Football is back! As the Gophers prepare for their season opener in less than three weeks, a bunch of former Gophers are trying to keep their NFL dreams alive in their teams various training camps. A total of 31 different Gopher alums started NFL training camp on a roster of one of the 32 NFL squads, and while not all 31 will see their NFL dreams come true in a few weeks, this could be the largest class of Gopher alums in the league in a very long time. Below we list where the former Gophers are in the NFL and what
we predict is the chance that they make a final 53-man roster or a practice squad roster once the NFL cuts hit on August 30th.
Arizona Cardinals
Jamison Geers—TE
Geers signed as a UDFA with the Cardinals last spring and has allready seen action as Arizona opened up the NFL Preseason in the Hall of Fame Game last week in Canton. Geers recorded a pair of catches for 20 yards and a signature hurdle in the game against Carolina.
Geers currently is listed as TE5 for the Cardinals on their official depth chart, so he has a lot of work he needs to do if he wants to make Arizona’s roster. But, never say never,
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 2%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 20%
Jack Gibbons-LB
A year after playing in the Super Bowl with New England, Gibbons heads to the Valley of the Sun to be coached by a former Gopher LB in Nick Rallis. Gibbons is currently listed as the second string middle linebacker for Arizona, but with his pedigree in the league over the last few seasons should be safe to make the roster and then earn playing time on the field.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 95%
Atlanta Falcons
Le’ Meke Brockington—WR (IR)
Brockington signed as a UDFA with the Falcons, but his time appears to have already come to an end. He suffered an undisclosed injury and earlier this week was waived with an injury designation. Another team is allowed to sign him and add them to their roster, but if another team does not sign him off of waivers he will spend the entire 2026 season on injured reserve with the Falcons and will need to sit out the entire season.
Percent Chance to make a 53-man roster or Practice Squad: 0%
Baltimore Ravens
Rashod Bateman-WR
Bateman starts year #6 in the NFL as one of the starting wide outs for the Baltimore Ravens. He played just 13 games a season ago finishing with a career low in receiving yards and just a pair of TDs. If he can stay healthy he looks to be one of Lamar Jackson’s top threats along with Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews under new head coach Jesse Minter and under OC Declan Doyle who was in charge of Caleb Williams emergence as the Bears OC in 2025.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Chicago Bears
Terell Smith—CB
Speaking of the Bears, we welcome back Terell Smith. After tearing his ACL in training camp a year ago and missing their entire 2025 season, Smith is back with the Bears. He has returned to his second string corner back position where he was a season ago, but unfortunately has allready been banged up and left practice early a week ago. It is unknown if he will play in the Bears preseason opener against Cleveland on Saturday. As long as he stays healthy, he should have a safe roster spot, but that health is a big concern.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 85%
Cincinnati Bengals
Boye Mafe—DE
Fresh off of a Super Bowl title with Seattle, Mafe signed a three year $60 million dollar contract with the Bengals in March. He goes from playing an outside linebacker in Seattle’s 3-4 look to a defensive end in Cincy’s 4-3 look. He should start for the Bengals where they hope he can make up for the loss of Trey Hendrickson up front.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Dallas Cowboys
Tyler Johnson—WR
Johnson sgned with the Cowboys as a free agent this summer and will look to try and keep his up and down NFL career alive. He played 12 games last season with the New York Jets catching 12 balls for just under 200 yards and a TD. He now finds himself in a battle with about 5 or 6 players for the last WR spot on the Cowboy’s roster. He definately has an uphill climb with Dallas having a lock on their top 4 wide outs and needing to compete with a lot of young players to make an impact.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 5%
Brevin Span-Ford—TE
Span Ford stepped into a larger role than many expected as a rookie for Dallas last season and earned accolades for his blocking. He starts the preseason as Dallas’s TE2 and should play a large role in the Cowboys offense this season blocking for Javonte Williams and Dak Prescott. Barring something crazy he has a roster spot locked down.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 98%
Green Bay Packers
Benjamin St. Juste—CB
