Many former USC Trojans tore it up in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Caleb Williams looked like a top-five quarterback in the league against the Carolina Panthers. Two USC Trojan legends propelled the Seattle Seahawks to a big victory in Week 1 without Sam Darnold. USC will be well represented this season in pro football.
Here is my breakdown of how some former USC football players fared in the first week of the NFL season:
Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams picked off right when he left last season with a dominant Week 1 performance. Leonard Williams proved to be worth every penny against the Patriots. Williams led the charge of a Seattle Seahawks defense that stifled Drake Maye again. Williams finished with 4 tackles and 1 sack. He will be the heartbeat of the Seahawks defense again this
year.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold's day ended as soon as it started. However, Seattle received good news about the injury, and the former Trojan could very well be out there in Week 3. The offensive pieces this season should be able to put Darnold in a great position for another special season.
Uchenna Nwosu
Nwosu was Leonard Williams's Robin in Week 1. Nwosu was flying all over the field and made 2 elite tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He set the tone for the physicality the Seahawks defense wanted to bring. Nwosu had 5 total tackles and 1 pass deflection on Thursday night. He will remain a big factor for the Seahawks defense.
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold
In his first start, Arnold only managed to get 2 tackles, but he remains a player the Cleveland Browns are excited about. It will be a long season, but the former Trojan still has much time to become a household name.
Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams had a top-5 quarterback-in-the-league performance on Sunday. He showed everything people have wanted to see from him. The special highlight-reel player he showed last season was also present. He was the star of the week for the Trojans. He will be in for a big season this year. Caleb was 21-for-29 for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns. Caleb Williams reminded everyone how dangerous he is out of the pocket with his 65 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns as well. The Bears' ceiling is through the roof when they have a quarterback like Caleb Williams, based on what he showed in Week 1.
Ja'Kobi Lane
The spectacular rookie season Lane was going to have faced a big setback in Week 1. Lane injured his wrist and will now be sidelined for a month. Lane and Lamar Jackson built a nice connection in camp. We will have to wait some time to see that connection blossom.
Woody Marks
The Texans brought in David Montgomery to be the guy leading the rushing attack. However, Woody Marks has proven to still be extremely valuable. Marks had 9 carries for 42 yards. He will not get the pressure of a full workload anymore, but he still has a great shot to make an impact this season. The Texans' run game will be immensely better with both Marks and Montgomery complementing each other. Game 1 showed that to be true.
Calen Bullock
Bullock kicked off the season, having an impact and producing at a high level. Bullock tallied 6 total tackles and had 1 pass deflection. The Texans' defense gave up more than they would have liked against Buffalo. I expect a player like Bullock to be a big part of a potential bounce-back performance from the Texans' defense this next week.
Drake London
The Falcons' quarterback woes have continued for another season. Cooper Rush was the starting quarterback for Atlanta in Game 1, and he had the worst quarterback performance this past week. If it wasn't for Bijan Robinson, it would have gotten real ugly. London only had 4 targets for 2 catches and 29 yards. Not a great start to what should have been a career year for London.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman Jr., in his debut for the Steelers, led the team in receiving. He and Aaron Rodgers may have found something special against the Falcons. Pittman Jr. finished the game with 3 catches for 58 yards. When Pittman Jr. has competent quarterback play, he can be a real weapon in an offense. He should get back to being a 1000 yard receiver this season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown will be the driving force behind the Lions' offensive success this season. St. Brown was heavily involved against the Saints, as he put up 67 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 catches. His consistency should be on display for another season.
Tuli Tuipulotu
No, Jessie Minter and the defense around him got worse. Tuli needs to be that exact difference-maker he was last season. Tuli had 5 tackles and a pass deflection against the Cardinals in an upset loss. Tuli will have to be more than that for this defense to see success.
Makai Lemon
It was a very disappointing start to the season for promising rookie Makai Lemon. The offense for the Eagles looked a lot better, and Jalen Hurts looked really impressive. The Eagles need to find a way to get Lemon confident. He looked far from the player who was the best receiver in college football last season. Lemon had 3 catches for -5 yards. I will not overreact to this performance, but Lemon definitely needs to pick things up soon.
Marshawn Lloyd
Marshawn Lloyd got a full workload in Game 1, and the Vikings bottled him up for the majority of the game. He had 13 carries for 37 yards, really not making too much impact on the game. Had the Packers had an effective run game, they would have put Minnesota away. If Josh Jacobs misses more time, the Packers will need a lot more production than what Lloyd gave them in Week 1.
Jordan Addison
Against the Green Bay Packers, Addison was a non-factor. Addison had 2 targets, but he was not able to haul in either one for any type of gain. His talent is there, and his ceiling is through the roof. Unfortunately for Addison, this really is a make-or-break season.
Talanoa Hufanga
The Broncos' defense had a terrible performance against their division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. The run game for the Chiefs was as dangerous as can be. Kenneth Walker showed out in his debut. Hufanga and the Broncos' defense had no answer for Walker. Talanoa Hufanga is a huge factor for the Broncos' defense. If Hufanga can be elite again, this defense can regain its dominance.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC Trojans in the NFL - 2026 Week 1 in review
