On Sunday night, NFL teams had to trim their rosters to a maximum number of 53 players. And there were a few surprises along the way as it pertained to former Michigan football players.
The big news was that the Minnesota Vikings -- who had long ago named Kyler Murray as the franchise's starter -- ended up retaining quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who had appeared to be on his way out. However, there were some cuts, such as Mazi Smith from the New York Jets, David Ojabo from the Miami Dolphins, Junior Colson from the LA Chargers, Rayshaun Benny from the Baltimore Ravens, Hassan Haskins from the New England Patriots, and Trevor Keegan from the Dallas Cowboys.
But some others found themselves entrenched, including a number of rookies. The Detroit Lions
kept linebacker Jimmy Rolder on the 53-man roster, despite his injury, which could have seen him initially placed on IR. Jaishawn Barham earned his role with the Dallas Cowboys, as did Derrick Moore with the Lions. Marlin Klein earned his place with the Houston Texans, and Dominic Zvada is maintaining his role playing under John Harbaugh with the New York Giants, as well.
Here are the former Wolverines who landed on opening day rosters:
All in all, 40 former Michigan football players found themselves signed at this juncture. And while several got cut, many of them will likely be picked up sooner or later now that they're free agents.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: 40 former Michigan football players make 2026 NFL opening rosters
