Former WVU stars make impact in NFL preseason

Former West Virginia football players made their presence felt across the NFL in Week two of preseason. One notable game saw four WVU alumni– Garrett Greene, Beanie Bishop, Zach Frazier and Doug Nester– take the field as the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Greene saw his second solid performance of the preseason as he was targeted three times in the Buccaneers’ 17-14 win. He caught all three targets for 25 yards, finishing with the team’s second-most catches and yards in the game.  

Bishop secured one solo tackle and a pass defended in the contest. After a credible rookie season, Bishop will have to fight for playing time behind Jaylen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Cory Trice Jr. 

At halftime, Frazier was honored with the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, recognizing him as the Steelers’ top rookie from the 2024 season. In the game, he ran into a recurring issue with errant snaps. Two low snaps altered play timings, one leading to a Mason Rudolph interception. 

Will Grier saw action with the Dallas Cowboys, as the presumed third quarterback on the depth chart following Joe Milton. He completed one pass on five attempts for 33 yards in the 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Geno Smith is set to begin his stint with the Las Vegas Raiders this season. He went 6-8 passing with no touchdowns or interceptions in two drives leading to scores. The highlight of his performance was a 28-yard completion to Brock Bowers over the middle of the field. 

Third-year man Dante Stills saw one tackle as he looks to make the 53 man roster with the Arizona Cardinals. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars third round draft pick Wyatt Milum made a rookie mistake with a false start in the second quarter to put the team in a third and long situation, thus punting after not converting. 

Tony Fields II recorded one tackle as he begins his second season with the Los Angeles Rams. 

For the Falcons, David Sills brought in two catches for 13 yards in a 23-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans.  

Rex Sunahara seems to have found a home as the Cleveland Browns long snapper, with 12 games with the team last season while being listed as the first string snapper ahead of 2025.

Austin Brinkman suited up for the Houston Texans. He is the only long snapper on the Texans roster, earning him a starting position as it stands now. 

Tight end Kole Taylor will play in his second preseason game with the Cincinnati Bengals against the Washington Commanders at 8:00 p.m. on Monday against the Washington Commanders. 

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