, Jacksonville Jaguars Cornerback Christian Braswell, and Minnesota Vikings Long Snapper Andrew DePaola all saw time on their teams’ kicking units. Melton would leave his game early with a shoulder injury after recording 13 snaps, while DePaola kept the Vikings’ kicks steady in their comeback win over the Bears.
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