For the first time since 2019 the UConn Huskies are gearing up for the start of football season, with preseason camp well underway prior to the August 28th season opener at Fresno State.
While the current Huskies continue their season prep, former Huskies are doing so as well in the NFL. With preseason games beginning this week there are nine former UConn stars making their way through camps and onto pro rosters.
Andrew Adams: For the fourth straight year a UConn player is a Super Bowl champion as Adams got his ring with the Buccaneers. After starting 11 games in 2019, Adams only played 23 defensive snaps during the regular season, but was a pivotal player on special teams. And in the NFC Championship Game against Green Bay he was on the field for half of the snaps. Now he's with the Eagles, who signed him as a free agent in March. With Rodney McLeod coming off a major injury and some inexperience elsewhere, Adams is a valuable veteran in the secondary in Philly.
Tyler Davis: The tight end didn't see the field much as a rookie in 2020 with Jacksonville, appearing in only eight games and a combined 40 offensive plays without recording a catch. He's in a battle for the third tight end spot again this year with the Jags, as James O'Shaughnessy and Chris Manhertz appear to own the top two roster spots. That means Davis is in a fight to make the 53-man roster with a few other players, including Tim Tebow.
Foley Fatukasi: The former sixth-round pick is becoming a staple on the Jets defensive line. In his third season in 2020 he had a career year, making eight starts, setting career highs in tackles (42) and sacks (2) and forcing his first turnover. He is also now one of New York's longest tenured players along with other members of the 2017 draft class.
Ryan Griffin: Another Husky on the Jets, the 31-year-old begins his third season in East Rutherford and ninth overall NFL season in 2021. After setting a career high with five touchdown receptions in 2019, Griffin didn't find the end zone in 2020, catching only nine passes in 15 games as he was used predominantly in a blocking role. Chris Herndon is the clear-cut starter at tight end, while Griffin will battle with new acquisition Tyler Kroft for the backup job.
Byron Jones: The Dolphins brought Jones in prior to last season on a then-record contract for a defensive back, and it paid dividends. The combination of Jones and Xavier Howard helped Miami go from a defense that ranked last in the NFL in yards per play in 2019 to a unit that finished seventh in 2020. The 28-year-old is one of the better cornerbacks in the league, and has more than lived up to his first-round hype.
Obi Melifonwu: The former second-round pick of the Patriots hasn't appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2018, but Melifonwu is still hanging around camps. After being released by the Patriots last April, he missed all of last year before briefly signing with San Francisco, who waived him in April. Then last month he joined the Eagles, but on Monday was waived with an injury designation.
Matt Peart: The Giants' third-round pick in 2020, the team is still extremely high on the monster offensive lineman. He contributed more than many expected last year, playing in 11 games and making his first NFL start. Now expectations grow significantly in Year 2, as he is projected to be New York's starting right tackle come Week 1 after an offseason where he's gotten into even better shape.
Shamar Stephen: His second stint with Minnesota is over, and for just the second time in eight NFL seasons the defensive lineman will call somewhere other than the Twin Cities home. The 30-year-old is now in Denver, where he'll compete for playing time after starting 31 of 32 games over the past two seasons with the Vikings. In seven pro seasons the former seventh-round pick has 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson: With Anthony Sherman retiring this summer, Wreh-Wilson is now the most tenured Husky in the NFL. The cornerback is still hanging around after a resurgent 2020 in Atlanta. He played fewer than 100 defensive snaps from 2016-18 with the Falcons, but saw his playing time jump significantly the last two years. And the reward came last season, when he picked off three passes (before that he had one in his entire NFL career). He parlayed that into a free agent deal with Las Vegas, where he'll be a veteran presence in the locker room.
Vontae Diggs & Hergy Mayala: Neither is on an NFL roster, but both are continuing their pro careers in Canada with the CFL. After spending 2019 with Edmonton, the linebacker Diggs is now in Toronto, though he didn't play in the Argonauts' Week 1 win against Calgary. Mayala, however, did play for the Stampeders in that game. The wideout caught a pair of passes for 16 yards in the loss.
