Florida Atlantic Professional Athletes

Florida Atlantic is quietly producing contributors at the NFL level this fall, and two Owls are demanding attention heading into Week 9 and beyond.

Singletary Becomes the Last Man Standing in New York

Devin Singletary's path with the New York Giants has been a study in outlasting the competition — literally. What began as a four-man backfield has thinned dramatically, leaving the FAU product as the focal point of an offense that needs to get its ground game right. Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy made no secret of his confidence in Singletary, citing the veteran's patience and professionalism as reasons the team is comfortable handing him the keys.

The situation took on added urgency with the injury status of Cam Skattebo hovering over the backfield. With Skattebo potentially ruled out, Singletary isn't just the starter — he's a must-start option in fantasy circles and arguably the most important offensive piece the Giants can consistently deploy. Nagy's public endorsement carries weight: in a season where New York has cycled through personnel, Singletary's durability and reliability have made him the last man his coaches wanted to see standing, in the best possible way.

The nickname "Motor" is being used around the Giants facility, and the organization is leaning into it. For an FAU alum who has spent years proving he belongs in this league, the moment feels earned.

Pierre Flying Under the Radar — But Not for Long

Up in Minnesota, cornerback James Pierre is making a quieter but equally compelling case. The Vikings' Week 9 stock report tabbed Pierre as one of the team's prominent risers heading into a Monday night clash with the Buffalo Bills — recognition that reflects a stretch of play that has largely escaped the broader national spotlight.

Pierre backed that rising stock with production: in Minnesota's Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions, he recorded an interception, a tangible reminder that he's not just a depth piece but an active playmaker in the Vikings' secondary. A separate analysis from Sports Illustrated argued the Vikings may be sitting on a "gold mine" with Pierre and suggested the organization should be capitalizing on his contributions more aggressively.

The Lions game ended in a 19–15 defeat for Minnesota, so the interception came in a losing effort — but Pierre's individual performance stood out. As the Vikings prepare to face Buffalo's high-powered offense, having a corner trending upward is exactly the kind of depth storyline that matters come January.

A Third Owl Worth Watching

Trey Hendrickson, the former FAU pass rusher who signed a massive $30M-per-year deal with Baltimore, is navigating a rockier stretch. The Ravens dropped back-to-back games to the Bills (36–10) and the Jaguars (33–10), and Hendrickson's fit in the defense has drawn scrutiny — with questions surfacing about whether the team deployed him correctly as a situational opener rather than the game-wrecker they paid for. It's early enough in his Ravens tenure to course-correct, but the heat is real.

For now, the headliners out of Boca Raton are Singletary and Pierre — two players using different platforms to remind the league that FAU produces.

The Moment That Mattered

Devin Singletary does not need a lot of room. He just needs one play.

The Florida Atlantic alumnus turned a short handoff into a 30-yard walk-off touchdown run in overtime Sunday, lifting the New York Giants past the Houston Texans 27-21 and keeping New York at the top of the NFC East heading into Week 8. It was the kind of backbreaker that defines a season — one run, one result, one former Owl at the center of it all.

The sequence in OT was a thing of beauty for Giants fans: Cam Skattebo ripped off a 42-yard gain to the Houston 30, and on the very next snap, Singletary was gone. Final line for the FAU product: 41 rushing yards, one touchdown, and three catches for 14 more yards. Workmanlike numbers that don't begin to capture the stakes of that closing dash.

The celebration was equally memorable — perhaps unintentionally so. Giants head coach John Harbaugh, overcome in the moment, went in for a hug and ended up getting knocked to the turf by his own running back. Harbaugh later declared himself "day-to-day" and admitted he felt "pathetic" going down, but laughed it off as the price of winning. Singletary's postgame embrace, it turns out, is just as dangerous as his cuts in the open field.

For Houston, the loss stings beyond the standings. Singletary is a former Texan — the kind of detail that makes a gut-punch loss feel even more personal. Texans GM Nick Caserio told reporters afterward that Houston would not be making knee-jerk personnel changes, but the team's run defense — which couldn't stop Singletary when it mattered most — will have plenty to sort out on a bye week.

On the other side of the ball, FAU linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair suited up for Houston in the loss, facing off against a fellow Owl on the biggest play of the game.

Hendrickson's Rough Week in Baltimore

Across the league, FAU pass rusher Trey Hendrickson had a difficult Sunday of a different kind. Now with the Ravens, Hendrickson entered Week 7 as one of Baltimore's marquee offseason additions, with the fanbase counting on him for a revenge game against his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals. It didn't go as planned.

The Bengals — trailing 13-0 at halftime — erupted for 35 second-half points and pulled off a stunning comeback. Hendrickson was spotted in a notable postgame handshake with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow that drew attention on social media. He later pushed back publicly on comments made by Ravens head coach Jesse Minter following the defeat. Baltimore fell to 4-3 with the loss, and Hendrickson's first crack at Cincinnati as a Raven left unfinished business.

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FAU's NFL footprint remains wide — 17 active alumni across the league — but this was Singletary's week, without question. Thirty yards in overtime. NFC East lead intact. The Owls' most prominent moment of the 2026 season so far belongs to a running back from Boca Raton who just needed one lane to make history.

The Main Event: Hendrickson vs. His Former Team

No FAU alum is commanding more attention in the NFL right now than Trey Hendrickson — and the whole league seems to know it.

