A Tar Heel Preview Of The Nfl Preseason

For the first time in a decade, the NFL drafted zero players out of Chapel Hill, which means there aren’t really any new Tar Heels with a serious shot of sticking on a roster and playing on Sundays this fall. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any new stories for the Tar Heels already in the league, however, and there are also some new, or at least reappearing, names on the back ends of rosters that Tar Heel fans will recognize and might want to keep an eye on. With the Hall of Fame Game in the books and football season officially having started, here’s a list of all the Tar Heels fighting for a job in the NFL this fall.

Established Players

Of course, Drake Maye is coming off an MVP-caliber sophomore season for the New England Patriots, having fallen just short both of the award and of a Super Bowl, and will be looking to prove that he’s here to stay. He’s staring down a tougher schedule than he had last year, but he’s also got an improved supporting cast including A.J. Brown. Fellow signal-caller Mitch Trubisky is in Tennessee, helping young Titans starter Cam Ward continue to adjust to the NFL. Running backs Javonte Williams and Omarion Hampton will be expected to be bellcows for the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers respectively; Williams had a workmanlike 1200-yard year for Dallas while Hampton was starting to find his groove last year before going down midseason with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Mack Hollins leads active Tar Heels in games played, and he’ll once again be catching passes from Maye after a respectable 500-yard campaign last season, and while Josh Downs didn’t have nearly as productive a third year as he would’ve liked, he’s still going to be a trusted player in the slot for the Indianapolis Colts. Offensive lineman Asim Richards played a lot of snaps for the Saints last year, stepping up from a backup role, and while he didn’t do great, he’ll be trusted again to be New Orleans’ first tackle off the bench. And on the defensive end, Cedric Gray became a bit of a Titans fan favorite with his play at linebacker last year, coming in 2nd in the NFL in solo tackles — he’ll also look to consolidate his breakout year and get closer to a big second contract heading into his third season.

Probably, but not definitely, making the team

In Baltimore, the Ravens are amidst a bit of a revamp of their wide receivers’ room. They drafted two receivers on Day 2 of this year’s draft. After starters Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers, that leaves Tez Walker as the 5th guy in the room, and since he’s also not the returner, that means he’s sitting 6th in the room. Some teams carry 6 receivers and some don’t into their opening day roster, so while I’d say it’s more likely than not he makes it, making some plays in preseason will help his case. He’s apparently been dusting the Raven’s backup defensive backs in practice, so the signs are at least decent. It’s a similar case with fellow receiver Dyami Brown, who’s returned to Washington after an underwhelming year in Jacksonville. Maybe it’s a stretch to put Brown here, given the Commanders’ other young receivers, but I think actually having played with Jayden Daniels is going to help him out. Chazz Surratt at linebacker and M.J. Stewart at defensive back, for the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans respectively, made their names for their teams on special teams last year and will probably be trusted to do that again, but a backup and special teams ace’s job isn’t ever really guaranteed. And the Pittsburgh Steelers just re-signed Cole Holcomb to a backup-level contract this summer, so he’ll probably continue at backup linebacker for them — but it wouldn’t be that expensive to let him go if they figure he’s replaceable.

Roster Bubble

Charlie Heck has been holding on to a backup tackle spot in the league for several years now, but he’s been bouncing from 1-year deal to 1-year deal the past few seasons. This year, he’s with the Miami Dolphins. They don’t have the best offensive line depth, but they don’t have much invested in Heck, either. Running back Michael Carter is trying to make some headway in the room in Tennessee, but behind Tony Pollard’s breakout last year and a couple of rookie contract guys, he might be on the outside looking in unless he can show he’s got something they haven’t. Former teammate British Brooks was a surprise inclusion on the Houston 53 last year, and he made some plays on special teams last year, which is already hitting above expectations for an undrafted free agent, and he’s got a real chance to do it again. Alijah Huzzie was on and off the Texans’ roster last year as well after returning from injury, and while he’s fighting in a crowded secondary, they seemed to like what they saw in his limited action last year. Marcus Allen might be the biggest surprise of the bunch — as a rookie undrafted free agent who didn’t even have a particularly impressive year, not much might have been expected of him, but Minnesota Vikings coaches have been mentioning him repeatedly as a positive standout. A good preseason could really change things for the cornerback.

Fighting for the Practice Squad

Tomon Fox is the veteran of this section. He’s been bouncing off and on the New York Giants’ roster the past few years, and now he’s going to have to impress another team — the newly Myles Garrett-ed Los Angeles Rams. Also with a new team is running back Ty Chandler, who had been decent but underwhelming for Minnesota for the duration of his rookie contract. He’s on a minimum deal with the Saints now and might be best suited for a veteran practice squad job given the state of that room. Sam Howell has a relatively safe spot as the practice squad/emergency 3rd QB for the Dallas Cowboys. Last year’s big undrafted rookies, Willie Lampkin and Kaimon Rucker, probably are looking at rosters a bit too crowded to join (Lampkin in Philadelphia, Rucker in Baltimore), but they’ve got some ability. Lampkin was on injured reserve last year, so this is his first real chance to show what he can do, while Rucker spent last year on the practice squad. Their efforts this year will be joined by Austin Blaske, the offensive lineman who anchored the 2025 trenches for the Heels, and Joshua Ezeudu, the guard who’s struggled and bounced between starter and backup for the Giants as they’ve tried to fortify the offensive line the last several years

There are some players with a little less cachet on the roster who’ll have to have pretty outstanding preseasons to stick through fall: tight end Bryson Nesbit, edge rusher Amari Gainer, defensive lineman Jahvaree Ritzie, and undrafted free agent rookie linebacker Smith Vilbert.