St. Juste continues his tour of the league leaving the Chargers after one season to sign with the Packers in the spring. He heads into the first preseason game listed as a backup CB on the Packers depth chart. Green Bay does not have much depth in the defensive backfield, meaning BSJ should stick around as long as he looks competent in camp and in preseason action.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 80%
Drew Biber—TE (cut)
It was a whirlwind week for the Wisconsin native who signed with his hometown Packers the first week of August, but unfortunately was waived just a week later. He’s back on the market as a free agent, but likely would not be anything more than a camp body at this time for someone.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 0%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 2%
Houston Texans
Aireontae Ersery—OT
Ersery played nearly every snap in his rookie season for the Texans at right tackle and did fine for a rookie. There is lots of room for improvement, but that’s to be expected. He will again slot in at right tackle and start protecting CJ Stroud’s blind side.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Indianapolis Colts
Jai’Onte’ McMillan—CB
McMillan signed with the Colts as a UDFA this past spring and currently is backing up his former teammate at the nickel spot who we will discuss soon. There are only two nickels listed on the Colts depth chart, and both are former Gophers. Will McMillen impress enough in camp to get a fair shot? It’s unknown but he will need to get ahead of at least 2 or 3 other players to make the final 53 man roster. He more likely may do enough to lock up a practice squad spot.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 2%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 25%
Justin Walley—CB
Walley will look to finally make his NFL game debut in September. He did not play a down last season after tearing his ACL in fall camp, but was impressing immediately. Walley currently is slated as the Colts starting nickel back and appears to be a lock to make the roster and hopefully be the next great Gopher defensive back in the league.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Jacksonville Jaguars
Eric Murray—S
Murray continues his illustrious NFL career in Jacksonville last season and when he was healthy impressed for the Jags. He enters his 11th season in the league this fall and is once again slated to start for Jacksonville at one of the two safety spots. Not bad for a 5th round pick all those years ago.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Danny Striggow—DE
Striggow was the surprise of last season’s UDFA crop as he made the Jaguars team out of fall camp and then earned his way into the lineup as the season went on. He enters the preseason lasted as a second team defensive end on the Jaguars depth chart and should safely make the roster for his second NFL season.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 97%
Las Vegas Raiders
Cody Lindenberg—LB
Lindenberg made the Raiders roster as a 7th round pick last fall and then played special teams every single week, but never played a snap on defense. He enters camp as the second string middle backer for the Raiders on their depth chart. He has impressed early in camp and will need to fight the entire way, but it appears that Cody has a good chance to make the Raiders main roster once again and maybe even see some defensive snaps in 2026.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 85%
Miami Dolphins
Ethan Robinson—CB
Robinson spent most of the 2025 season on the Dolphins practice squad before being called up to the main roster at the end of the season. He currently is listed as the second team nickel back on the Dolphins depth chart and will be in a fight to earn one of the last defensive back spots on the Fins roster.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 15%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 85%
Minnesota Vikings
Max Brosmer—QB
Brosmer made the Vikings as the QB3 a season ago and nobody saw him playing as much as he ended up doing last season. Unfortunately for him and the Vikings, it did not go nearly as well as they might have hoped. Brosmer didn’t have much help, but the confidence in him being able to make a difference at the QB spot in the NFL is not high right now. With the Vikings signing Kyler Murray and naming him the starter, the only way Brosmer makes the Vikings main roster is if they decide to trade away JJ McCarthy. Not out of the question, but not looking great either.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 4%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 90%
Blake Cashman—LB
Cashman was one of the best players on the Vikings defense when he was healthy last season. But that’s the key he has struggled with his entire career—staying healthy. He’s a lock to make the Vikings roster, but how many games will you actually get out of him?
