Fresno State Professional Athletes

Fresno State in the NFL | Week of Aug. 16–22, 2026

Levelle Bailey's shot at an NFL roster spot is over before the regular season begins.

The Denver Broncos placed the Fresno State linebacker on a waived/injured designation this week, a move that will revert to season-ending injured reserve. The designation effectively ends Bailey's preseason campaign and removes him from contention for one of the 53 roster spots Denver is finalizing ahead of the league's cutdown deadline. It's a tough outcome for a player fighting to establish himself at the NFL level — the waived/injured route means Bailey was hurt while under contract, leaving his next opportunity dependent on either a future roster move or a fresh deal elsewhere.

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While Bailey's preseason came to an abrupt halt, a pair of fellow Bulldogs alumni had a more encouraging week on the other end of the country.

Davante Adams and the Los Angeles Rams drew attention during joint practice sessions with the New Orleans Saints, where Adams and quarterback Matthew Stafford put their developing chemistry on display. For Adams, still re-establishing himself after his departure from Las Vegas, the reps with Stafford in a live practice setting carry real meaning — joint practices are among the most competitive environments outside of actual games, and the early returns on the Adams-Stafford connection appear promising heading into the regular season.

Ronnie Rivers, meanwhile, is also in the Rams' mix — though his preseason path has been quieter. Rivers was among the players who sat out Los Angeles' preseason game against the Chiefs, per a snap count breakdown of the Rams' roster race. Sitting out a preseason game can signal either a roster lock or a bubble concern, depending on the context, and Rivers' status heading into final cuts will be worth monitoring.

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Beyond the headliners, Fresno State has one of the broader alumni footprints of any mid-major program in the league. Derek Carr remains with New Orleans, D.J. Reed and Morice Norris are in Detroit, Daron Bland continues his tenure in Dallas, and Dean Clark and Mykal Walker are both with the Jets. Jake Haener is competing for a roster role in New York with the Giants, while Mac Dalena is in Buffalo's wide receiver mix. Evan Williams and Arron Mosby round out a Packers contingent, and Nikko Remigio is chasing another shot in Kansas City.

The Bailey injury is the sharpest story of the week — a reminder of how thin the margin is between making a roster and watching the season from the outside. For the rest of the Bulldog contingent, the real reckoning comes when 53-man rosters are set and the preseason ledger closes.

Fresno State's NFL alumni are moving in different directions this preseason — one chasing a ring, one hanging up his cleats for a whiteboard, and one dealing with a brutal early setback.

Adams Is All-In on the Rams' Super Bowl Window

Davante Adams arrived in Los Angeles with unfinished business etched into his résumé. After suffering his fifth NFC Championship Game loss last January, the veteran wide receiver has made it clear that reaching the Super Bowl isn't a talking point — it's the mission. "Iron sharpens iron," Adams said, framing his role not just as a pass-catcher but as a catalyst for the Rams' overall competitive standard heading into 2026.

The intensity is already radiating outward. During joint practices with the Cowboys, Adams' presence loomed large enough that Dallas cornerback Cobie Durant singled him out — alongside Puka Nacua — as a receiver he was eager to test himself against. "I want to see what they're really about," Durant said. That kind of mutual heat in August is exactly what a contender wants.

Adams also made a cameo in one of preseason's more unusual injury reports: Rams receiver Puka Nacua revealed he suffered an injury at a Michael Rubin party after running into a glass window while looking for Adams. It's the kind of story that's equal parts funny and telling — Adams is the gravitational center of this Rams offense, and apparently the social scene too.

Fellow Bulldog and running back Ronnie Rivers is also on the Rams roster, giving Fresno State a two-man contingent in Los Angeles as the team pushes toward February.

Carr Trades the Huddle for the Film Room

Derek Carr's NFL career is officially over, and his next chapter is unfolding just up the California coast. The former Saints quarterback — who spent two seasons in New Orleans before retiring — has joined the UCLA coaching staff. Carr played 12 NFL seasons and was one of the most decorated quarterbacks in Fresno State history, so his transition to coaching feels like a natural fit rather than a quiet exit.

It's a notable pivot: from the player who put Fresno State on the NFL map to a coach potentially developing the next generation of signal-callers. Bulldogs fans watching the Bruins this fall will have one more reason to tune in.

Bailey's Preseason Ends Before It Begins

The week brought genuinely painful news out of Denver. Broncos linebacker Levelle Bailey suffered a broken leg during Friday's preseason game against the Falcons and will undergo surgery, missing extensive time as a result. Bailey was competing for a roster spot, making the timing especially cruel. A promising preseason opportunity has been replaced by a long road back.

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Three Fresno State alumni, three wildly different August stories. Adams is locked in on a Super Bowl run. Carr is reinventing himself on the sideline. And Bailey faces the kind of setback that tests what a player is made of. The Bulldogs' NFL footprint remains wide — and worth watching all season long.

Fresno State's most decorated NFL alumnus isn't slowing down — and he's got a quarterback loudly invested in making sure of it.

Davante Adams enters his 13th NFL season with the Los Angeles Rams, and the 33-year-old wide receiver is under no illusions about what that means physically. "This is dog years out there," Adams told Pro Football Talk, acknowledging the toll a long career in the league takes on the body. The candor is vintage Adams — self-aware, direct, and still clearly motivated to compete at an elite level.

What's changed this offseason is the voice in his corner. Matthew Stafford has made no secret of his desire to deliver for Adams, with the veteran quarterback publicly expressing his intent to help the receiver cement a Hall-of-Fame legacy, per a Yahoo Sports report on the Rams' training camp proceedings. It's the kind of buy-in that matters for a player at Adams's stage: a franchise QB who sees winning for his teammate as part of his own mission.

Adams, for his part, has responded to the environment. He's been vocal about his appreciation for the Rams' practice structure under coach Sean McVay, calling the sessions valuable as he works to get in sync with Stafford and the offense. The Rams are clearly treating Adams as a centerpiece — and Adams is treating this opportunity with the urgency of someone who knows exactly how many productive seasons a receiver gets at the back end of a career.

The backstory adds some color. Adams spent the 2024 season with the New York Jets before landing in Los Angeles, and he's been candid about some of the lighter moments from that stint. In a video that made the rounds this week, Adams recalled what he described as a jaw-dropping negotiation with then-Jets receiver Malachi Corley over jersey No. 17 — with Corley allegedly demanding $1 million for the number. Adams recounted the story with characteristic humor, though the broader implication is clear: he's happy to have that chapter behind him and to be settled in with a contender.

Beyond Adams, Fresno State has a notable presence across the league heading into the 2026 season. Ronnie Rivers remains with Adams on the Rams' roster at running back, giving the Bulldogs two representatives on one of the NFC's more intriguing rosters. Derek Carr continues his tenure with the New Orleans Saints at quarterback, while Jake Haener and Nikko Remigio are both in Kansas City with the Chiefs. Daron Bland anchors the Cowboys' secondary, and Alex Akingbulu is in the mix for Washington up front.

But the Adams storyline is the one worth watching. A receiver of his caliber — six Pro Bowls, a track record as one of the most precise route runners of his generation — doesn't take on a 13th season casually. With Stafford throwing him the ball and McVay designing the offense, the Fresno State legend has a legitimate runway to add to the résumé that will one day put him in Canton.

Dog years or not, Adams isn't done yet.