Updated 6:34 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28:
Four pro football players who finished their college careers at Kansas have made NFL rosters, two are on injured reserve and two more have caught on with practice squads ahead of the 2024 season.
Veterans Dorance Armstrong and Steven Sims and rookies Austin Booker and Dominick Puni were all safe on 53-man rosters following Tuesday’s cut deadline, while offensive linemen Hakeem Adeniji and Earl Bostick Jr. got shelved due to injuries midway through the preseason.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Jason Bean became the first Jayhawk to sign with a practice squad this year when he caught on with the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday morning, according to his agent Brett Tessler. Tight end Mason Fairchild, who was on and off the New Orleans Saints’ roster in August after spending the summer on the free agent wire, made their practice squad as well.
Armstrong, who continues to carve out one of the most successful NFL careers of any recent Jayhawk, signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Washington Commanders in the offseason. That move within the NFC East followed six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, including a 7.5-sack campaign most recently in 2023.
Armstrong played 16 snaps across two preseason games with one quarterback hurry, according to Pro Football Focus, and is projected to start for Washington this season.
Sims, a former undrafted free agent signing for Washington in 2019, snagged five catches for 64 yards on 10 targets during his latest preseason stint with the Houston Texans, but his more notable role may have been as the returner on the first-ever instance of the NFL’s redesigned kickoff. He’ll continue to provide value on special teams after returning a punt for a touchdown in the playoffs last season.
Booker, a fifth-round pick, cemented his roster spot as a reserve defensive end for the Chicago Bears in flashy fashion, highlighted by 2.5 sacks in a dominant preseason performance against the Buffalo Bills in week one of the preseason. Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has said that Puni, who picked up where he left off at KU by not allowing a sack in 58 pass-blocking snaps, is in line to start as a third-round rookie. The path has been cleared by injuries to the 49ers’ more experienced options at right guard.
Bean, one of the darlings of the preseason, went 15-of-19 for 197 yards with a touchdown and an interception and scored twice more on the ground, endearing himself to Colts fans. While initially let go as part of the Colts’ roster cuts, he has since joined the team’s practice squad.
Fairchild signed with New Orleans twice and was cut twice in the span of the last three weeks, but the Saints, who have dealt with injuries at tight end, kept him in the building with a practice squad spot on Wednesday afternoon. He had three catches in a preseason matchup with San Francisco.
The offensive tackle Adeniji, now of the Cleveland Browns, hurt his knee during a preseason game against his last team, the Minnesota Vikings, on Aug. 17 and got placed on injured reserve two days later. Head coach Kevin Stefanski had told reporters he would be out for “a little bit.” Adeniji previously played three years with the Browns’ division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals.
One of Adeniji’s successors at tackle for KU, Bostick, also went on IR, after he had played a significant 55 snaps in the Dallas Cowboys’ first preseason game. Bostick suffered a lower leg injury during Dallas’ practice on Aug. 14, and the Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters the next day he would go back to Dallas for surgery.
The rest of the former KU standouts in NFL training camps missed the 53-man roster cut completely, though several had been released even earlier than Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.
Rookie center Mike Novitsky got released by the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 5; the Los Angeles Rams waived safety Kenny Logan Jr. the next day. Both remain unsigned, although Novitsky has reportedly worked out for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
The Cincinnati Bengals waived third-year wideout Kwamie Lassiter II on Friday after he caught eight passes for 47 yards, all between the first two games of the Bengals’ preseason. Lassiter had secured his first career regular-season catch last year in Arizona, where his late father played, as part of a game during which he served as a captain and after which he received a game ball.
Bean’s two-time teammate Craig Young also got let go on Tuesday, as did another former KU linebacker in Kyron Johnson, who was trying to catch on with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second season after beginning his career in Philadelphia.
This story will be updated.
Houston Texans wide receiver Steven Sims (82) carries during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
Chicago Bears defensive lineman Austin Booker (94) rushes past Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris (64) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.
San Francisco 49ers guard Dominick Puni (77) lines up during an NFL preseason football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Friday, Aug 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Raiders and 49ers finished in a tie 24-24.
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Earl Bostick Jr. celebrates a score against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a presesaon NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Owen Porter (57) looks to run past Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji (74) during a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, in Cleveland.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jason Bean (8) carries the ball during an NFL preseason football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Cincinnati.
New Orleans Saints tight end Mason Fairchild (82) runs a route during an NFL preseason football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, in New Orleans.
AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez
AP Photo/Matt Freed
AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri
AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
AP Photo/Kirk Irwin
AP Photo/Emilee Chinn
AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman