Virginia Professional Athletes

Virginia in the NFL | Week of Aug. 23–29

Two injury-riddled seasons had quietly moved Jelani Woods toward the margins of the NFL conversation. Training camp in New Jersey is pulling him back.

The former Virginia tight end — a 6-foot-7, 259-pound target who flashed genuine upside as a rookie with the Colts in 2022 — arrived at Jets camp as a longshot for the 53-man roster. He's not leaving it that way. According to Yahoo Sports, Woods has been turning heads throughout the preseason stretch, making a compelling case that the physical tools scouts fell in love with at the NFL Draft are still very much intact.

The backstory matters here. Woods wasn't merely banged up over the past two years — he was, in the blunt language of the Yahoo Sports report, "robbed by injuries and betrayed by his body." That kind of stretch breaks players mentally as much as physically. The fact that Woods has come into camp not just healthy but productive says something about his makeup, not just his talent.

For a Jets offense still searching for reliable receiving options beyond its top weapons, a high-ceiling tight end who can stretch the seam and create mismatches in the red zone is exactly the kind of chess piece coordinators covet. Woods doesn't need to be a star to make this roster — he needs to be useful, dependable, and healthy. Camp suggests he's all three.

Other Hoos Around the League

Woods isn't the only Virginia alum with something to prove this preseason. Jowon Briggs, also with the Jets, is competing at defensive end — meaning two Cavaliers are fighting for roster spots on the same New York sideline.

Elsewhere, Dontayvion Wicks is in Eagles camp at wide receiver, while Malik Washington continues to work at wideout for the Dolphins. Both are in the mold of versatile, competitive depth pieces trying to carve out roles on legitimate playoff contenders.

On the offensive line front, Morgan Moses is with the Patriots at tackle and Olusegun Oluwatimi — the 2022 Rimington Trophy winner — is in Seattle's mix at center, continuing to develop at the next level.

Defensively, Bryce Hall (Texans, CB), Nick Jackson (Buccaneers, LB), and Juan Thornhill (Jaguars, FS) round out a solid core of Virginia defensive alumni still logging NFL paychecks heading into final cuts.

The Bottom Line

The story of Virginia's NFL week belongs to Woods. If he makes this Jets roster after two years of injury setbacks, it won't just be a feel-good preseason note — it'll be one of the more quietly resilient comeback arcs of the cutdown season. Hoos fans should be watching Hard Knocks highlights very carefully.

Geno Smith & Jelani Woods Steal the Show in Pittsburgh

Virginia alumni ran the show on Friday night as the New York Jets blanked the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-0 in preseason action — and two Cavaliers were at the center of the offensive highlight reel.

Quarterback Geno Smith was nothing short of immaculate in his 2026 preseason debut, completing all seven of his passing attempts. The crown jewel of that efficient outing: a touchdown strike to tight end Jelani Woods. A UVA connection delivering in the red zone, in a shutout, on the road — it's the kind of preseason cameo that builds genuine momentum heading into the regular season.

Smith's perfect completion rate wasn't just a feel-good stat; it signaled command of the Jets' offense and chemistry with his pass catchers from the jump. For Woods, who has battled to carve out a consistent role at the pro level, hauling in a scoring grab in front of the coaching staff is exactly the kind of statement the 2022 third-round pick needed to make. The Jets' defense did its part too, holding Pittsburgh's offense scoreless for 60 minutes — a complete performance all around.

Two Hoos. One touchdown. Zero points allowed. Good night.

Jonas Sanker: New Orleans' Best-Kept Secret

While Smith and Woods were making noise up in Pittsburgh, another Virginia product is quietly generating buzz in the Bayou. Free safety Jonas Sanker has been named one of the New Orleans Saints' "hidden gems" heading into 2026 — a player pegged as a potential difference-maker as New Orleans eyes its first playoff berth since Drew Brees' final season.

Sanker, who brings the instincts and range that defined his Cavalier career, figures into a Saints secondary that will need to punch above its weight if the team is going to contend in a stacked NFC. Being spotlighted alongside the franchise's quietly optimistic playoff narrative is no small thing for a depth-roster contributor — it's the league's way of saying: watch this guy.

The Saints haven't been back to the postseason since Brees walked out the door, and the pressure to finally break that drought is real. If Sanker is part of the solution, Virginia's NFL pipeline just got another name worth tracking on Sunday afternoons.

The Bigger Picture for Cavalier Nation

Three alumni in two different storylines during a single preseason week is a reminder that UVA's NFL footprint is broader than its football program's recent history might suggest. From a veteran quarterback engineering a clean debut, to a young tight end cashing in on a scoring opportunity, to a safety being tabbed as a dark-horse contributor on a playoff-hungry roster — the Wahoos are spread across the league and making their presence felt.

