Minnesota Professional Athletes

Two Minnesota alumni are making the strongest cases of their careers this NFL season — and Week 7 was their loudest statement yet.

Cashman Is the Heart of an Undefeated Defense

Blake Cashman had himself a Sunday. The Vikings linebacker put up 12 tackles (eight solo) and two tackles for loss in Minnesota's gritty 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts — the kind of stat line that earns hardware. Sure enough, the NFL named Cashman its NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 7, a recognition that reflects not just one performance but a sustained stretch of dominance that has the Vikings undefeated and their defense humming.

Head coach Kevin O'Connell didn't hold back in his postgame praise, making clear Cashman is central to how this defense operates. That sentiment is now bleeding into contract conversations. Cashman's three-year, $22.5 million deal expires after this season, and Sports Illustrated laid out the pros and cons of an extension — a debate that, frankly, has a pretty obvious answer if his current trajectory holds. The question is whether the Vikings move quickly or let the market set the price.

For a former Gopher who had to carve out his NFL role the hard way, this kind of moment feels earned.

Mafe Thriving in His First Year with Cincinnati

Across the league in Cincinnati, Boye Mafe is making his own noise. The defensive end was one of the Bengals' marquee free-agent additions this offseason — part of a defensive overhaul that included Jonathan Allen and Bryan Cook — and he's been delivering on that investment.

In Week 7, Mafe recorded a sack in Cincinnati's blowout 35-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens, a result Bengals head coach Zac Taylor specifically called out Mafe and the pass rush for after the game. Taylor's praise wasn't the ceremonial kind — the Bengals' defensive front is turning into a genuine problem for opposing offenses, and Mafe is a featured piece of that.

The week wasn't entirely clean for Mafe — reports surfaced that the NFL was reviewing a potential fine related to a low block during the Ravens game — but the bigger picture is a player who has settled into a new system and made it look seamless.

Mafe himself has kept the focus where it belongs: on winning. "Stats don't mean anything," he told reporters, a quote that sounds like a cliché until you see a guy actually backing it up with process-first play in a team context that's clicking.

Others Worth Watching

Elsewhere among active Gophers, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford caught two passes for 11 yards as the Cowboys rolled past the Eagles 38-21 on Monday night — though the game's most notable Spann-Ford headline came courtesy of Eagles DT Jalen Carter, who was fined $12,537 by the league for striking the Minnesota alum during the contest. Safety Tyler Nubin returned from a neck injury for the Giants in their 27-21 win over the Texans, a quiet but meaningful step back for a player who figures into New York's long-term plans at the position.

And don't overlook cornerback Justin Walley, who forced a fumble for the Colts in the same game where Cashman was tearing through Indianapolis' offense — two Gophers on opposite sidelines, both leaving a mark.

The most consequential news for Minnesota alumni in the NFL this week didn't come from a box score — it came from a Baltimore Ravens injury report.

Rashod Bateman, the former Gophers wide receiver in his fifth NFL season, exited the Ravens' Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns with an injury that drew immediate concern. Baltimore fell 13-10 in a sluggish offensive performance, and losing Bateman mid-game only compounded the damage. The Ravens scored on their first two drives and went quiet from there — a stretch that became harder to explain with their $36 million wideout watching from the sideline.

The better news arrived midweek. On Thursday, the Ravens upgraded Bateman on their injury report, a development Ravens defensive coordinator Jesse Minter called encouraging. While Lamar Jackson remained limited in practice, the Bateman update offered a genuine silver lining for a Baltimore offense that can ill afford extended absences at the receiver position. For Gopher fans, it's a week that began with anxiety and ended with cautious optimism.

Elsewhere Around the League

Brevyn Spann-Ford provided the most statistically visible performance among Minnesota alumni in Week 7. The Cowboys tight end hauled in four receptions for 35 yards in Dallas's 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers — a workmanlike effort in a game his team couldn't win. Spann-Ford continues to carve out a reliable role in the Cowboys' offense, even when the results in the win column don't follow.

Several other Gophers appeared across the league's Sunday slate without registering notable counting stats. Ko Kieft's Buccaneers fell to the Steelers 26-19 in a game that featured multiple Minnesota alums on Pittsburgh's roster — Kyler Baugh, Shannon Bishop, Jack Henderson, Esezi Otomewo, Terell Smith, and Kiondre Thomas all suiting up for the AFC North side. Cody Lindenberg's Raiders dropped a 33-30 decision to the Bills. Jack Gibbens was on the field for Arizona's 16-18 loss to the Rams. Danny Striggow and Eric Murray were both active for their respective teams in the Texans' 34-31 win over the Jaguars.

Justin Walley's Colts fell to the Titans 26-20 in a close AFC South clash — a tough result for the former Gopher cornerback, though Indianapolis will look to bounce back in a division that remains very much in play.

The week's defining thread, however, is Bateman's trajectory. A significant in-game injury followed by a within-the-week upgrade is about as good a sequence as a fan base can hope for when a player goes down. The Ravens need him functional — and right now, it looks like they may get him back sooner rather than later.

