Northwestern Professional Athletes

Northwestern doesn't have a quarterback in the NFL right now, but it has something arguably more fun to track: two alumni suiting up on the same active roster in a divisional game that matters.

The Arizona Cardinals elevated both running back Evan Hull and safety Jerrick Reed II from the practice squad ahead of their Week 6 NFC West matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Oct. 17. The dual call-up puts a pair of Wildcats on the same game-day roster — a rare alignment that Northwestern fans won't want to gloss over.

Hull and Reed: The Wildcat Connection in the Desert

Hull, a former standout at Northwestern who has been working to carve out a role in Arizona's backfield, earned the elevation as the Cardinals looked to bolster their offensive depth for a critical divisional contest. NFC West games carry playoff seeding implications from the jump, and getting Hull active signals the coaching staff sees him as a genuine contributor — not just a body.

Reed II brings a different résumé to the call-up. The safety made enough of an impression with the Seattle Seahawks early in his career to earn All-Rookie recognition, and he's now getting another shot in the same division with Arizona. Per Heavy Sports, the Cardinals announced both elevations on Saturday, Oct. 17, ahead of the Rams game — making it an unexpectedly big weekend for the purple-and-white crowd.

Elsewhere Around the League

The broader Northwestern alumni footprint across the NFL remains one of the deeper ones in the Big Ten's history. The Wildcats have representation at nearly every position group: Rashawn Slater anchoring the Chargers' offensive line, Peter Skoronski with the Titans, Greg Newsome II in New York with the Giants — who played to a 27-27 draw with Washington on Oct. 11 — and Garnett Hollis Jr. holding down a corner spot in Buffalo, among others.

None of those storylines crackled quite like Hull and Reed sharing a sideline in Week 6, though. For a program that has historically had to fight for NFL respect, having two alumni elevated for the same divisional game is exactly the kind of milestone that tends to get passed around alumni group chats.

The Cardinals-Rams matchup was the centerpiece of the Northwestern NFL week, and both Wildcats had a chance to make it count.

Northwestern's Week: A Tale of Two Wildcats

The same week that one Northwestern alum's season slipped into serious jeopardy, another was busy proving he belongs among the NFL's best cornerbacks. It was a week of contrasts for Wildcat alumni across the league.

Rashawn Slater: IR, Surgery, and a Chargers Offensive Line in Crisis

The news was as bad as it gets for Rashawn Slater and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Pro Bowl left tackle — who suffered a high-ankle sprain during the team's Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, a game in which multiple linemen also went down — underwent a TightRope ankle procedure Friday and was subsequently placed on injured reserve, ending any short-term hope of a return.

The surgery, confirmed by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, was designed to accelerate recovery, but an IR designation means Slater will miss at minimum four games. For a Chargers team that dropped to 0-4, the timing couldn't be worse. Slater wasn't the only tackle hurt against Seattle — Joe Alt also exited with a neck injury — leaving Los Angeles potentially without both starting tackles heading into their Week 5 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Pro Football Focus responded accordingly, ranking the Chargers' offensive line 29th in the league following the injury news.

Coach Jim Harbaugh had already telegraphed the severity of the situation earlier in the week, telling reporters Slater would "miss some time" and flagging him as an IR candidate. The surgery and subsequent designation confirmed the worst. For a Northwestern alum who has been one of the premier left tackles in football since entering the league, watching his season potentially unravel through injury is a brutal development — and a significant blow to Justin Herbert's protection and the Chargers' rebuild.

Greg Newsome II: Right Scheme, Right Moment

While Slater's situation darkened, Greg Newsome II is having the best weeks of his career in East Rutherford. The former Northwestern cornerback — acquired by the Giants this offseason — is backing up every bit of the confidence he said he carried into New York.

Newsome added an interception in the Giants' Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals (36-24), continuing to anchor a secondary that has now forced eight takeaways through four games. That's a remarkable turnaround for a defense that was ranked 27th in its secondary heading into the season. Newsome told Sports Illustrated he isn't surprised by the unit's resurgence, having entered the season with full belief in the scheme and the personnel around him.

His move from Cleveland to New York looks like one of the quietly smart defensive acquisitions of the offseason. Scheme fit matters, and Newsome — who described playing in the right system as "priceless" — is proving that point every week.

Also Watching: Caleb Tiernan and Adetomiwa Adebawore

Two other Wildcats drew attention on the periphery. Vikings rookie offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan could be thrust into a starting role after left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered a concussion, putting the Northwestern product on the verge of his first significant NFL action. Meanwhile, Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore continued to log productive snaps in Indianapolis's Week 4 victory over Washington (30-13), per snap count analysis out of Indy.

Northwestern's NFL footprint is wide — but this week, it was Slater's absence and Newsome's ascent that defined the Wildcat story.