University of Louisiana at Lafayette Professional Athletes

A Big Moment for Jaden Dugger

The NFL upheld Dre Greenlaw's one-game suspension this week following a head-butting incident with Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV, and that ruling opened a door for one of Louisiana's own. Jaden Dugger, the San Francisco 49ers' rookie linebacker out of UL Lafayette, is expected to make his first NFL start in the team's Week 6 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

For a player who entered the league as an unproven commodity, the moment carries real weight. Starting in the NFL — even for one game, even by circumstance — is a benchmark most rookies don't reach this early. Dugger gets his against a Commanders offense that will test him immediately.

It's worth noting that Dugger already got his feet wet in Week 5. He registered a tackle in San Francisco's 32–29 win over Seattle on October 11, a performance that apparently left the coaching staff comfortable enough to lean on him when the stakes rose. Trust from an NFL defensive staff doesn't come easy for rookie linebackers, and Dugger appears to be earning his.

The Cajun Connection in D.C.

The 49ers-Commanders matchup also creates an interesting subplot for Ragin' Cajun alumni: two former UL Lafayette defensive backs — Trey Amos and Percy Butler — are now on Washington's roster. Amos plays cornerback, Butler plays safety. Neither of them will be throwing punches at Dugger, but the Cajun family tree is very much represented on both sidelines.

Around the League

Elsewhere, wide receiver Dalen Cambre and the New York Giants played to a 27–27 draw against the Commanders in Week 5, a result that will do little to lift a Giants team still searching for consistency. Cambre is one of UL Lafayette's more intriguing NFL prospects at the position, and he'll need the offense around him to stabilize if he's going to carve out a meaningful role.

Andre Jones Jr. and the Miami Dolphins dropped a 24–31 decision to the Cincinnati Bengals on the same Sunday, a tough loss for a team with early-season playoff aspirations. The UL Lafayette linebacker has been part of a Dolphins defense that's had its share of struggles containing opposing offenses this fall.

The broader Cajun footprint in the NFL remains one of the more impressive in the Sun Belt. With O'Cyrus Torrence anchoring Buffalo's offensive line, Kevin Dotson doing the same in Los Angeles, Robert Hunt in Carolina, and Max Mitchell protecting the pocket in New York, UL Lafayette's pipeline to the league's trenches is as reliable as ever. Elijah Mitchell continues to provide depth in the Eagles' backfield, and Johnny Lumpkin is holding down a roster spot in Green Bay.

But this week belongs to Dugger. When the 49ers take the field in Week 6, a Ragin' Cajun will be lining up in a starting role on one of the NFL's most scrutinized defenses. That's not a footnote — that's a headline.

The NFL week of October 4–10 brought mixed news for University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni, with the headliner coming out of East Rutherford — and it wasn't good.

Golston Shelved, Cambre Gets His Shot

New York Giants defensive lineman Chauncey Golston was placed on injured reserve, ending his near-term availability and dealing a blow to a Giants front that has had its share of personnel instability. The move sidelines the UL Lafayette product indefinitely, with no timetable yet attached to his return.

The silver lining? Fellow Ragin' Cajun Dalen Cambre, a wide receiver who had been working on the Giants' practice squad, was elevated to the active roster as part of the same transaction. It's the kind of opportunity that rarely announces itself in advance — Cambre will need to make the most of increased visibility in a Giants offense searching for contributors.

Around the League

Elsewhere, two Cajuns made their presence felt on the field Sunday. Safety Percy Butler suited up for Washington as the Commanders dropped a 30-13 decision to Indianapolis, a tough result for a team that came in with higher expectations. Butler continues to hold down a roster spot in the nation's capital, providing depth in Washington's secondary.

In Santa Clara, linebacker Jaden Dugger was part of a San Francisco 49ers squad that handled Denver 24-14, a confidence-building win for a 49ers team navigating a difficult stretch of the season. Dugger's role on that defense — even in a complementary capacity — puts him in a winning environment as San Francisco looks to reassert itself in the NFC.

The Bigger Picture

UL Lafayette's NFL footprint remains notably wide — more than 20 Ragin' Cajuns are currently on active rosters or practice squads across the league, from Max Mitchell anchoring the Jets' offensive line to Elijah Mitchell carrying the ball in Philadelphia. The Golston injury is a setback for one of the program's more prominent defensive names, but Cambre's elevation is a reminder of how quickly the depth chart reshapes itself at the professional level. For Lafayette alumni, opportunity tends to come fast and without warning — the key is being ready when it does.

