This week was roster cut-down date in the NFL, meaning that several players saw their dreams of making the 53-man roster come to an end. Among those players who were cut/waived, several UCLA Bruins found out they did not make their teams’ active roster.
Center Andre James was placed on injured reserve by the Tennessee Titans while 10 other former Bruins were waived over the weekend. In addition to the former UCLA players, one former UCLA commit was waived, as Joey Aguilar was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Aguilar was set to become the starting quarterback for the Bruins but the team opted to pursue Nico Iamaleava, leading Aguilar to replace Iamaleava in Tennessee
Along with James and Aguilar, former Bruins LB Krys Barnes, LB Ale Kaho, LB Carl
Jones, LB Darius Muasau, DT Jay Toia, RB Carson Steele, S Qwuantrezz Knight, DT Gary Smith III, OL Courtland Ford and G Bruno Fina all failed to reach the 53-man roster.
Steele’s name might stand out, as the former UCLA rookie became fantasy relevant as a rookie with the Kansas City Chiefs and nearly made the Pro-Bowl as a fullback. The Dallas Cowboys drafted Toia in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft but Toia failed to make the Dallas roster for the second-straight season.
Both Smith and Ford were undrafted free agents in this year’s draft cycle but neither could hold onto a roster spot, with the New York Jets cutting Ford and the Las Vegas Raiders waiving Smith.
It wasn’t all bad news for former UCLA UDFAs, with the Green Bay Packers having J. Michael Sturdivant make their 53-man roster. Sturdivant finished his NCAA career with Florida but spent two seasons in Westwood with the Bruins.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Which former Bruins were cut ahead of Sunday's NFL roster cutdown?
