There will be plenty of former Syracuse players on NFL teams this season, including some who won’t be on active rosters.
He wasn’t on last year’s team, but a name to watch this season is Andre Szymt, who won the kicking job for the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted in 2023. Szymt, who won the Lou Groza award for the nation’s top kicker as a freshman with Syracuse, hasn’t been able to make an active roster since leaving the Orange.
Of the players on last year’s team, tight end Oronde Gadsden II made the 53-man roster for the Los Angeles Chargers. He’ll be joined by linebacker Marlowe Wax, who also made the cut and will likely start the season on special teams.
LeQuint Allen Jr. will stay on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 53-man roster as the team’s third running back after Jacksonville drafted him in the seventh round, and he could earn third-down snaps as a pass catcher and blocker.
Quarterback Kyle McCord, re-signed by the Philadelphia Eagles after he struggled for them in the preseason, headlines the six players who will start the season on practice squads.
Wide receiver Jackson Meeks also made the practice squad for the Detroit Lions after he impressed with them in the preseason, while defensive end Fadil Diggs did enough to earn a spot on the practice squad for the New Orleans Saints.
Tight end Max Mang will be on the practice squad for the Indianapolis Colts, while former Syracuse defenders Alijah Clark and Justin Barron will stay with the Dallas Cowboys on their practice team.
To have this type of representation for the Orange in the NFL after only one year under Fran Brown is an excellent sign for what to expect from Syracuse football moving forward, especially as they look to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.
