Oklahoma State Professional Athletes

Oklahoma State's NFL alumni had a week of sharp contrasts: one Cowboy's season nearly derailed before it started, another announced himself as a legitimate backfield threat.

Stribling's Season Hits the Brakes

De'Zhaun Stribling's rookie campaign with the San Francisco 49ers is on hold before it ever gained momentum. The former OSU wide receiver suffered a deltoid ligament sprain in his left ankle during San Francisco's 27-7 Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Rams, underwent surgery on Wednesday, and was officially placed on injured reserve — sidelining him for a minimum of four games and, per head coach Kyle Shanahan, approximately 10 weeks.

The timeline is a gut punch. Stribling had entered the season as one of the more intriguing developmental pass-catchers on San Francisco's roster, generating buzz as a fan favorite in camp. Now the 49ers must reshuffle their receiver depth chart without him, and the rookie faces the challenge of re-establishing himself mid-season — at best — after a procedure that proved more serious than initially feared.

At 10 weeks out, Stribling's return would come sometime in mid-November, assuming no setbacks. His IR designation means the 49ers had significant enough injury concerns to make the move official rather than manage him week-to-week.

Hubbard Seizes the Spotlight in Carolina

While Stribling's week turned grim, Chuba Hubbard's played out like a highlight reel. The Panthers running back scored two touchdowns — one rushing, one receiving — in Carolina's 37-59 loss to the Chicago Bears, finishing with 49 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards on three catches.

The performance came in a game that turned into a track meet, and Hubbard proved he could operate on both sides of the backfield split with Jonathon Brooks. According to snap count data, Hubbard dominated the workload more than pre-season projections suggested, raising immediate questions about how Carolina intends to manage its running back room going forward.

For fantasy managers, the dual-touchdown outing put Hubbard squarely on the radar — and the Panthers' defensive deficiencies virtually guarantee their offense will need to keep scoring. Hubbard's Week 2 outlook is drawing legitimate start-worthy conversation as a result.

Around the Rest of the Cowboy Diaspora

OSU's other active alumni kept quieter profiles in Week 1. Jaylen Warren contributed in Pittsburgh's 20-13 win over Atlanta, logging 46 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards on five catches in a workman effort behind the Steelers' offensive line. Justice Hill saw limited work in Baltimore's 41-23 win over Indianapolis, picking up 18 rushing yards and a reception.

Mason Rudolph, meanwhile, is drawing trade speculation — Bleacher Report floated his name as a potential fit for both the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons amid the QB injury carousel around the league — though no move has materialized.

The week belonged to Hubbard and, unfortunately, to the Stribling injury story. Two OSU alumni, two very different trajectories entering Week 2.

Oklahoma State alumni are making noise on opposite ends of the roster security spectrum this week, with Mason Rudolph's future in Pittsburgh growing murkier by the day and Chuba Hubbard earning genuine preseason respect in Carolina.

Mason Rudolph: The Most Tradeable Steeler?

Rudolph's name has been circulating in trade conversations with renewed urgency as Pittsburgh locked in its 53-man roster. With Aaron Rodgers entrenched as the starter and the Steelers electing to keep both Drew Allar and Will Howard as developmental options behind him, Rudolph finds himself the odd man out in a four-quarterback room — and the most expendable one, according to FanSided's Christopher Kline.

Sports Illustrated identified three teams that could plausibly acquire the veteran signal-caller, and the Detroit Lions surfaced in separate reporting as a logical landing spot given their shaky depth behind Jared Goff. Rudolph has 19 starts on his NFL résumé — a meaningful number for a team shopping for an insurance policy, not a rebuilding project.

The Cowboy QB hasn't let the speculation get him down. When Myles Garrett departed Cleveland for a new AFC home, Rudolph delivered a characteristically self-aware quip about their infamous 2019 brawl — a moment that, as Heavy Sports noted, he'll apparently never fully outrun. The humor is a nice touch. The uncertainty about his immediate future is less amusing.

Chuba Hubbard: The Case for the Incumbent

Down in Charlotte, Hubbard is entering his sixth NFL season with something to prove — and at least one ESPN analyst believes he'll prove it. A bold prediction out of ESPN's preseason forecast has Hubbard leading the Panthers in rushing yards this season, a call that cuts against the grain given the excitement surrounding third-year back Jonathon Brooks.

Bleacher Report broke down the Panthers' backfield timeshare and the real tension it creates for fantasy managers and coaching staffs alike. The argument for Hubbard is durability and familiarity with the system; the argument for Brooks is upside and explosiveness. ESPN's analysts have come down on the side of the incumbent, suggesting that drafting Brooks over Hubbard in fantasy formats is a mistake — a framing that Heavy Sports leaned into directly.

The Cowboys never questioned Hubbard's toughness. Now he needs an offensive staff to hand him the keys.

Around the Rest of the Cowboy Alumni

Elsewhere in the league, Emmanuel Ogbah's roster bid with Kansas City came to an end — the Chiefs released the veteran DE while finalizing their 53-man roster, per Pro Football Talk. Ogbah, who spent time in Cleveland and Miami before landing in Kansas City, is now a free agent heading into the season.

On the injury front, Nick Martin's 2026 campaign is off to a painful start. The 49ers linebacker was placed on injured reserve as San Francisco set its initial roster, per Yahoo Sports, casting doubt on his availability in the early weeks.

Jaylen Warren remains on Pittsburgh's roster, though his role may be diminished — Heavy Sports reported that the Steelers' backfield pecking order could look significantly different in 2026, with newcomer Rico Dowdle drawing high-profile attention.

For Cowboys fans tracking the NFL footprint, the headliners are clear: Rudolph's trade saga and Hubbard's redemption arc are the storylines worth watching as the season kicks off.

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.