Offseason training camp for the NFL is getting underway and there is a decent handful of former Utah State football stars that are participating. Some have roster spots nailed down while others are fighting for a spot on the depth chart, or even to make the roster altogether. Six former Aggies in total can be found on offseason rosters.
Several recent Aggies in the NFL are no longer on this list. Firstly, there were a couple players who were invited to rookie camps that have not apparently made it to OTAs with those respective teams. Spencer Petras (QB), was invited to both the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers rookie camps, but is listed on neither of their OTA rosters. Jacob Garcia (LS) was at the Miami Dolphins’ rookie camp, but is not on their 90-man OTA roster.
As for veterans, Deven Thompkins (WR), Nick Vigil (LB) and Patrick Scales (LS) all played in the league last year, but are not on any OTA roster. Vigil (31 years old) and Scales (37) appear to have reached the end of relatively long careers. Scales played nine seasons, eight of those with the Chicago Bears. Vigil spent time with five teams over nine years in his career. Thompkins most recently played for the Carolina Panthers, having signed with them last year after being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With those recent departures from the NFL noted, here are all of the former Utah State players active on NFL rosters, listed in order of how long they’ve been in the NFL.
Bobby Wagner, LB (Washington Commanders)
Wagner is entering the 14th year of his Hall of Fame career and his second with the Commanders. Last year he led Washington with 132 tackles, marking his 13th consecutive season with 100-plus tackles. It’s the second-longest such streak in NFL history, behind only London Fletcher (14). If Wagner got to 100 tackles this season, he’d tie Fletcher for both the longest streak of 100-tackle seasons, but also the most total seasons with 100 tackles (both would be at 14). Wagner is also in sight of the career tackles record. He currently sits fourth on the all-time leaderboard with 1,838, behind Junior Seau (1,847), Fletcher (2,039) and Ray Lewis (2,059).
The 34-year old veteran has shown little sign of slowing down. He’s set to be the rock in the middle of the Commanders’ defense once again as the team aims to match, and ideally exceed, last year’s appearance in the NFC championship game.
Jalen Davis, DB (Cincinnati Bengals)
Davis has quietly kept a roster spot on the Bengals for the last five seasons, largely by becoming a staple on the team’s special teams. He’s played 435 special teams snaps in 52 appearances for Cincinnati since 2020. Last year, Davis had also seen a decent number of snaps, though injuries limited him to just two games played throughout the season.
This upcoming season will be a key one for Davis. The 29-year old is entering his eighth overall season but his contract with the Bengals will end at the conclusion of the season.
Jordan Love, QB (Green Bay Packers)
Last year was an up-and-down affair for Love and the Packers. He entered the first year of a $220 million four-year extension but missed two games due to injury and after returning struggled a bit to maintain
He still threw for a solid 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but he will need to play like one of the top quarterbacks in the league since he’s getting paid like that now. Green Bay’s front office invested heavily into helping Love, drafting wide receivers in the first and third rounds and taking an offensive tackle in the second round. The Packers also signed 49ers starting guard Aaron Banks to a four-year deal to help replace departing center Josh Myers.
Despite being slightly below his standard in the 2024 campaign, the future is bright for the former Aggie QB, who should lead Green Bay to the playoffs for a third straight year.
Jalen Royals, WR (Kansas City Chiefs)
Royals became the first Aggie drafted since Love back in 2020 when the Chiefs took the USU star receiver with the 133rd overall pick. In his short time in Kansas City, he’s already building some hype around his potential to be a notable weapon for superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Royals could be part of a historic fourth straight appearance in the Super Bowl if the Chiefs make it back to the big game.
Currently, Royals’ spot on the depth chart is set firmly behind Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice. That’s hardly a permanent fixture as Royals can change that dynamic with a good offseason. But he also won’t be alone in fighting toward the top as second-year receiver Skyy Moore and veteran Juju Smith-Schuster are also aiming to nail down that fourth spot on the depth chart, or climb higher.
Wyatt Bowles, OL (Los Angeles Chargers)
Soon after the draft ended, the Chargers snapped up the man who’d spent seven years in an Aggie uniform, signing him as an undrafted free agent. His mobility was praised by scouts, but Bowles will remain a longshot to make the roster until he gets a chance to prove himself in offseason camps and/or during the preseason. Multiple 53-man roster prediction currently project he’ll get cut at some point by the Chargers.
Kyrese White, WR (Denver Broncos)
White took his rookie camp invite with the Broncos and made the most of it, earning a spot on the team’s OTA roster. Much like Bowles, he’s going to be considered an eventual casualty of roster cuts up until the moment he has a chance to turn some heads. It’ll be up to White to ensure he turns enough heads to land a spot on the final 53-man roster.
