North Carolina Professional Athletes

UNC alumni are generating more NFL noise than most Power Four schools this preseason week, with four distinct storylines ranging from a franchise QB being bubble-wrapped to a promising back going down before the season even starts.

Drake Maye: Handle With Care

Mike Vrabel isn't taking any chances with his centerpiece. The Patriots head coach has kept Drake Maye out of both of New England's first two preseason games, citing concerns about offensive line depth — a cautious call that underscores just how much the franchise's future runs through the former Tar Heel signal-caller. The protection extends beyond the field, too: New England traded with Houston to bring in receiver Kayshon Boutte, a move that counts fellow UNC alum and Patriots wideout Mack Hollins among its ripple-effect winners. More offensive weapons around Maye heading into Year 2 is exactly the kind of preseason development Patriots fans needed to see.

Joshua Ezeudu Lands in Kansas City

In one of the more quietly significant roster moves of the week, the Giants shipped guard Joshua Ezeudu to the Chiefs in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft. The trade adds interior offensive line depth to an already formidable Kansas City operation ahead of final roster cuts. For Ezeudu, it's a fresh start with a perennial contender — not a bad place to resurrect a career after failing to fully crack New York's starting lineup.

Ty Chandler's Season Is Over Before It Started

The roughest news out of Chapel Hill's NFL alumni circle: Saints coach Kellen Moore confirmed that running back Ty Chandler suffered a season-ending knee injury. The fear of a serious knee injury was first reported after New Orleans moved quickly to trade for Zamir White — a move that, in hindsight, telegraphed the severity of what Chandler was dealing with. It's a brutal blow for the former Tar Heel, who now faces a lengthy road back before he suits up again at the NFL level.

Omarion Hampton Is Turning Heads in Los Angeles

On the brighter end of the spectrum, Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton is drawing the kind of preseason praise that makes fantasy managers and film-room analysts alike take notice. The LA Times reports that Hampton is central to coach Mike McDaniel's planned revival of the Chargers' ground game, with teammates and coaches already raving about his physicality. One opposing defender's scouting report may have said it best: "Nobody wants to tackle that guy." If McDaniel's scheme unlocks Hampton the way it once did with Raheem Mostert in Miami, the former Tar Heel could be one of the AFC's most impactful rookie backs by midseason.

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Elsewhere in the alumni ledger, linebacker Tomon Fox was among the first wave of Rams cuts as Los Angeles trimmed toward its initial 53-man roster — a tough exit for a veteran who had carved out a role in the league. Mitchell Trubisky, meanwhile, saw action in the Titans' 19-16 preseason win over the Seahawks, sharing reps with Cam Ward and Will Levis as Tennessee sorts out its quarterback depth chart.

It's a wide-ranging week for the Tar Heel football family — and with Maye's regular season on the horizon and Hampton's buzz building by the day, the biggest chapters may still be ahead.

The buzz around Drake Maye isn't just preseason noise — it's a full-throated signal that the UNC product is ready to carry the New England Patriots into genuine Super Bowl contention.

Maye Cracks the NFL Top 100

The biggest individual honor of the week came when Maye was named to the NFL Top 100 for 2026, a peer-voted list that carries real weight precisely because it comes from the players themselves. It's the kind of recognition that marks a transition — from promising young quarterback to legitimate NFL star. Maye is no longer being evaluated on potential alone.

Shredding the Eagles in Joint Practice

The rankings are one thing. What Maye did on the practice field against Philadelphia was another. In joint sessions with the Eagles on August 19 and 20, Maye was described as "overall sharp" across both days, with a standout performance in the first session that drew particular attention. That connection with newly acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown — who was traded from Philadelphia to New England this offseason — showed tangible growth. Having Brown on his side of the field, rather than lined up against him, looks like a significant upgrade for the Patriots' offense.

Patriots starters were held out of the subsequent preseason game against Philadelphia, a clear sign that head coach Mike Vrabel sees no need to expose his key pieces to unnecessary risk. That's a vote of confidence in itself.

The Super Bowl Conversation Is Real

Maye wasn't shy about where his head is at heading into the season. He openly acknowledged the Patriots' "main hurdle" to Super Bowl contention, framing the challenge with the kind of clear-eyed self-awareness that coaches love to hear from a young quarterback. Coach Vrabel, meanwhile, laid out his own Super Bowl blueprint — pegged, in characteristically quirky Vrabel fashion, to the concept of "oranges" — signaling that this Patriots organization believes it belongs in the conversation, not just hoping for it.

Elsewhere in Tar Heel Country

Maye wasn't the only UNC alum generating headlines this week. In Dallas, Sam Howell is locked in a battle for the Cowboys' backup quarterback job behind Dak Prescott, and the competition is genuinely close. Howell and Joe Milton both delivered efficient, turnover-free performances in the preseason win over Seattle, with Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer keeping his cards close on who has the edge. Howell, the former Tar Heel starter, appears to be very much in the mix.

Down in Indianapolis, Josh Downs finds himself in an evolving situation at wide receiver after the Colts signed veteran Keenan Allen to address depth and injury concerns behind Alec Pierce. How that affects Downs' role and targets in the short term is worth monitoring.

And in Tennessee, Mitchell Trubisky had a scare when he left practice early Monday with a biceps injury — but he returned to the field by Wednesday, easing concerns about the Titans' backup quarterback situation.

The week belonged to Maye, though. The trajectory from first-round pick to NFL Top 100 honoree to legitimate Super Bowl-aspirant quarterback is moving fast — and Tar Heel fans have every reason to watch closely when the real games begin.

Two of North Carolina's most prominent NFL alumni are generating buzz this preseason for very different reasons — one is stacking weapons, the other is watching his featured role get chipped away.