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
New Orleans Saints
Jordan Howden—S
Howden did not have a great third season with the Saints a season ago as he saw his stats slump to career lows. But he still is a good depth defensive back for New Orleans and can play special teams so his roster spot should be safe for the 2026 season. He will need to fight off some new blood for the Saints, but his special teams play should help him there.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster:80%
New York Giants
Daniel Faalele—OG
Faalele followed his head coach John Harbaugh in the off-season signing as a free agent with the Giants and leaving Baltimore. He currently is slated as the Giants swing guard on the depth chart and is immediately slated as the backup left guard behind vet Jon Runyan. He easily will make the Giants roster, and will have a good chance at some point this season to play next to his former Gopher teammate discussed below yet again.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 99%
John-Micheal Schmitz—C
JMS’s third season with the boys in blue was not a great one as he again dealt with injuries and was not the most efficient blocker in the league. Yet he returns for year four as the Giants starting center and hopefully will be able to stay healthy and improve his play to stay there.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Tyler Nubin—S
Nubin had a productive sophomore season with the Giants but played just 13 games for the second consecutive year after dealing with an injury. His sack fumble recovery for a TD against the Vikings at the end of the season was a highlight to a semi disappointing year, but he returns to start in the Giants defensive backfield yet again hoping to see a resurgence.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyler Baugh-DT
Baugh is in camp with the Steelers after spending the majority of the 2025 season on their practice squad. He’s currently listed as the 4th string nose tackle, so his path to the final 53 man roster is not great, but he could definitely be a practice squad pickup yet again.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 2%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 75%
Jack Henderson-S
Henderson finds himself in Pittsburgh after a 2025 season where he bounced from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad to the Steelers and then finishing the year in Miami. He currently is listed a second team safety for the Steerers on their depth chart, but he still has a steel climb to make an actual roster and not just a practice squad.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 4%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 75%
Esezi Otomewo—DT
Otomewo is also still with the Steelers after seeing a career high 12 games of action for the black and gold last year. He’s currently listed as the third team nose tackle ahead of Baugh. With anew head coach i Pittsburgh there is no guarantee he fits into the new system but he will be right near the line on cut day.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 50%
Seattle Seahawks
Deven Eastern—DT
The seventh round pick of the Seahawks is finally healthy after missing the first week of camp on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury. He currently is listed as the 4th team nose tackle, so he will have a lot of ground to make up over the next few weeks if he wants to make the main roster and not just end up on the practice squad.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 20%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 85%
Nick Kallerup—TE
The other Gopher UDFA to make a tam out of camp last season with Danny Striggow ended up winning a Super Bowl ring. Kallerup with a third and fourth TE for the Seahawks for most of the season and ended up playing in nine games last season for the Super Bowl Champs. He’s currently listed as TE4, but the teams knows what he can do blocking in the run game and hopefully he can find a way onto the roster once again.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 70%
Percent Chance to make a practice squad: 90%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ko Kieft-TE
Kieft enters year five in the NFL and looks to be healthy after playing in just three games last season breaking his leg in Week 3 against the Jets. He’s back in his typical space as the TE3 on the Bucs depth chart and should once again see himself seeing action on running downs and on special teams. He has carved out his nieche in the league and for now it continues to work for both him and Tampa.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 95%
Antoine Winfield, JR—S
Winfield looks to begin his seventh season in the NFL and is one of the better safeties in the league. Despite not gaudy numbers Winfield had arguably his second bet season in 2025 playing in all 17 games for just the second time in his career and recording his second highest tackles number and added a pair of interceptions. He’s the clear starter on a Buccaneer team that hopes to stay healthier in 2026 and make a playoff run yet again.
Percent Chance to make the 53-man roster: 100%
Washington Commanders
Tyler Cooper—OG (cut)
Cooper signed with Washington in January after ending the season on their practice squad. Unfortunately he was cut just a week into camp after the Commanders signed Stephon Diggs to play wide out, so Cooper is looking for a home.