The regular season is still weeks away, but for Virginia fans, the 2026 NFL calendar is already off to a promising start.

Virginia's NFL alumni had a week of contrasting fortunes during the 2026 preseason — one Cavalier is turning heads in Philadelphia, while another had his campaign halted before it truly began.

Dontayvion Wicks Is on Jalen Hurts' Radar

It's one thing to flash in training camp. It's another to earn a public endorsement from your franchise quarterback.

Eagles wideout Dontayvion Wicks appears to have done exactly that. Jalen Hurts singled out the Virginia product as a player who brings a competitive edge to Philadelphia's wide receiver room, describing a tangible intensity in how Wicks approaches the game. The Sporting News flagged the second-year wideout as a potential "major factor" in the Eagles' passing attack in 2026 — high billing for a receiver still working to cement a roster role.

Wicks, who has the profile of a sleeper breakout candidate: physical, technically improving, and now with a quarterback vocally invested in his development. For an Eagles offense that will demand reliable weapons around Hurts, an ascending Wicks could prove to be a genuine asset — not just a depth piece.

Joey Blount's Season Over Before It Started

The news out of Arizona was far less encouraging. The Cardinals placed safety Joey Blount on injured reserve Sunday, ending his 2026 season before the preseason was even complete.

Blount has never been a name that lights up a depth chart — listed third or fourth at safety, he built his NFL value almost entirely on special teams, where he earned a reputation as one of the more disruptive coverage units players in the league. That kind of irreplaceable contribution rarely shows up in box scores, but coaches and front offices notice. Losing Blount for the year is a real blow to Arizona's special teams depth heading into the regular season.

No injury details were disclosed beyond the IR designation.

The Broader UVA Picture

Beyond the two headliners, Virginia's NFL footprint remains broad in 2026. Malik Washington is in the mix at receiver for the Dolphins, Jelani Woods continues to develop as a pass-catching tight end with the Jets, and cornerback Bryce Hall holds a spot on the Buccaneers' roster. Rodney McLeod, a UVA product who has carved out more than a decade in the league, is with the Browns at safety.

No major news broke on those alumni this period, but the depth of Cavalier representation across the league — spanning both sides of the ball and multiple contenders — reflects a program that has quietly built a reliable pipeline to the pros.

For UVA fans, the next few weeks of preseason will be worth watching closely: Wicks is the name with the most momentum right now, and a strong showing before Week 1 could lock him into a genuine role in one of the NFC's most dangerous offenses.

Jelani Woods Is Making Jets Believers

Virginia tight end Jelani Woods is emerging as one of the genuine surprises of NFL training camp. The 6-foot-7 pass-catcher has been turning heads at Jets camp, standing out both on the field and in the locker room as a player to watch heading into the preseason. Woods — the kind of mismatch weapon that offensive coordinators dream about — appears to have taken a meaningful step forward, drawing notice not just for his athletic tools but for his overall presence in camp.

For Wahoo fans who watched Woods develop in Charlottesville, this is the confirmation they've been waiting for. He was always the physical freak of the draft class, a player whose size-speed combination looked special on paper. Now, with a full NFL résumé behind him, he's turning potential into production where it counts.

A Steal in Philadelphia

Meanwhile, in South Philadelphia, a familiar name is getting some high-profile praise. Virginia wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks has landed with the Eagles, and it's not just the coaching staff taking notice — it's Saquon Barkley. The Eagles' star running back called acquiring Wicks "a steal," a ringing endorsement that will mean something in a receiver room competing for targets behind the top options. Wicks, who made his mark at UVA as a big-play threat, now has a chance to carve out a role in one of the NFC's most dangerous offenses. Barkley's co-sign is the kind of training camp currency that can accelerate a depth chart climb.

Tough Break in Dallas

Not every Virginia alum had a strong week. Defensive end Charles Snowden was waived by the Cowboys on Sunday as Dallas swapped him for offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez. The move came after an injury shuffled Dallas's roster priorities, making Snowden the odd man out. It's a disappointing result for a player who had been in the Cowboys' system, though defensive ends with Snowden's athletic profile rarely stay unemployed for long in a league that can never have enough pass rushers.

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Three storylines, three different trajectories — that's the NFL in August. Woods's emergence is the headline, and rightfully so: a tight end that size with his receiving ability, finally putting it all together, is exactly the kind of player that can reshape a Jets offense in need of playmakers. Wicks getting Barkley's stamp of approval in Philadelphia is a genuine subplot worth tracking as rosters tighten. And Snowden's release is a reminder that the margin between making a 53-man roster and hitting the wire can be razor-thin, even for players with legitimate NFL DNA.

For UVA fans, the story of the week belongs to Woods — and if camp is any indication, it won't be the last time his name appears at the top of this newsletter.