Final Cuts: Baylor Bears in the NFL

The NFL regular season opens this week with a Thursday night matchup in Los Angeles, as the Super Bowl champion Rams host Josh Allen and the Bills. Or, for Baylor fans, the defending champs square off with Terrel Bernard and the Bills. 

To no one's surprise, the third-round rookie linebacker earned a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster last week. He'll inevitably run into some fellow former Bears throughout the upcoming season, but the odds of crossovers occurring fluctuated significantly over the past few days. 

The league's deadline for teams to trim down from 85 to 53-man rosters affected close to 1,000 players league-wide and initially sliced Baylor's close to 30 NFL reps in half. Since then, waiver signings and practice squad spots have helped soften the blow. 

Following a week of upheaval, here's how Baylor Football is representing in the pro ranks ahead of the regular season. 

TOTAL PLAYERS (23) 

53-MAN ROSTERS (14) 

• Andrew Billings (DT) Raiders 
• Bravvion Roy (DT) Panthers 
• Clay Johnston (LB) Bengals 
• Denzel Mims (WR) Jets 
• Jalen Pitre (S) Texans 
• James Lynch (DT) Vikings 
• JaMycal Hasty (RB) Jaguars 
• Jon Weeks (LS) Texans 
• JT Woods (S) Chargers 
• Kyle Fuller (C) Seahawks 
• Ross Matiscik (LS) Jaguars 
• Terrel Bernard (LB) Bills 
• Trestan Ebner (RB) Bears 
• Xavien Howard (CB) Dolphins 

PRACTICE SQUADS (8) 

• Drew Estrada (WR) Texans 
• Grayland Arnold (S) Texans 
• Kalon Barnes (CB) Dolphins 
• John Lovett (RB) Panthers 
• Josh Gordon (WR) Titans 
• Sam Tecklenburg (OL) Panthers 
• Will Bradley-King (DE) Commanders
• Xavier Newman-Johnson (OL) Titans 

OTHER DESIGNATIONS (1) 

Injured Reserve: 

• Tyquan Thornton (WR) Patriots 

53-Man Cuts Summary: 

** - denotes signed with a team after release 

Abram Smith (RB) Saints 

Blake Lynch (LB) Vikings 

Corey Coleman (WR) Chiefs 

Drew Estrada (WR) Texans ** 

Grayland Arnold (S) Texans ** 

Henry Black (CB) Falcons 

Jameson Houston (CB) Seahawks 

JaMycal Hasty (RB) 49ers ** 

John Lovett (RB) Panthers ** 

Josh Gordon (WR) Chiefs ** 

Kalon Barnes (CB) Panthers ** 

Sam Tecklenburg (OL) Panthers ** 

Will Bradley-King (LB) Commanders ** 

Xavier Newman-Johnson (OL) Titans ** 

Of note, observations, and other things:  

** The Bears now claim 23 players across 15 franchises. Of the 14 cuts this week, 9 resigned with teams. 

** None of the releases listed were shocking, but it was mildly surprising to see Blake Lynch and Abram Smith's names. Hasty has been a constant recently, as well. Outside of those guys, everyone else hovers between the main roster, practice roster, and no roster levels. 

** Abram Smith received a workout with the 49ers on Monday. 

** Tyquan Thornton was not only a lock to make the Patriots 53-man but poised to become a significant contributor before fracturing his collarbone. Placed on temporary IR, he'll miss 6-8 weeks, including the first four games of the regular season. 

** Trestan Ebner is now wearing #25 in Chicago after starting with #31. He last wore #25 during the 2019 season before earning a single digit and switching to #1 his final two seasons in Waco. 

** Blake Lynch is receiving some interest. I saw one report days ago that he'd signed with the 49ers. Baylor showed the same during their NFL montage on the big screen Saturday. But I've seen no confirmation that's the case. 

** Jairon McVea told 365 Sports he doesn't have an interest in playing pro outside the NFL. 

** Denzel Mims' journey with the Jets has been rocky but mostly uneventful until recently. Buried on the latest preseason depth chart, Mims requested a trade on August 25th but remains with the club and made the initial 53-man roster, despite trade interest.  

Some reports indicated Matt Rhule was inquiring about a reunion before opting to sign former Colorado WR and DeSoto alum Laviska Shenault. 

The Cowboys, Vikings, and Seahawks joined the Panthers in inquiring about Mims. 

Here's HC Robert Saleh discussing the latest with Mims and the franchise following final cuts. 

Denzel explained his position a day later. 

** Following a program-record 6 NFL Draft picks, four selections are set to make opening day rosters. Thornton would have made five if not for injury. Kalon Barnes was a late-round pick, so landing on a practice squad is about right. 

** Cool shot of some Baylor legends.