19 Cougars Kick Off the NFL Season Playing in 14 of the 16 Week 1 Preseason Games

It was a good weekend to be a Cougarfan, as there was at least one BYU alumni on the field in 14 of the 16 NFL preseason games.  Preseason week 1 marked the NFL debuts for Micah Hannemann, Tomasi Laulile, Jonah Trinnaman and Dallin Leavitt, as well as the quarterback debut for Taysom Hill.

Hill held the highlight performance of the week as he led his team to a 24-20 victory over Jacksonville.  He led the Saints in passing and rushing, and had a seven yard touchdown run.

The following are the summaries and snap counts for each of the 19 Cougars currently on NFL rosters.  Four started for their teams (Williams, Van Noy, Denney, and Davis), while four did not play due to injuries (Sorensen, Warner, Ansah, and Langi).  The remaining 11 came in as substitutes. Players are listed alphabetically by last name.

Ezekiel Ansah (DE, Detroit, No. 94). Ansah did not play in Detroit’s 16-10 loss to Oakland.  After having a knee injury in the off-season he came off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list this week and participated in practices.  He was expected to play in the preseason matchup but was ultimately held out for precautionary reasons.

Algie Brown (FB, Kansas City, No. 30). Brown came in as a substitute in Kansas City’s 17-10 defeat to the Texans.  He played five offensive snaps (7%) and was targeted twice on passes but had no completions.

Michael Davis (CB, Los Angeles, No. 43). Davis started at cornerback in LA’s 24-17 loss to Arizona.  He played 18 defensive snaps (33%), one special teams snap (3%), and recorded two solo tackles including one tackle for loss and a pass deflection.

John Denney (LS, Miami, No. 92).  Denny handled long snapping duties in Miami’s 26-24 defeat to Tampa Bay.  He played six special teams snaps (21%) and recorded no stats.

Micah Hannemann (DB, Cleveland, No. 35). Hannemann came in as a substitute in Cleveland’s 20-10 victory over the New York Giants. He played 10 defensive snaps (13%) and one special teams snap (3%) and recorded one solo tackle.

Taysom Hill (QB, New Orleans, No. 7).  Hill came in as a substitute and had a fantastic debut at quarterback in New Orleans’s 24-20 victory over Jacksonville.  He led the team in completion percentage, passing yards, rushing yards, and had a touchdown run.  Hill completed 8-of-9 passes for 72 yards, and rushed seven times for 52 yards (7.4 avg) and one touchdown.  He also held for a 45 yard field goal and an extra point kick.  He played a total of 27 offensive snaps (44%) as well as 10 special teams snaps (45%).  The 37 total snaps were the fifth most of any player on the team.

Bronson Kaufusi (DE, Baltimore, No. 92). Kaufusi came in as a substitute in the Raven’s 33-7 victory over the Rams.  He recorded two solo tackles including one for an eight yard loss.  In total he played 24 snaps on defense (39%) and three snaps on special teams (9%).  This was his second game of the preseason as he also came in as a substitute in last week’s 17-16 victory over Chicago.  In that game he played 33 snaps on defense (43%) and three more on special teams (12%) and recorded one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery.

Tejan Koroma (C, Kansas City). After a promising summer was injured and waived prior to preseason.

Harvey Langi (LB, New England, No. 48). Langi did not play in New England’s 26-17 victory over Washington. He suffered an internal laceration after a hit in practice during the week and will likely miss at least 4-5 weeks due to concerns with his kidney.

Tomasi Laulile (DT, Indianapolis, No. 66).  Laulile saw his first NFL action as he came in as a substitute in Indianapolis’s 19-17 victory over Seattle. He played 13 defensive snaps (24%) and recorded one solo tackle and one assisted tackle.

Dallin Leavitt (S, Oakland, No. 45). Leavitt came in as a substitute in Oakland’s 16-10 victory over Detroit.  He played 39 defensive snaps (55%) and 13 special teams snaps (52%) and recorded two solo tackles.  His 52 total snaps were fourth most of all Oakland’s defensive players.

Jordan Leslie (WR, Denver, No. 19). Leslie came in as a substitute in Denver’s 42-28 loss to Minnesota. He was targeted four times and had two receptions for 12 yards. He also had a tackle on a pass that was intended for him but intercepted.  Leslie played 21 snaps on offense (34%) and three snaps on special teams (8%).

Kai Nacua (S, Baltimore, No. 31). Nacua came in as a substitute in the Raven’s 33-7 victory over the Rams.  He recorded three solo tackles and one assisted tackle, playing 40 defensive snaps (65%) and 16 special teams snaps (48%).  His 56 total snaps were second most of Baltimore’s defensive players. He did not play in Baltimore’s first preseason game against Chicago last week.

Colby Pearson (WR, Atlanta, No. 84). Pearson came in as a substitute in Atlanta’s 17-0 loss to the Jets. He played four offensive snaps (6%) but was not targeted.

Daniel Sorensen (S, Kansas City, No. 49).  Sorensen did not play in Kansas City’s 17-10 defeat to the Texans. He suffered a tibial plateau fracture in practice last week.  He also suffered an MCL injury and lateral meniscus tear in the knee and underwent surgery this week.  Sorensen will miss at least the first part of the season and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.

Jonah Trinnaman (WR, New York, No. 9). Trinnaman came in as a substitute in New York’s 17-0 victory over Atlanta. He played 11 offensive snaps (17%) and one special teams snap (5%) but was not targeted and recorded no stats.

Kyle Van Noy (LB, New England, No. 53). Van Noy started at linebacker in New England’s 26-17 victory over Washington. He played 19 defensive snaps (32%) and had one solo tackle and one assisted tackle.

Fred Warner (LB, San Francisco, No. 48). Warner did not play in San Francisco’s 24-21 victory over Dallas. He suffered a minor chest injury in practice last week and was held out this week’s game as he eases back into full-contact.

De’Ondre Wesley (OT, Buffalo, No. 74).  Wesley came in as a substitute and played 51 offensive snaps (68%) and two special teams snaps (8%) while recording no stats in Buffalo’s 28-23 loss to Carolina.

Jamaal Williams (RB, Green Bay, No. 30).  Williams started at running back in Green Bay’s 31-17 victory over Tennessee.  He played 13 snaps (14%) and rushed five times for 16 yards and one pass for an eight yard touchdown.

For more information on each of these Pros, click on their names.  It will redirect you to their player profiles which include short summaries of their BYU and NFL careers.  During the season I will update these profiles with week-to-week game summaries and statistics.

Note: Not all the profiles are up right now, but I’ll be adding most of them in the next week or two.

About Tyler Christensen 784 Articles
Tyler Christensen is a teacher, sports writer, speaker, and ultra-marathon runner. He is the founder of BYU Insider, D1 Recruiting, Virtual School Assembly, and After the Run. When he's not writing or speaking, he's spending time at home in southern Utah with his amazing wife and four children.
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