Drake Maye Is Building Something Real in New England

The centerpiece story of UNC's NFL week belongs to Drake Maye, and it's an encouraging one. The Patriots quarterback has been building chemistry with newly acquired wide receiver A.J. Brown, and by all accounts it's clicking. Yahoo Sports detailed the growing connection between the two, framing it as the offseason's priority No. 1 after New England pulled off the trade to land Brown.

Maye's mentality is straightforward. When asked about keeping all his receivers happy in a loaded offensive room, he didn't blink: "My job is to score points," he told reporters. That's a quarterback who's stopped managing expectations and started operating.

The Patriots also gave Maye another tool to work with this week, signing tight end Hunter Henry to a two-year extension on August 10. Henry has been a reliable check-down and red-zone target, and locking him up signals New England's intent to build a complete offense around their young franchise passer.

Maye himself didn't play in New England's preseason opener against the Colts on August 14 — coach Mike Vrabel confirmed early in the week that the starter would sit. Brown, apparently less patient with that decision, was spotted on the sideline trying to get Maye into the game for at least one drive to appease the Gillette Stadium crowd. Maye stayed on the bench, but the moment said everything about the receiver's buy-in.

The week wasn't flawless: a training camp joint practice with the Colts on August 11 ended on a sour note for Maye, per Yahoo Sports. But the macro picture — a legitimate No. 1 receiver, an extended tight end, and a quarterback with a score-first mentality — looks more promising for the former Tar Heel than anything New England has offered him since he was drafted.

Hampton's Featured Role Faces a Crowded Backfield

Omarion Hampton's situation in Los Angeles is more complicated. New Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel made waves this week when he publicly elevated running backs Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell as significant contributors to the 2026 offense — a direct signal that Hampton won't operate as a true workhorse back.

McDaniel's plan, as reported by both The Sporting News and Bleacher Report, leans into a committee approach. For fantasy managers who drafted Hampton expecting a bell-cow role, it's an alert worth heeding. For Hampton himself, it's a challenge: the former UNC standout will need to prove he's the best option in the room, not just the most heralded one coming into camp.

The Chargers' new OC built his reputation in Miami and San Francisco on creative, versatile backfield usage, so a committee isn't surprising — but it does reframe what Hampton's ceiling looks like in year two.

Around the Rest of the Alumni

UNC's WR Josh Downs, now with Indianapolis, popped up in injury news this week. Downs missed a Colts practice Saturday with a groin injury but the situation was not considered serious, per Yahoo Sports. He's expected to be fine — small relief for a receiver who figures to be a key piece of the Colts' passing game.

The Tar Heel footprint across the NFL is wide this summer, but the Maye-Hampton pairing at the top of the depth chart represents the program's clearest window into the league's future. One is thriving under new investment; the other is fighting to define his role before the season starts.

Drake Maye is healthy, locked in, and fully in command of the defending Super Bowl champions' offense heading into 2026. That's the good news out of Foxborough. The rest of training camp has offered a more textured picture of where New England's franchise quarterback — and UNC's most prominent NFL alumni story — actually stands.

Maye cleared the most pressing question before a single rep was taken: the shoulder he hurt in February's Super Bowl is not a concern. "Feels great," he told reporters during camp, and his on-field work has largely backed that up. On Day 9, he shook off a slow start to complete 11 of his final 12 passes, the kind of clutch finishing that defined his championship run. He also spent time this week methodically breaking down his receiver room — all seven of them — singling out Kayshon Boutte as a player who "just continues to make plays" despite ongoing trade speculation swirling around him.

That receiver room is legitimately loaded. The offseason acquisition of A.J. Brown from Philadelphia has drawn widespread praise, with analysts calling it the steal of the offseason. Brown has already made his affection for the move known — posting a photo with Maye set to a song literally called "Heaven." The fit looks real, and with Maye entering his second year as the unquestioned starter on a team that just won it all, the ceiling is as high as it's ever been in New England.

The Rough Patches Are Real, Too

But training camp is where the unscripted moments live, and Maye had a rough one on Day 11. He threw three consecutive interceptions during the two-minute drill — the kind of sequence that, on a championship team with rising expectations, doesn't go unnoticed. Then in a full camp scrimmage, backup Tommy DeVito outplayed him while Maye's unit started slow.

None of this is cause for alarm — two-minute drill struggles in August rarely correlate to February collapses — but it does underscore the pressure that comes with being the face of a repeat contender. A tougher 2026 schedule awaits, and the margin for error is narrower when everyone has circled your name.

Off the field, Maye is navigating contract extension talk with characteristic composure. Asked whether teammate Christian Gonzalez's contract stalemate makes him think about his own future, Maye leaned on a line that'd fit any veteran leader: "The present — that's why they call it a present, man. It's a gift." His own big payday is coming. He's not letting it distract him.

Other Tar Heels Worth Watching

Beyond Maye's New England universe — which also includes fellow UNC alum and Patriots LB Amari Gainer and WR Mack Hollins — a handful of other Tar Heel pros are generating headlines.

In Indianapolis, Josh Downs is having a strong training camp and looks positioned for an expanded role in the Colts' offense, a development worth monitoring for fantasy managers and Carolina faithful alike. In Los Angeles, Omarion Hampton's rising stock is already prompting contract extension conversations with the Chargers, aided by the precedent set by recent running back deals around the league. And in Seattle, Power Echols quietly secured his roster spot after the Seahawks signed him and cut a competitor within the span of a single week.

The Tar Heel footprint across the NFL is wide. The gravitational center of it all, for now, remains in New England — where Drake Maye is chasing history.