The ranks of former Jayhawks going through their first NFL preseason have thinned considerably over the course of the month.
Namely, the Seattle Seahawks released Mike Novitsky on Aug. 5 and the Los Angeles Rams parted ways with Kenny Logan Jr. the following day.
Even with those losses, though — which may not be permanent ones, as Novitsky has already reportedly worked out for two teams in the weeks since — several onetime KU standouts have garnered national attention during the NFL preseason.
There’s bound to be plenty of movement around Aug. 27, when teams have to cut down their rosters, but for now, here’s more on the Jayhawks shining in their first-ever NFL action.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jason Bean passes against the Denver Broncos during the second half of a preseason NFL football game, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Westfield, Ind.
Bean labeled his roster’s ‘most interesting man’
The player who captivated KU fans as he stepped in for the injured Jalon Daniels to lead the Jayhawks to consecutive bowl appearances is starting to reach a broader audience.
Jason Bean didn’t necessarily open the preseason with a bang. Already buried on the Indianapolis Colts’ depth chart, he came in midway through the fourth quarter down three points to Denver. Bean carried the ball a few times in a row before the Broncos’ Dondrea Tillman strip-sacked him as he tried to run once more. It was the sort of turnover he struggled with at times while at KU.
But then Bean redeemed himself in short order, leading an efficient scoring drive that culminated in a high throw snagged by former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell for a touchdown.
The Jason Bean experience continued apace against Arizona on Saturday. This time, he got the chance to enter before fellow rookie quarterback Kedon Slovis, even ahead of the halftime break, but forced a deep pass on second-and-31 that got taken away by the Cardinals’ Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, a former Big 12 adversary.
To Bean’s credit, though, he returned in the third quarter to lead back-to-back lengthy touchdown drives (two of his team’s three on the day), ending up as the Colts’ leading passer on the day and carrying in a fourth-and-goal rushing touchdown.
Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel declared Bean the “most interesting man at Colts camp” in the headline of a recent piece that details Bean’s aborted plan to transition to wide receiver ahead of the 2023 KU season and suggests that he may again remain a quarterback for the Colts despite the team’s initial plans to turn him into a wideout.
“I’ll forever feel in my heart feel I’m a quarterback until I’m told ‘no’ a couple times,” Bean told Doyel.
Time will tell whether the Colts tell Bean “no” at the conclusion of this preseason — though he could of course be a practice squad pickup if he misses out on the 53-man roster — but for now Indianapolis has another preseason game on Thursday at Cincinnati.
Chicago Bears defensive lineman Austin Booker (94) rushes during the first half of an NFL football pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.
Booker continuing collegiate form at pro level
Austin Booker got a bit of an early national spotlight because he and the Chicago Bears took part in the first game of the NFL preseason, the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1, and he had a tackle, a quarterback hurry and some promising clips make the rounds on social media after that first game.
It was in the first official week of the preseason, though, against Buffalo, that he really made an impression with his 2.5 sacks.
Booker menaced the Bills’ offensive tackles and got penetration when he had to bounce inside mid-play as well, splitting a sack of Mitch Trubisky with Daniel Hardy late in the first half before dragging down Shane Buechele twice in a three-play span in the fourth quarter.
The fifth-round pick didn’t make quite as much noise in the Bears’ blowout win over Cincinnati on Saturday, but as Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago observed, he performed well against the run game and got some snaps at significant moments: “It’s also worth noting that Booker played with the first team defense, opposite Montez Sweat, on specific pass rush packages. On a couple of third-down plays, the Bears kicked DeMarcus Walker to defensive tackle and inserted Booker at DE.”
Albeit in the fairly small sample size of 78 total snaps (50 as a pass rusher), Booker grades out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 edge rusher out of 222 qualifying players thus far this preseason. He’ll be back in action for the Bears’ final contest on Thursday at Kansas City.
San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Dominick Puni (77) during NFL football training camp in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
Puni seizing first-team opportunity
As his fellow members of the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive line have dealt with injuries, Dominick Puni has impressed, to the degree that he was part of the first unit to take the field for his team on Sunday, protecting quarterback Brock Purdy from his spot at right guard. (Granted, it was not necessarily a traditional starting lineup, as besides Purdy it featured a variety of young players and reserves.)
On one standout play from Sunday, he found himself briefly idle midway through his pass protection, but was able to pivot around to help deal with New Orleans defensive tackle Kendal Vickers, who had blown past right tackle Colton McKivitz. That allowed backup quarterback Josh Dobbs to get a little more time if he needed it for a third-and-goal throw.
That was just one of 43 snaps for the third-round pick Puni, after he had gotten 26 in his first action against the Tennessee Titans, a matchup that had also reunited him with his former position coach Scott Fuchs, who is now the Titans’ assistant offensive line coach.
As Puni has garnered support from 49ers fans with plays like the one on Vickers, he is also catching the eye of his veteran teammates. The 49ers posted on social media a video clip of three-time first-team All-Pro linebacker, and fellow third-round pick, Fred Warner praising Puni at training camp.
“You know who can move kind of good, is the rookie 77, Puni,” Warner said to teammate Nick Bosa. “… They ran bounce or toss over that way, and I’m trying to run past him, and he was hanging with me. I had to punch and get off him.”
As Warner also pointed out, Puni is still young and will only get stronger.
The 49ers wrap up their preseason in Las Vegas on Friday.
Others
Former KU tight end Mason Fairchild has been on and off the New Orleans Saints’ roster since receiving his first NFL contract from the team on Aug. 3, but in Sunday’s game in San Francisco he managed to play 27 snaps and actually lead his team in receiving with three catches for 31 yards, all from former Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener. New Orleans’ rally fell short in a 16-10 loss and Fairchild will have one more game to make his mark against Tennessee on Saturday.
Craig Young, once a safety who converted to a hybrid safety-linebacker role at KU and is now trying to become a full-fledged linebacker in the pros, is on the Colts along with Bean. Young, a Fort Wayne, Indiana, native, has been credited with seven tackles in two games across 40 total downs; however, he has allowed catches all four times he has been targeted in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.
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