In this Aug. 18, 2016, file photo, Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky (8) warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, at Ford Field in Detroit. (Rick Osentoski/AP Photo)
With the regular season coming up fast, UConn alumni are finishing up the NFL preseason, with some vying for a roster spot. As the preseason comes to a close, here’s a look at how former Huskies are doing around the NFL.
Rookie defensive back Andrew Adams has played in all three preseason games for the New York Giants this year and has been impressive, with 11 tackles and an interception in three preseason games. The interception came against the New York Jets to secure the Giant’s first preseason win. Adams’ Giants teammate, second-year wide receiver Geremy Davis, has appeared in two games this preseason and has a total of three receptions.
The only other rookie out of UConn this season, defensive lineman Kenton Adeyemi, has appeared in all three preseason games for the Cleveland Browns and has a total of 2.5 sacks.
Three more defensive linemen out of UConn have made appearances this preseason, starting with B.J. McBryde of the San Francisco 49ers, who has four tackles in three games. Kendall Reyes of the Washington Redskins has played in two of three games this preseason but only has one tackle. Shamar Stephen of the Minnesota Vikings has appeared in two games this preseason and has a total of six tackles.
Defensive back Tyvon Branch of the Arizona Cardinals has appeared in all three games this preseason and although the Cardinals have come up short in all three games the vet has held his own with 10 combined tackles. Another former Husky defensive back, Dwayne Gratz, has played in both games this season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and has three tackles and an interception.
Three Huskies have made appearances for the Indianapolis Colts this season starting with veteran defensive back Darius Butler, who i has one tackle along with an interception in two preseason appearances. Linebacker Sio Moore has four tackles while running back Jordan Todman has added eight rushes for 24 yards and two receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown in three games for the Colts. Todman’s former teammate Donald Brown was just recently cut by the New England Patriots. The veteran running back did not play a preseason game for the Patriots this season due to injury.
A few wide receivers out of UConn have made appearances this preseason. Nick Williams of the Atlanta Falcons has appeared in three games and has nine receptions for 99 yards. Deshon Foxx of the Seattle Seahawks has played in one preseason game this season and has one reception on the preseason. Another wide receiver that only has appeared in one game this preseason is Kansas City’s Kashif Moore, who also only has one catch. Fullback Anthony Sherman has a pair of receptions for the Chiefs as well.
Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin has contributed to Houston’s perfect preseason with two receptions in three preseason games. Also with just two receptions this preseason is fullback Anthony Sherman of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Byron Jones of the Dallas Cowboys is coming back from a rookie campaign in which he saw quite a bit of action. The second-year free safety has played in two of the three games so far this season for “America’s Team” and has four tackles and a pass deflection.
After falling just short of winning a Super Bowl ring, defensive back Robert McClain has started off his season in a pretty decent manner for the Carolina Panthers with six tackles and a pass deflection in three games.
UConn’s most tenured NFL player, quarterback Dan Orlovsky of the Detroit Lions, has appeared in three games this preseason. Orlovsky has had a shaky start, with a completion percentage of 61 percent and a quarterback rating of 67.6. He has thrown one touchdown and a total of 296 yards but has two interceptions and two fumbles as well.
The last Husky to hit the field this preseason was free safety Blidi Wreh-Wilson of the Tennessee Titans who has five tackles in three games.
Bobby Farris is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at robert.farris@uconn.edu.