The Mafe Effect

When the Cincinnati Bengals went shopping in free agency this past offseason, they had a clear mandate: fix the defense. Their most important purchase? Minnesota alum Boye Mafe. Midway through the 2026 season, the edge rusher is paying dividends that have the league taking notice.

Multiple outlets have singled out Mafe as one of the top free-agent acquisitions of the entire NFL offseason. The praise isn't hollow — Cincinnati's defense has been the engine behind a Bengals resurgence that has the team plotting a first playoff run since 2022. Mafe punctuated the period with a sack in Cincinnati's 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, a victory that sent the Bengals into their bye week with genuine momentum.

It hasn't all been clean, though. The NFL dinged Mafe with a fine following its post-game review of Week 6 in-game violations — a footnote that barely registers against the broader arc of a player who has become the anchor of a defensive identity the Bengals desperately needed.

Cashman Flies the Minnesota Flag in Minnesota

The story of a Gopher building something in his own backyard: Blake Cashman, a Vikings linebacker and Minneapolis product, has been a key cog in one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Cashman went public this week with his admiration for coordinator Brian Flores' scheme, explaining what makes it so difficult for opposing offenses to solve. The Vikings backed it up on the field, too — Minnesota held the Saints to 13 points in a 23-13 Week 6 victory, with Cashman part of a unit that has given the offense every opportunity to thrive.

Nubin Down, Others Navigate Injury Trouble

Not every Gopher alum had a smooth week. Giants safety Tyler Nubin was forced out of New York's Week 5 game against Washington and was subsequently ruled out for Week 6 against the Saints, appearing on the team's official injury designation list. Nubin's absence created an opening for others in the Giants' secondary — but it's a situation worth watching as New York tries to stabilize its back end.

In Jacksonville, safety Eric Murray's status ahead of the Jaguars' Week 6 battle with the Texans dominated the team's injury conversation all week. Murray's name appeared on multiple practice reports before the Jaguars received a more encouraging update heading into the weekend — a relief for a team leaning on its veterans.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's Antoine Winfield Jr. — one of the most decorated Gopher alumni in the league — missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with a rib injury, putting his availability for the Buccaneers' Week 6 game against the Steelers in question heading into the weekend.

Around the League

Rashod Bateman quietly had himself a week, hauling in five catches for 62 yards in Baltimore's 30-23 win over Atlanta — a steady, dependable performance from a receiver who tends to produce without generating headlines. Danny Striggow's Jaguars pulled off a 19-17 upset of the Eagles, while Cody Lindenberg's Raiders were hammered 45-17 by New England in a forgettable afternoon out west.

The Gopher footprint across the NFL remains wide — but right now, all roads lead back to Cincinnati, where Boye Mafe is making the strongest case of any Minnesota alum for being exactly where he belongs.

Antoine Winfield Jr.'s Injury Hits Tampa Bay at the Worst Time

The Minnesota Gophers' most prominent NFL alumnus had a week to forget. Antoine Winfield Jr., the Buccaneers' All-Pro safety, suffered a rib fracture during Tampa Bay's Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers and was subsequently ruled out 2–4 weeks — a blow that NFL observers quickly labeled a "big blow" to an already reeling franchise.

Winfield's absence was felt immediately. He was ruled out ahead of Tampa Bay's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, joining quarterback Baker Mayfield on the inactive list as the Buccaneers limped into AT&T Stadium short-handed. The Cowboys won, 16–24, leaving Tampa Bay winless and without its two most important players at the same time.

The timing is brutal. Winfield is the anchor of the Tampa Bay defense, and losing him for up to a month — during a stretch that could define the Buccaneers' season — leaves a significant hole at safety that the roster simply isn't built to absorb. Fellow Gopher and Buccaneers tight end Ko Kieft is also on the roster, though he did not register stats in the Cowboys game.

Other Gophers Making Moves

While Winfield's injury dominated the week's Minnesota alumni news, a few other former Gophers made quiet contributions across the league.

Rashod Bateman continued to produce for the Baltimore Ravens, hauling in 2 receptions for 46 yards in Baltimore's 24–18 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It was a steady performance from a receiver who has worked to cement his role in a run-heavy offense.

Boye Mafe, now with the Cincinnati Bengals, recorded a sack in Cincinnati's 17–22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars — one of the few defensive bright spots in a tough defeat. Danny Striggow also notched a sack for Jacksonville in that same game, giving the Jaguars' front seven a pair of Minnesota-connected contributors on the stat sheet.

Justin Walley picked up a sack for the Indianapolis Colts in their 30–13 blowout win over Washington, adding to a strong day for the Indy defense.

Meanwhile, cornerback Terell Smith made a roster move of note — the Pittsburgh Steelers poached him off the Washington Commanders' practice squad, giving Smith a shot at a bigger role with a defense that has been shuffling pieces at corner all season.

The Bottom Line

The week's Minnesota alumni story begins and ends with Winfield. His rib fracture is the kind of injury that can quietly derail a franchise's season, and the Buccaneers — already winless — are in no position to absorb it. For Gopher fans tracking their NFL alumni, the next 2–4 weeks will be a waiting game to see when their most decorated NFL product can return to the field.