Heading into the first week of the 2020 NFL season, more than a dozen West Virginia alums have found homes on season-opening active rosters.
To the surprise of nobody, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (Los Vegas Raiders), safety Karl Joseph (Cleveland Browns), edge rusher Bruce Irvin (Seattle Seahawks) and offensive guard Quinton Spain (Buffalo Bills) all retained their jobs after signing substantial free agent contracts or contract extensions this offseason.
Fellow league veterans like offensive guard Mark Glowinski (Indianapolis Colts), cornerback Daryl Worley (Dallas Cowboys), safety Kyzir White (Los Angeles Chargers), offensive lineman Adam Pankey (Miami Dolphins) and quarterback Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) also survived roster cutdowns.
Quarterback Will Grier will enter his second season with the Carolina Panthers, who have opted to open the season with three players at the position. He is joined by cornerback Rasul Douglas, who was claimed off waivers by the Panthers.
Tight end Trevon Wesco (New York Jets), offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (New England Patriots) and linebacker David Long Jr. (Tennessee Titans), who were drafted along with Grier in 2019, are also safe in their jobs heading into Week 1.
Safety Kenny Robinson, who was a fifth-round draft pick of the Panthers earlier this year, will not be on the active roster as he was among the team’s final cuts. Offensive lineman Colton McKivitz, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, is the only Mountaineer drafted this year to open the season with the team that selected him.
Robinson is one of a handful of WVU alums that were on the chopping block, including wide receivers Gary Jennings (Miami Dolphins) and George Campbell (New York Jets), defensive end Will Clarke (Detroit Lions) and defensive back Dravon Askew-Henry (New York Giants).
Cornerback Keith Washington II (New Orleans Saints), running back Wendell Smallwood (Pittsburgh Steelers) and wide receiver Kevin White (San Francisco 49ers) were both among those cut by their respective teams, but were quickly added to their team’s practice squad.
Wide receivers Tavon Austin (San Francisco 49ers) and David Sills (New York Giants) were added to their team’s injured reserve list.
On roster:
Yodny Cajuste, OT, New England Patriots
Rasul Douglas, CB, Carolina Panthers
Mark Glowinski, OG, Indianapolis Colts
Will Grier, QB, Carolina Panthers
Bruce Irvin, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Karl Joseph, Safety, Cleveland Browns
Nick Kwiatkoski, LB, Los Vegas Raiders
David Long Jr., LB, Tennessee Titans
Colton McKivitz, OL, San Francisco 49ers
Adam Pankey, OL, Miami Dolphins
Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Quinton Spain, OG, Buffalo Bills
Trevon Wesco, TE, New York Jets
Daryl Worley, CB, Dallas Cowboys
Kyzir White, S, Los Angeles Chargers
On practice squad:
Wendell Smallwood, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Keith Washington, CB, New Orleans Saints
Kevin White, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Kenny Robinson, S, Carolina Panthers
On injured reserve:
Tavon Austin, WR, San Francisco 49ers
David Sills, WR, New York Giants
Waived or released:
Dravon Askew-Henry, CB, New York Giants
George Campbell, WR, New York Jets
Will Clarke, DE, Detroit Lions
Gary Jennings, WR, Miami Dolphins
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