UL Lafayette Alumni Report | NFL | Aug. 16–22, 2026
The Ragin' Cajuns had a bittersweet week in the NFL, bookended by a veteran wideout landing a new home and a young corner fighting to keep his.
Zay Jones Finds a New Team — But K.C. Ossai Won't Be His Teammate
Zay Jones is a Houston Texan. The veteran wide receiver officially signed with Houston this week alongside Sterling Shepard, giving the Texans a pair of experienced pass-catchers as they finalize their roster ahead of the regular season. Jones, a former first-round pick who has bounced through Buffalo, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville over his career, brings depth and route-running savvy to a receiving corps still building around a post-tank window.
The irony: Jones arrives in Houston just as a fellow Cajun departs it. The same announcement that welcomed Jones to the Texans confirmed that linebacker K.C. Ossai has been placed on injured reserve. Ossai won't be suiting up in the near term. It's a tough break for the Lawrence, Texas native and a quiet blow to UL Lafayette's NFL footprint in Houston.
Can Keyon Martin Do It Again in Baltimore?
The more compelling storyline out of Cajun country this week belongs to cornerback Keyon Martin, who is back in Baltimore fighting to extend one of the more improbable runs in recent Ravens history.
A year ago, Martin beat the odds entirely — an undrafted free agent who outperformed veterans in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot on Baltimore's 53-man roster, joining a long lineage of UDFAs who found a home with the Ravens through sheer performance. Now the question is whether he can do it twice.
According to Yahoo Sports, Martin's standout performance in training camp and the preseason vaulted him ahead of bubble candidates to earn his roster spot. Replicating that in 2026 is a different challenge — this time, he's a known commodity with a target on his back and far less margin for surprise. The Ravens' cornerback room hasn't thinned out, meaning Martin will again need to separate himself on special teams and in contested situations, not just flash in padded practice.
If he does make the cut again, it would cement him as one of the better stories to come out of Lafayette's NFL pipeline in recent memory.
The Broader Cajun Footprint
Beyond those two headliners, UL Lafayette continues to punch well above its Group of Five weight in terms of NFL representation. From Robert Hunt and Kevin Dotson anchoring offensive lines in Carolina and Los Angeles, to Elijah Mitchell carrying the ball in Philadelphia and Tracy Walker holding down a safety spot in San Francisco, the Cajuns have alumni scattered across meaningful roster spots league-wide.
The Ossai injury is a setback, but the Jones signing keeps Lafayette's story in Houston alive — just in a different position group. And if Martin locks up that Ravens roster spot for a second straight year, the Cajuns will have their feel-good camp story of the summer.
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