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The 2019 NFL season is officially underway. There were 13 former Arkansas players on 53-man rosters across the league in Week 1.
It’s worth noting that Hjalte Froholdt and Jeremiah Ledbetter, who are on injured reserve, are not including in that number and neither are the four players currently on practice squads - Cody Hollister, Bijhon Jackson, Randy Ramsey and Dan Skipper.
Here’s a look at how those 12 players performed in their first game…
Brandon Allen - Denver Broncos
Week 2: 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday (FOX) vs. Bears
Stats: N/A
Allen served as Joe Flacco’s backup in the Broncos’ 24-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders, but was the only active player who did not play. Flacco completed 21 of 31 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown.
Trey Flowers - Detroit Lions
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (CBS) vs. Chargers
Stats: 1 game (1 start), 53 defensive snaps; 2 tackles (2 solo)
Playing for the first time since the Super Bowl, Flowers did not have a particularly good Detroit debut in the Lions’ 27-27 tie with the Arizona Cardinals. Although he started and played 53 defensive snaps, he managed just two solo tackles and earned a pedestrian 62.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
The play everyone will remember from Flowers’ first game with the Lions was a penalty. He picked up the first face mask penalty of his career against Kyler Murray, moving the Cardinals from the 9- to the 4-yard line just before they tied it up in the final minute to force overtime.
Dre Greenlaw - San Francisco 49ers
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (FOX) at Bengals
Stats: 1 game (1 start), 56 snaps, 13 special teams snaps; 4 tackles (3 solo)
In his NFL debut, Greenlaw actually started as the strong-side linebacker in the 49ers’ 31-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The prevalence of nickel packages means he normally wouldn’t play a ton of snaps even though he’s a starter, but Kwon Alexander getting ejected early meant he had to fill in at weak-side linebacker, leading to him playing 56 defensive snaps in addition to his 13 special teams snaps.
Greenlaw seems to have played well despite being thrust into a larger role than expected. He notched an assisted tackle on the first play of the game - seen in the first video below - and then added three solo tackles the rest of the way. Although the play wasn’t counted because of a holding penalty, Greenlaw was also all over Jameis Winston on the would-be touchdown pass in the second video below. The performance helped him earn a 75.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked third on San Francisco’s defense.
Hunter Henry - Los Angeles Chargers
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (CBS) at Lions
Stats: 1 game (1 start), 58 offensive snaps; 4 receptions, 60 yards
Following a quiet first half in which he was targeted just once, Henry managed to catch four passes for 60 yards after halftime in the Chargers’ 30-24 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts. Despite limping off the field at one point, he played 58 of 64 offensive snaps and three of his catches resulted in first downs.
His longest reception was a 22-yarder early in the fourth quarter, but his most important one went for 17 yards and moved Los Angeles into Indianapolis territory on its game-winning drive in overtime. One negative from his performance, though, was a holding penalty that cost his team 10 yards.
Mitchell Loewen - New Orleans Saints
Week 2: 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday (FOX) at Rams
Stats: 1 game (0 starts), 11 defensive snaps; 2 tackles (2 solo)
A day before the Saints opened the 2019 season with a dramatic 30-28 win over the Houston Texans, they released Craig Robertson and signed Loewen to their 53-man roster. He actually played 11 defensive snaps in the game and made a couple of tackles, including stopping Deshaun Watson after just one yard on a scramble. However, Loewen was also penalized for being offside, erasing an interception by one of his teammates and leading to a touchdown on the very next play.
Jason Peters - Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2: 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday (NBC) at Falcons
Stats: 1 game (1 start), 75 offensive snaps
Despite being 37 years old and coming off a season in which he dealt with numerous injuries, Peters proved once again that he is a future Hall of Famer in the Eagles’ 32-27 win over the Washington Redskins. He played all 75 offensive snaps and didn’t allow a single pressure on 41 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That earned him an 82.3 grade and a spot on PFF’s Team of the Week, as he was the third-highest graded offensive lineman in the league.
Frank Ragnow - Detroit Lions
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (CBS) vs. Chargers
Stats: 1 game (1 start), 88 offensive snaps; 1 fumble recovery
Despite suffering an ankle sprain in the third week of the preseason, Ragnow returned to the starting lineup and played all 88 offensive snaps at center in the Lions’ 27-27 tie with the Arizona Cardinals. The only statistic he registered was a fumble recovery, helping his team maintain possession after Matthew Stafford lost the ball.
He played all but one snap as a rookie last year. One noticeable difference - other than his switch from left guard to center - is that Ragnow didn’t play any special teams, showing his importance to Detroit’s offense.
Chris Smith - Cleveland Browns
Week 2: 7:15 p.m. CT Monday (ESPN) at Jets
Stats: 1 game (0 starts), 9 defensive snaps, 1 special teams snap
Smith played nine defensive snaps and one special teams snap in the Browns’ 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans, but did not record any statistics. He did, however, receive a $25,000 bonus for being active for the game, according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter.
Jeremy Sprinkle - Washington Redskins
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (FOX) vs. Cowboys
Stats: 1 game (0 starts), 14 offensive snaps, 11 special teams snaps; 1 reception, 8 yards
He didn’t get the start, but Sprinkle was on the field for the second play of the Redskins’ 32-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and hauled in an eight-yard reception for a first down. That was his lone target of the day, as he played just 14 offensive snaps and 11 special teams snaps.
Armon Watts - Minnesota Vikings
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (FOX) at Packers
Stats: N/A
As the team’s 10th defensive lineman, Watts was one of the Vikings’ seven inactive players in their 28-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Jonathan Williams - Indianapolis Colts
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (CBS) at Titans
Stats: N/A
Still nursing a rib injury suffered in the preseason, Williams was one of the Colts’ seven inactive players in their 30-24 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Deatrich Wise Jr. - New England Patriots
Week 2: Noon CT Sunday (CBS) at Dolphins
Stats: 1 game (0 starts), 19 defensive snaps; 1 tackle (1 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 forced fumble
The only tackle Wise made in the Patriots’ 33-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was a big one. With the Steelers knocking on the door inside the 10-yard line, he got to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a strip-sack. Even though Pittsburgh recovered it, New England limited it to a field goal. According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, Wise also notched a couple of pressures - one of which is seen below - despite playing just 19 defensive snaps.
Jarius Wright - Carolina Panthers
Week 2: 7:20 p.m. CT Thursday (NFL Network) vs. Buccaneers
Stats: 1 game (0 starts), 40 offensive snaps, 1 special teams snap; 1 reception, 14 yards
Although he didn’t start, Wright played 40 offensive snaps in the Panthers’ 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He was targeted just once, hauling in a 14-yard reception for a first down in the third quarter.
