Aug. 28 update: Noah Brown signed with the Washington Commanders on Wednesday after being released by the Houston Texans on Tuesday. Conversely, the New England Patriots released Michael Jordan and the Tennessee Titans released Nick Vannett on Wednesday despite keeping them on their initial 53-man rosters Tuesday, bringing the total number of Buckeyes on 53-man rosters down to 48.
Parris Campbell (Eagles), Tanner McCalister (Broncos), Jamarco Jones (Lions), Jalyn Holmes (Jets) and Kendall Sheffield (Jets) returned to the teams who released them Tuesday as members of their practice squads. Tyreke Smith joined the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks, the team that drafted him in 2022, while Xavier Johnson joined the practice squad of the Houston Texans, reuniting him with former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Ohio State has nearly enough players on the NFL’s initial 53-man rosters for the 2024 season to field a full team of its own.
Forty-nine players from Ohio State made the initial 2024 rosters of NFL teams on Tuesday as all 32 teams cut their rosters down to the regular-season limit of 53 players.
The full list of Buckeyes on 53-man rosters around the league by position:
| Position | Total | Players |
|---|---|---|
| QB | 2 | Justin Fields (Steelers), C.J. Stroud (Texans) |
| RB | 3 | J.K. Dobbins (Chargers), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys), Trey Sermon (Colts) |
| WR | 6 | Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals), Terry McLaurin (Commanders), Chris Olave (Saints), Curtis Samuel (Bills), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), Garrett Wilson (Jets) |
| TE | 4 | Luke Farrell (Jaguars), Jeremy Ruckert (Jets), Cade Stover (Texans), Nick Vannett (Titans) |
| OT | 5 | Taylor Decker (Lions), Paris Johnson Jr. (Cardinals), Dawand Jones (Browns), Thayer Munford (Raiders), Nicholas Petit-Frere (Titans) |
| G | 2 | Jonah Jackson (Rams), Michael Jordan (Patriots) |
| C | 1 | Josh Myers (Packers) |
| DE | 6 | Joey Bosa (Chargers), Nick Bosa (49ers), Zach Harrison (Falcons), Sam Hubbard (Bengals), Dre’Mont Jones (Seahawks), Chase Young (Saints) |
| DT | 4 | Johnathan Hankins (Seahawks), Cameron Heyward (Steelers), DaVon Hamilton (Jaguars), Tyquan Lewis (Colts) |
| LB | 7 | Jerome Baker (Seahawks), Baron Browning (Broncos), Jonathon Cooper (Broncos), Tommy Eichenberg (Raiders), Malik Harrison (Ravens), Raekwon McMillan (Patriots), Pete Werner (Saints) |
| CB | 3 | Marshon Lattimore (Saints), Jeff Okudah (Texans), Denzel Ward (Browns) |
| S | 4 | Vonn Bell (Bengals), Jordan Fuller (Panthers), Ronnie Hickman (Browns), Malik Hooker (Cowboys) |
| P | 1 | Cameron Johnston (Steelers) |
| LS | 1 | Liam McCullough (Falcons) |
The list above does not include players who started their college careers at Ohio State but finished their careers elsewhere, such as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (LSU) and Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams (Alabama).
The New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks lead the NFL in former Ohio State players on their initial 53-man rosters with four each.
Former Ohio State players who were released this week as teams made their final roster cuts included WR Noah Brown (Texans), WR Parris Campbell (Eagles), WR Xavier Johnson (Bills), G Wyatt Davis (Browns), OL Jamarco Jones (Lions), OL Matthew Jones (Dolphins), DE Jalyn Holmes (Jets), DT Tommy Togiai (Falcons), OLB Tyreke Smith (Cardinals), ILB Steele Chambers (Patriots), CB Kendall Sheffield (Jets), CB Shaun Wade (Patriots), S Josh Proctor (Jaguars) and S Tanner McCalister (Broncos).
The Cleveland Browns placed center Luke Wypler on injured reserve after he fractured his right ankle in the preseason while placing rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. on the commissioner’s exempt list as the legal process continues following his domestic violence arrest earlier this month. Neither of them count toward the Browns’ initial 53-man roster, but both former Buckeyes are eligible to return this season, though Wypler is not eligible to return until after at least four games.
Players who did not make initial 53-man rosters could still end up on rosters for Week 1 if they are signed by other teams, while each team will also add 16 players to its practice squad. Conversely, some players who made 53-man rosters on Tuesday could still be at risk of being cut if their teams end up signing players who were released by other teams.
The 2024 NFL season begins Thursday, September 5, when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens in the first game of the season at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.
