Oklahoma State Professional Athletes

Oklahoma State Alumni Report: NFL Preseason Week, Aug. 23–29

Two former Cowboys are making their cases heading into the 2026 NFL regular season — one with a clutch preseason performance, the other racing the clock to get healthy in time for Week 1.

Brennan Presley Makes the Most of His Moment

Brennan Presley capped the Rams' preseason with a statement game. In Los Angeles' 20–18 win over the Chargers in the preseason finale, the third-year wideout hauled in six catches for 32 yards and a touchdown, providing backup quarterback Ty Simpson — who led the team with 119 passing yards — one of his most reliable targets on the night.

For Presley, the timing couldn't be better. Bubble players live and die by preseason finales, and a six-catch, touchdown performance is exactly the kind of résumé line that earns a 53-man roster spot. The former Cowboy has long been a fan favorite in Stillwater for his electric return ability, and a productive preseason receiving outing suggests Los Angeles may be finding new ways to use him. Whether he opens the season as a core rotational piece or a gadget weapon, Presley enters the regular season with momentum.

Chuba Hubbard on Track, Panthers Reveal Backfield Plan

Meanwhile in Carolina, the news on Chuba Hubbard is cautiously optimistic. The Panthers running back has been sidelined with a hamstring injury over the last few weeks of camp, but the organization has made clear it does not expect the issue to carry into the regular season. Carolina anticipates Hubbard back for Week 1 — and the team has already revealed its broader backfield plan involving both Hubbard and fellow back Jonathan Brooks.

Hubbard has been one of the more quietly productive backs in the NFC South over the past two seasons, and his role in Carolina's offense makes his health a genuine storyline for the Panthers' 2026 fortunes. A hamstring injury late in camp is hardly ideal, but the team's confidence in his return is a green light for fantasy managers and fans alike to stay the course.

Elsewhere Around the League

Oklahoma State has one of the deeper NFL alumni rosters in college football, and several other Cowboys are fighting for spots or roles as final cuts approach. In Cleveland, wide receiver Tylan Wallace's roster status drew attention in the Browns' 53-man projections, with Yahoo Sports noting that Cleveland could get creative with veteran pieces — Wallace among them — as the team shapes its final depth chart.

The Cowboys' NFL pipeline remains robust. From Presley's preseason flash in Los Angeles to Hubbard's anticipated return in Carolina, Oklahoma State's fingerprints are spread across the league as the 2026 season kicks off.

Mason Rudolph's name has been at the center of Pittsburgh's most intriguing preseason subplot — and for once, it's entirely good news for the Oklahoma State alum.

Heading into the 2026 season, Rudolph has cemented himself as the Steelers' unquestioned backup behind Aaron Rodgers, with coach Mike McCarthy publicly signaling that the veteran did everything he needed to do in Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers. The message from the coaching staff was clear enough that McCarthy opted to sit both Rudolph and Rodgers in the team's second preseason game against the New York Jets — a deliberate move designed to evaluate where Will Howard and Drew Allar stand, not to give Rudolph more reps he apparently doesn't need.

The Jets game did little to complicate things in Rudolph's favor. Howard threw two interceptions in Pittsburgh's 17-0 shutout loss, a performance that only reinforced the hierarchy McCarthy had already established. Rudolph, watching from the sideline, was effectively declared the winner of the No. 2 competition before it was ever formally contested.

That security comes with a twist of irony that Rudolph himself has acknowledged. The 2018 draft pick — who has spent the bulk of his career as a Steelers backup — admitted to being "jealous" of the structured developmental quarterback program McCarthy has built around Howard and Allar. It's the kind of coaching infrastructure Rudolph never had coming up, and he's been candid about recognizing its value even as he outranks the players benefiting from it.

The roster math still carries some complexity. Reports surfaced that Pittsburgh intends to keep all three — Rudolph, Howard, and Allar — on the 53-man roster, an unusual commitment to quarterback depth that reflects both organizational belief in the younger two and an acknowledgment that Rudolph's standing isn't going anywhere. For a player who engineered one of the more memorable late-career moments in recent Steelers history with his 2023 playoff run, holding that No. 2 role heading into a new season is no small thing.

Rudolph turns 28 in October. He's no longer the hopeful prospect or the emergency option — he's a known commodity in a system that trusts him, which at this stage of his NFL journey is exactly where he wants to be.

For Cowboys fans keeping tabs on the broader OSU pipeline, the Rudolph situation is the headliner this week — but Stillwater continues to funnel talent across the league. Jaylen Warren remains on the Steelers' roster as well, giving Pittsburgh a pair of notable OSU contributors as the preseason stretch run begins.

Oklahoma State's NFL Week: A Signing and a Scare

Two Cowboys alumni are dominating NFL headlines this preseason week, for very different reasons.

Emmanuel Ogbah Finds a Home in Kansas City — Again

Emmanuel Ogbah is heading back to a familiar zip code. The veteran defensive end officially signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, reuniting him with the defending champions entering his 11th NFL season. Kansas City created roster space by waiving an undrafted free agent cornerback to make room for the signing.

The move brings a proven pass-rusher to a Chiefs defensive line that clearly values his experience. A Yahoo Sports film breakdown examined what Ogbah can realistically contribute in Year 11 — the short answer: situational pressure, veteran savvy, and depth on a roster built to go deep in January. For a Chiefs team that doesn't rebuild so much as reload, adding a known commodity with championship-caliber experience is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move.

For OSU fans, it's a reminder of just how durable Ogbah's career has been. Drafted by Cleveland in 2016, he's since made stops in Houston, Miami, and Kansas City, carving out longevity that most pass-rushers never achieve.

Chuba Hubbard's Hamstring Raises Red Flags in Carolina

While Ogbah's news is celebratory, the update on Chuba Hubbard is anything but. The Panthers' starting running back is dealing with a hamstring injury, and The Sporting News reports the news out of Carolina is "concerning." Hamstring injuries are among the most volatile in football — they tend to linger, recur, and, when mismanaged, can cost a player significant regular-season time.

Hubbard enters the 2026 season as the unquestioned lead back in Carolina's backfield, and losing him — even temporarily — would be a significant blow to an offense still trying to establish an identity. The timing, with training camp in full swing, adds urgency. Every practice rep missed in August is preparation that can't be recovered.

There's no confirmed timeline yet, but the language around the injury suggests the Panthers are being careful, which itself signals the severity is worth watching closely.

Mason Rudolph: The Third Storyline Worth Noting

It wouldn't be an OSU roundup without a word on Mason Rudolph, who continues to write one of the stranger quarterback stories in the league. Rudolph opened Pittsburgh's preseason under new head coach Mike McCarthy, who has publicly stated his intention to keep a four-man quarterback room featuring Rudolph alongside Aaron Rodgers, Drew Allar, and Will Howard. Rudolph's preseason debut drew coverage, and a lighthearted viral moment — Rodgers apparently pranking teammates with bumper stickers — kept the Steelers' QB room in the news cycle for all the right reasons. A FanSided report also floated Rudolph as a trade target for the Houston Texans following a Graham Mertz injury, underscoring that despite the depth chart crunch, his market value remains real.

For Oklahoma State alumni trackers, this is a week that runs the full emotional spectrum: a veteran earning another shot at a ring, a young starter fighting to stay healthy, and a backup quarterback somehow still making headlines four teams deep.