Missouri Western's most prominent NFL alumni story this week comes with a familiar headline attached — and it has nothing to do with gymnastics.
Jonathan Owens Signs with Indianapolis Colts
Jonathan Owens, the Missouri Western product and veteran DB, has a new NFL employer. The Indianapolis Colts signed Owens this week in a roster move that drew national attention — due in no small part to his high-profile marriage to Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles. That celebrity association has a way of amplifying every roster transaction Owens is involved in, but the football itself is worth noting: Owens has carved out a legitimate NFL career as a core special teams contributor and versatile defensive back, and landing with Indianapolis gives him another shot at a 53-man roster.
Owens previously played for the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers, building a reputation as a gritty, do-whatever-it-takes roster battler — the kind of player who survives cuts through effort and positional flexibility rather than star power. The Colts, rebuilding their defensive depth heading into the regular season, add a seasoned veteran who knows how to stick in a league that chews through journeymen quickly.
For Missouri Western fans, Owens remains the program's most visible ambassador at the professional level — a Griffon who has consistently defied the odds that come with making the NFL from a Division II program out of St. Joseph, Missouri.
The Rest of the Griffons in the League
Owens isn't the only Missouri Western alum with NFL skin in the game this week. DT C.J. Ravenell is in camp with the Tennessee Titans, DB Sam Webb is competing for a spot on the New York Giants' roster, and veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein — one of the more accomplished Griffons to ever reach the pros — remains with the New York Jets as the team finalizes its 53-man roster ahead of the regular season.
None of the latter three generated the kind of transaction news Owens did this week, but the sheer presence of four Missouri Western alumni in NFL camps during the final cutdown period is a remarkable footnote for a D-II program that rarely gets a national spotlight.
Owens' Colts signing is the headline, but the broader picture is quietly impressive: Missouri Western keeps producing players who find ways to stay in the conversation when NFL jobs are the scarcest commodity in professional sports.
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