UL Lafayette Alumni Report | Week of Sept. 27 – Oct. 3, 2026

Two Ragin' Cajuns are making NFL headlines this week for very different reasons — one is fighting to stay on the field, the other is fighting to get back on a roster.

Dugger's Shoulder Clouds 49ers' Week 4 Plans

Jaden Dugger's sophomore NFL campaign hit a snag this week when the San Francisco 49ers linebacker suffered a shoulder injury during Thursday's practice — the same session that sidelined wide receiver Dante Pettis. ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported the injury, and Dugger was officially listed as questionable on San Francisco's final injury report ahead of their Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos.

It's a concerning development for a 49ers defense already stretched thin. Dugger joins fellow linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Keion White, as well as wide receivers Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling, on a lengthy injury report heading into the Broncos game. San Francisco needed Dugger's contributions in the front seven after a 36-30 victory over Arizona in Week 3 — a win that showed just how much the 49ers need every available body. Whether he can suit up Sunday remains to be seen, but the shoulder designation is never one to take lightly at the NFL level.

Mitchell's NFL Journey Continues with Saints Audition

If Dugger represents the anxiety of staying healthy in the league, Elijah Mitchell represents the grind of staying in the league.

The former 49ers starting running back worked out for the New Orleans Saints this week, per Heavy Sports, following a turbulent stretch that included stints with both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell, of course, built his NFL reputation in San Francisco, where he established himself as a legitimate starter before a string of injuries derailed his momentum.

The Saints workout is a legitimate opportunity. New Orleans figures to be evaluating its depth at running back, and Mitchell arrives with verified starting-caliber experience — no small thing for a team that could use proven options in the backfield. A return to Louisiana would also carry a certain narrative symmetry for the Lafayette native who starred for the Ragin' Cajuns before making it to the league.

Whether the Saints sign him or not, the fact that Mitchell is drawing interest from an NFL club — after roster transactions in the past year — speaks to the league's continued respect for what he can bring when healthy.

The Bigger Picture

UL Lafayette quietly fields one of the deeper NFL alumni rosters in the Sun Belt, with players spread across more than a dozen teams at positions ranging from offensive line to defensive back. This week, it's the Dugger injury and the Mitchell audition that put the Cajuns' NFL footprint in sharpest focus. Both situations resolve in the coming days — keep an eye on the 49ers' official injury designations and any Saints roster moves for the latest.

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The AFC East rivalry got a little more personal this week — and a UL Lafayette alum is at the center of it.

The Miami Dolphins signed pass rusher Andre Jones Jr. off the Buffalo Bills' practice squad ahead of Week 3, a move that doubles as a division power play. Miami reached directly into Buffalo's roster to bolster its edge-rushing depth, a notable — and pointed — transaction between two teams that share one of the NFL's fiercest divisional rivalries.

The signing was reported Monday by NFL insider Mike Garafolo and confirmed by the Dolphins, coming on the heels of a rough 35-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. With the team off to a brutal start to the 2026 season, Miami's front office clearly decided reinforcements were needed — and didn't have to look far outside the division to find one.

Jones Jr., a former Ragin' Cajun who developed into a legitimate pass-rushing prospect out of Lafayette, now lands in a Dolphins defensive scheme desperate for an edge. The move also strips Buffalo of a practice squad asset it was developing, adding a layer of competitive calculus to what might otherwise look like a routine transaction.

Another Cajun in the Bay

Meanwhile, Jaden Dugger — the 49ers linebacker who also hails from UL Lafayette — was on the other side of that Miami blowout in Week 2. San Francisco's 35-13 dismantling of the Dolphins on Sunday was the very loss that prompted Miami to go shopping. While individual stats for Dugger were not available, the 49ers' dominant defensive performance provided the backdrop to Jones Jr.'s cross-division relocation.

Two Ragin' Cajuns, one game's fallout — it's a small world in the NFL.

The Bigger Picture

UL Lafayette continues to quietly stock NFL rosters across the league. The Ragin' Cajuns have more than 20 alumni currently on active rosters and practice squads — from Elijah Mitchell in Philadelphia to Kevin Dotson anchoring the Rams' offensive line to Tracy Walker patrolling the 49ers' secondary. But this week, the spotlight belongs to Jones Jr., whose journey from Buffalo's practice squad to Miami's active roster is the kind of mid-season opportunity that can define a career.

For a program in Lafayette, Louisiana that doesn't always command national headlines, its alumni footprint across the NFL tells a different story. Jones Jr.'s move to Miami is just the latest chapter.