Virginia Tech Professional Athletes

Virginia Tech's NFL alumni had a week worth talking about, with contributions and storylines spread across the league — from a pick-six-free safety in Detroit to a linebacker reshaping New York's defense, to two Chiefs starters watching from the sideline.

Chuck Clark Comes Up Big for Detroit

The most clean-cut highlight belonged to safety Chuck Clark, who snagged an interception for the Lions in their 31-30 Week 1 thriller over the Saints. Clark, who also suited up in Detroit's 41-31 loss to Buffalo on Thursday of Week 2, remains a reliable presence in the secondary. For a Lions team with championship ambitions, veteran depth at safety is a quiet asset — and Clark is delivering on it.

Tremaine Edmunds Anchors a Giants Revival

In East Rutherford, Tremaine Edmunds was central to something larger than a box score. The Giants' 28-20 win over Dallas featured a revived "NASCAR" pass-rush package — a scheme reminiscent of New York's Super Bowl-era fronts built around Tuck, Umenyiora and Strahan. Edmunds explained how the alignment forced Dallas into one-dimensional football, and the result spoke for itself. If the Giants are serious about a defensive turnaround, the former Hokie is the engine the scheme runs through.

Injury Cloud Hangs Over the Chiefs' Hokies

Kansas City entered the season already missing two starters, and both happen to be Virginia Tech products. Safety Chamarri Conner and offensive tackle Josh Simmons sat out the opener against Denver and remained on the injury report heading into a Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Colts. Conner's status was particularly uncertain, with the Chiefs providing cautious updates throughout the week. Mansoor Delane, another VT alum in Kansas City's secondary, also found his way onto the injury report after the opener — piling more uncertainty onto a Chiefs secondary navigating a rocky start.

Bhayshul Tuten Rolls in Jacksonville's Blowout

Down in Jacksonville, running back Bhayshul Tuten had a quietly efficient day in the Jaguars' 34-10 rout of Cleveland. Tuten carried for 66 yards and added 22 more on a reception, complementing Trevor Lawrence's four-touchdown performance. It wasn't a star turn, but it was exactly the kind of complementary contribution that keeps a back in a rotation.

The Rest of the Hokie Roll Call

Wide receiver Jaylin Lane logged a reception for four yards in Washington's 24-22 loss to Philadelphia — a narrow defeat in which every yard felt costly. Defensive tackle Tim Settle was also on the field for the Commanders, and Divine Deablo suited up for Atlanta in their 20-13 loss to Pittsburgh, though neither generated notable statistical output. Joey Slye handled kicking duties for Tennessee in a 23-10 loss to the Jets.

Virginia Tech's NFL footprint remains impressively wide. The bigger question heading into Week 2: when do Conner and Simmons return to full strength in Kansas City?

Virginia Tech alumni felt the brutality of NFL final cuts this week, as two Hokies found themselves on the wrong end of roster decisions ahead of the 2026 regular season — though one quickly found a new home.

Mitchell Lands in Dallas After Panthers Move On

James Mitchell's time in Carolina was brief. The Panthers waived the 6-foot-4 tight end before Week 1, and the Dallas Cowboys wasted little time capitalizing, signing Mitchell to their practice squad per the NFL's official transaction report. For Mitchell, it's a chance to stay in the league and make a case for an active roster spot as the Cowboys' season unfolds. Practice squad signings this time of year are often a quiet lifeline — and for a tight end with Mitchell's size, the opportunity in Dallas is worth watching.

Tenuta Cut Loose by Indianapolis

Luke Tenuta's preseason ended on a harder note. The Colts released the offensive tackle to clear a roster spot after claiming cornerback Kapena Gushiken off waivers from the Eagles. Tenuta, who had been competing for a depth role along Indianapolis's offensive line, is now a free agent heading into the season. It's a tough break for the Virginia Tech product, who'll hope a team with O-line needs comes calling early in the year.

Tuten's Role in Jacksonville Still Taking Shape

Further south, Bhayshul Tuten enters Week 1 with a different kind of uncertainty. The Jaguars' running back depth chart is congested — Tuten, Chris Rodriguez, and LeQuint Allen are all competing for touches, and question marks remain about how Jacksonville's backfield workload will shake out. Tuten's role isn't gone, but it's anything but defined. For Hokie fans tracking the former Virginia Tech back, Week 1 will be the first real indicator of where he stands in the pecking order.

Taylor Sticks in Green Bay

On a more stable note, Tyrod Taylor secured his spot as the Green Bay Packers' backup quarterback, outlasting Kyle McCord in the position battle. The Packers ultimately traded McCord rather than keep him, a decision that drew scrutiny but kept the veteran Taylor — who played at Virginia Tech before a long NFL career — on the active roster. Whether Green Bay made the right call is debatable; what isn't is that Taylor remains in the league as one of the more experienced backup options in the NFC.

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Virginia Tech's NFL footprint remains wide, but this week's transactions served as a reminder of just how thin the margin is at the roster bubble. Mitchell and Tenuta both know that reality firsthand — one found a soft landing, the other is waiting for his phone to ring.

Virginia Tech alumni are scattered across NFL rosters in various states of security this week — and for several Hokies, the news heading into cutdown day is anything but comfortable.

Blackshear Lands on IR in Detroit

Running back Raheem Blackshear's bid to crack the Lions' backfield is over before the regular season begins. Detroit placed Blackshear on injured reserve Monday alongside wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, ending his preseason push. The Lions signed replacements to fill the roster spots. It's a tough break for Blackshear, who now faces the prospect of missing time at minimum under standard IR rules.

Smith Cut Loose in Denver

The Broncos parted ways with center Lecitus Smith, per DNVR's Zac Stevens. The roster move adds urgency to Smith's situation: a free-agent stint heading into final cutdowns is a precarious place to be, and Denver's depth decisions leave him searching for a new home at one of the most competitive windows of the NFL calendar. Smith will need to catch on elsewhere quickly if he hopes to be active for Week 1.

Taylor vs. McCord: Green Bay's Most Interesting Battle

The most compelling Virginia Tech subplot this week belongs to Tyrod Taylor, who is locked in a genuine competition for the Packers' backup quarterback job against rookie Kyle McCord. With Jordan Love firmly entrenched as the starter, the QB2 role is the last meaningful roster question Green Bay will answer before cutdowns.

The case for Taylor is experience — the veteran has started games for multiple NFL franchises and provides a known commodity in a crisis. The case against him is mobility and upside; Taylor is no longer the dual-threat weapon that once made him a starter in Buffalo and Cleveland. McCord, meanwhile, brings youth and a higher ceiling, but the rookie's inexperience in reading NFL defenses remains a legitimate concern.

Fan reaction and analyst takes on the Packers' internal debate suggest the decision could go either way, making this one of the more genuinely unresolved backup battles in the league heading into the final preseason weekend. Taylor's Hokie pedigree gives Virginia Tech fans a reason to watch Green Bay closely — and a rooting interest in how this shakes out.

Tuten Carving Out a Role in Jacksonville

On a more encouraging note, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen addressed how Jacksonville plans to deploy running backs Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. this season, signaling that neither back will dominate the workload outright. Coen's comments suggest a split backfield approach, which keeps the door open for Tuten — another Virginia Tech product — to carve out meaningful snaps as a second-year player. For a Hokies fan base that watched Tuten flash last season, the promise of a real role is worth tracking.

Between Blackshear's IR stint, Smith's release, and Taylor's position battle, it's a week that underscores how thin the margin is between an NFL roster spot and the street — regardless of where you went to college.