BYU Professional Athletes

Three BYU products commanded NFL attention the week of August 30, with Kyle Van Noy landing a new home, Puka Nacua's season hanging in suspension limbo, and Taysom Hill's football future suddenly uncertain.

Van Noy Reunites With Flores in Minnesota

The biggest BYU alumni move of the week was Van Noy's agreement with the Minnesota Vikings, where he joins a familiar face: defensive coordinator Brian Flores, with whom the veteran edge rusher won two Super Bowl championships in New England. After three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Van Noy arrives in Minneapolis on a practice squad deal — but Vikings GM Nolan Teasley made clear the team views him as a premium addition at a premium position.

"Veteran presence at a premium position" is how Teasley framed it, and the signing carries ripple effects beyond Van Noy himself. Per Sports Illustrated, second-year pass rusher Dallas Turner may actually be the deal's biggest under-the-radar beneficiary, with Van Noy's experience potentially unlocking more favorable matchups for the younger edge defender.

The signing hasn't been without noise. Former Chargers player Breiden Fehoko lit into Van Noy publicly after comments the linebacker made about Justin Herbert, unloading in a pair of social media tirades. Van Noy, for his part, broke his silence on the Vikings move with characteristic confidence. Drama aside, he's exactly the kind of wily veteran Flores covets.

Nacua Suspension Watch Clouds Rams' Title Hopes

In Los Angeles, the status of Puka Nacua remains the most consequential question mark on the Rams' roster. Nacua is under NFL review for offseason conduct incidents, with a suspension still a live possibility heading into Week 1. CBS Sports has called it a genuine mystery — one with major implications for L.A.'s championship ambitions.

There's cautious optimism in the Rams building. Head coach Sean McVay delivered what was described as a "really good" injury update on Nacua as the team prepares for its season-opening game in Australia, and an insider report suggested the Rams may be able to "breathe a major sigh of relief" regarding the suspension outlook. Still, nothing has been resolved, and the league has yet to announce a decision.

The financial stakes compound the urgency. A former agent publicly labeled Nacua a "prime" contract extension candidate with a projected deal in the $135 million range — but that conversation gets complicated fast if the NFL drops a suspension before the Rams even kick off the season.

Hill's Saints Chapter Ends, Next One Unknown

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Taysom Hill — one of the most uniquely categorized players in NFL history, with a Football Reference page listing him as "QB-TE-WR" — finds himself unsigned after the Saints moved on this offseason. The reasons are layered: age, cap considerations, and New Orleans' broader roster reset all factor in. Hill spent his entire career with the Saints and built a fanbase around his swiss-army-knife role, but no team has stepped forward with an offer.

The Saints' late-August roster cuts added more BYU names to the transaction wire: cornerback Michael Davis was among the veterans released as New Orleans trimmed to 53.

One More Move to Track

Kedon Slovis had a roller-coaster week of his own. The BYU quarterback was waived by the Cardinals, then quickly claimed a lifeline — Green Bay signed him to the Packers' practice squad as the third quarterback, replacing Kyle McCord. Slovis called it a "crazy" week. For a backup QB scratching for roster footing, landing with a contender beats the alternative.

The Cougars' NFL footprint remains wide. Whether it's Van Noy chasing another ring, Nacua waiting on a league ruling, or Hill searching for one last chapter, BYU alumni are anything but quiet heading into 2026.

Two BYU alumni dominated NFL headlines this week for very different reasons — one for his on-field reputation, the other for what's happening well off it.

Puka Nacua: No. 7 and Navigating the Noise

The Rams' star receiver landed at No. 7 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026, the annual player-voted ranking that serves as one of the league's most credible peer endorsements. For a wideout who entered the league as a fifth-round pick just a few seasons ago, a top-10 finish is a statement.

But the week wasn't all accolades. Suspension speculation swirled around Nacua after the Rams traded to reacquire wide receiver Tutu Atwell, with many reading the roster move as quiet contingency planning. Head coach Sean McVay shot that narrative down directly, telling reporters the Atwell deal had "nothing to do" with any potential Nacua suspension. McVay's denial was unequivocal, even as the league hasn't formally addressed any discipline.

Nacua also drew attention for missing practice, though Rams fans appear largely unfazed — a Yahoo Sports survey of the fanbase found the majority not worried about his absence. With Myles Garrett also sitting out sessions, Los Angeles is managing its stars carefully this preseason, and the front office seems intent on keeping the temperature low heading into the regular season.

Fred Warner: Measured Words in a Messy Situation

Meanwhile in Santa Clara, Fred Warner found himself fielding questions that had nothing to do with football. 49ers owner Jed York was arrested in Ohio and subsequently entered a no contest plea after allegedly attempting to solicit prostitution — a story that landed squarely in the middle of San Francisco's preseason preparations.

Warner, the team's veteran linebacker and one of its most respected voices, addressed the situation publicly with notable composure. He told reporters that York's arrest "really wasn't a topic of conversation" in the locker room — a characterization that reads as either genuine compartmentalization or a careful sidestep, depending on your read. Warner also expressed direct support for York, showing what one outlet described as "love" for the embattled owner.

Whether the locker room is truly insulated from the ownership drama or simply buttoned up about it, Warner's public stance is clear: the 49ers are focused on football, and he's not throwing his boss under the bus.