The $112M Ravens edge rusher is days away from facing the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time since a contract dispute ended his tenure there this offseason. The matchup, scheduled for Sunday, October 25, has generated a full week of bulletin-board material, candid admissions, and bold predictions — the kind of narrative gravity that only a revenge game can produce.

Hendrickson arrived in Baltimore with credentials that made the Bengals' decision to let him walk even harder to explain. He's already delivered: in Baltimore's Week 7 loss to the Browns on October 18, he recorded a sack, keeping his pass-rush production ticking even in a defeat. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter has promised a new deployment plan for Hendrickson going forward — a signal that Baltimore intends to maximize what it's paying for.

The predictions coming from inside the Ravens locker room are anything but subtle. Linebacker Trenton Simpson — all 242 pounds of him — went on record forecasting a multi-sack game for Hendrickson against his former employers, a call that drew immediate attention from both fan bases. The warning was direct: the Bengals should know better than anyone what Hendrickson is capable of.

Cincinnati isn't ignoring it. Bengals starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who blocked for Hendrickson in practice for years, got candid about the awkward familiarity of facing a former teammate. Head coach Zac Taylor also weighed in publicly, his comments adding yet another layer to what is already one of the AFC North's most charged matchups of the season. Bengals players across the roster acknowledged respect for Hendrickson while bracing for the threat he poses.

The storyline has everything: a superstar who felt undervalued, a division rival who swooped in with a nine-figure deal, and a Sunday showdown that doubles as a referendum on which side made the right call.

Around the League

Azeez Al-Shaair, LB, Texans: The Texans got good news on their team captain ahead of Week 7, with Al-Shaair returning to practice Thursday after missing time. His return comes with off-field noise attached — Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving publicly offered to cover Al-Shaair's recent $11,941 NFL fine, calling him "a brother." Al-Shaair played in Houston's 34–31 win over the Jaguars on October 18.

Devin Singletary, RB, Giants: The former FAU Owl had a modest day in New York's 27–34 loss to the Saints on October 18, carrying for 14 rushing yards and adding a reception for 19 more. Giants leadership — now under John Harbaugh — recently addressed the team's running back situation after cutting Najee Harris, reaffirming confidence in the existing backfield that includes Singletary alongside Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy.

The week belongs to Hendrickson, though. Whatever happens Sunday against Cincinnati, the FAU pass rusher has already made himself the most-discussed player from Boca Raton to ever suit up in the NFL — and he hasn't even lined up against Joe Burrow yet.

The Hendrickson Watch Is On

For Florida Atlantic alumni tracking the NFL, the biggest story this week doesn't hinge on what happened Sunday — it hinges on what happens next Sunday in Baltimore.

Trey Hendrickson, the FAU product and Ravens edge rusher, has been sidelined with a thumb injury that kept him out of Baltimore's Week 5 clash against the Atlanta Falcons — a game the Ravens survived in overtime, 30-23, without their top pass rusher. The absence was conspicuous. Hendrickson has established himself as one of Baltimore's most disruptive defensive pieces, and coaching staff updates have been carefully worded about his return timeline.

Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter addressed the injury publicly, hinting at potential timelines for Hendrickson's return alongside those of quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) and receiver Ja'Kobi Lane — but stopped short of any firm commitment. The Ravens are clearly managing a cluster of high-profile injuries simultaneously, which makes every update on Hendrickson's status carry extra weight.

The stakes only escalate from here. Waiting on the other side of Baltimore's Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns is the game circled on every calendar in the AFC North: a Ravens-Bengals showdown. And that game carries a distinctly personal subplot for Hendrickson, who spent years as a foundational piece of Cincinnati's pass rush before signing with Baltimore. A healthy Hendrickson in that reunion game wouldn't just be a roster move — it would be a statement.

Cincinnati's organization is acutely aware. The Bengals hold a bye this week, giving them extra preparation time, and the prospect of facing their former cornerstone rusher has reportedly generated significant buzz inside the building. Whether Hendrickson is cleared in time — and how much he shakes off the rust if he is — could shape the tenor of the entire divisional matchup.

Bleacher Report noted that Hendrickson wasn't the only Ravens star with a murky return timeline heading into Week 6, with Jackson's ankle status drawing parallel scrutiny. But in terms of defensive identity, Hendrickson's availability may be the more telling variable. Baltimore's front held up against Atlanta without him, but the Bengals' offense presents a different challenge entirely.

Around the League

Away from Baltimore, two other FAU alumni turned in quiet but notable contributions on Sunday.

James Pierre suited up for the Minnesota Vikings in their 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on October 11, giving the corner out of FAU another rep in what has been a solid stint with Minnesota's secondary. Azeez Al-Shaair was on the field for the Houston Texans in their dominant 26-3 dismantling of the Tennessee Titans — a performance that underscored Houston's defensive depth, with Al-Shaair playing his part at linebacker.

Neither player's individual stat line was highlighted in the brief, but both logged snaps in winning efforts — a small but meaningful marker for a program that continues to punch above its Group of Five weight in NFL personnel circles.

The headline story, though, belongs to Hendrickson. The thumb injury, the overtime absence, the returning-hero narrative against his former team — it's the kind of multi-layered storyline that makes mid-October football appointment viewing for anyone with a FAU connection.