Around the Rest of the Cougar Diaspora

Elsewhere in the BYU alumni network, CB Michael Davis returned to the Saints after signing with the team along with DB David Long. Davis was part of New Orleans' 2025 secondary and gets another shot to stick on a roster that has multiple BYU products, including Taysom Hill, Zach Wilson, Samson Nacua, and Jamaal Williams.

Speaking of Wilson — his preseason audition for the Saints' backup quarterback job hit a speed bump. After a strong first outing, his second preseason performance fell short of expectations. Head coach Kellen Moore noted the offense wanted to "accomplish more" on Saturday, a polite but pointed assessment of a session Wilson will want to put behind him quickly.

Three BYU alumni are commanding attention across the NFL this preseason, for very different reasons.

Warner Is Back — and Breaking Ribs to Prove It

Fred Warner spent most of 2025 sidelined by a fractured and dislocated ankle. Now, entering his ninth NFL season, the 49ers linebacker is making clear the injury is firmly in the rearview. Warner is back to his punishing, technique-driven style — perhaps too punishing. A preseason practice collision left a teammate with broken ribs, a story that spread fast enough that Warner felt compelled to set the record straight publicly, clarifying the circumstances around the injury. The episode, awkward as it is, may be the most compelling proof of concept available: Warner is hitting hard enough to make news again. After a lost season, that's exactly the signal San Francisco needed from its defensive anchor heading into camp.

Nacua's Back Keeping LA on Edge

Puka Nacua's preseason has been defined by what he hasn't done. The Rams' star wideout — who hauled in 1,715 receiving yards in his breakout 2023 campaign — has been sidelined with lower back soreness, and head coach Sean McVay isn't rushing him back. Nacua took a step forward by returning to individual drills during the week, but McVay confirmed his absence from full practice would be prolonged, with no return expected for at least another week. The Rams are recalibrating their preseason schedule around his availability. The timing is notable: a significant portion of the LA fanbase wants Nacua locked up on an extension before the regular season, though fan sentiment is split between signing him now and waiting until after 2026. For the moment, the priority is simply getting him healthy.

Wilson Turns Heads in the Bayou

If one BYU product had the week's most surprising headline, it's Zach Wilson. The former No. 2 overall pick — whose career in New York and Denver never matched the hype — made his Saints debut in the preseason and dazzled, drawing praise for a performance that looked anything but salvage-project. Wilson openly acknowledged he's competing for the backup quarterback role behind starter Tyler Shough, telling reporters he would love to be the Saints' No. 2 QB. Based on his debut showing, New Orleans appears to have a legitimate competition on its hands. For Wilson, a fresh start in a Saints system that also features fellow BYU alumni Taysom Hill, Samson Nacua, Jamaal Williams, Michael Davis, and Daniel Sorensen, the fit feels oddly natural — and the performance gave him a real foothold in that race.

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Three Cougars, three very different preseason stories — a comeback, a cautious hold, and a resurrection. All worth watching when the regular season kicks off.

Puka Nacua's Injury Spiral Has Rams Sweating

BYU's most prominent NFL alumni story this week isn't about a big catch or a contract extension — it's about a glass window, a groin, and a growing cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Los Angeles Rams' top receiver heading into the 2026 season.

The Groin First, Then the Glass

Puka Nacua's week started badly and got stranger from there. On Tuesday, the Rams star WR departed Los Angeles' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys midway through the session, walking off the field with team training staff. Head coach Sean McVay offered no immediate clarity on the nature of the injury, and the Rams initially declined to specify the cause. By Thursday, Yahoo Sports reported the issue as deep core muscle tightness tied to a groin injury, and Nacua was held out of practice again. The Rams signaled they did not expect him back on the field for at least the next several practices.

That alone would qualify as a notable setback for a receiver entering what should be a high-stakes contract year. But the story got more unusual from there.

Nacua also revealed that he had suffered a laceration — described by multiple outlets as gruesome — after running into a glass window pane at a pre-season party hosted by Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. According to Nacua, he was looking for teammate Davante Adams at the event when he walked into the glass. CBS Sports and The Sporting News both reported on the incident, with the latter noting it arrived just weeks before the start of the 2026 regular season.

A Third Concern: A Possible Suspension

The injury pile-on would be enough on its own, but ESPN's Adam Schefter added another layer, reporting that Nacua and Rams WR AJ Jackson face a possible suspension from the NFL. The nature and timeline of any disciplinary process were not specified in the sources available, but the specter of a suspension — even a potential one — compounds what is already a complicated situation for Los Angeles' passing game.

Putting It Together

For Rams fans and Nacua watchers, the convergence of a groin/core injury, an off-field laceration, and a possible disciplinary matter represents the kind of compounding bad luck that can derail a player's early-season momentum. McVay's lack of specificity after Tuesday's practice departure — initially described only as an "unknown reason" — suggests the organization is being measured in how it handles the messaging.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys got a parting shot in. CB Shavon Revel said after the joint practice that covering Nacua was "easy" compared to his normal sessions — a comment that landed with extra sting given that Nacua wasn't even fully healthy for the session.

The rest of BYU's NFL contingent had a relatively quiet week. No other alumni generated notable headlines during the period, leaving Nacua as the singular — and somewhat painful — center of Cougar attention this preseason.