The preseason is pressing on and the fight for roster spots is really heating up around the NFL. With the second round of exhibition games wrapped up, the job interviews are almost complete. There’s just one more real chance for everyone to prove themselves before cuts come around. As was the case last weekend, a handful of former FCS playmakers did themselves big favors when it comes to surviving those cuts. Which ones shined the most during the second weekend of preseason action?
**Michael Wortham, WR - Jacksonville (Montana)**
Once a standout at Eastern Washington and Montana, Michael Wortham is trying to find a spot with the Jaguars in the NFL and, on Friday night, he took great strides in doing just that. In Jacksonville’s loss to the Panthers, Wortham saw much more action than he did in the first game. He snagged three passes for 41 yards. Where he really shined, though, was in the return game. Wortham fielded three kickoffs and averaged over 20 yards per runback. His longest was a 26-yard return that helped set the Jags up for a scoring drive. He is in a tight competition with another former FCS standout in Chandler Brayboy (Elon) for a special teams spot but seemed to win the battle at least for one week.
**Kolbe Katsis, WR - Denver (Northern Arizona)**
Another former Big Sky standout making it happen in the return game is Denver’s Kolbe Katsis. Katsis, who went undrafted out of NAU, made himself known on Friday evening in the Broncos’ loss at Green Bay. He returned four kicks for a total of 117 yards (good for a 26.3 average) and broke free on a 40-yard scamper. Katsis also ran back one punt for 17 yards. That production is a massive step up from Week 1 in which he only had 37 all-purpose yards. Katsis is still looking for a breakout showing on offense, though, to really stamp himself as a contender for a final roster spot.
**Theron Gaines, LB - Buffalo (Tennessee Tech)**
Theron Gaines improved greatly from Week 1 to Week 2 for the Bills and showed up significantly in their win over Cleveland. The undrafted rookie out of Tennessee Tech got in on four tackles against the Browns, one of which was solo. That was double the amount of stops he made in his debut a week earlier. Gaines got quite a few reps and was near the ball a ton, a good sign for his prospects of being a backup. He has one more chance against Pittsburgh on Thursday night to impress.
**Erick Hunter, LB - Detroit (Morgan State)**
Despite being undrafted out of Morgan State, Erick Hunter got his name out there for the Lions in their win in Detroit on Saturday afternoon. Hunter saw the field plenty for the defense and made the most of his time out there. He got in on two tackles but, more importantly, recovered a big fumble on a kickoff return late in the fourth quarter to seal the 17-13 win. Hunter was in the right place and scooped up the ball from Washington’s Robert Henry with under three minutes to play. That kind of awareness will surely get him a second look from coaches, both defensive and special teams alike, as the Lions head into their last week of preseason action before cuts.
**Maximus Pulley, S - Philadelphia (Wofford)**
For the second straight week Eagles safety Maximus Pulley made a case for himself. His strong preseason continued as he authored five more stops on Saturday against New England, bringing his total through the first two games to 13. Pulley continues to see a significant number of reps for Philadelphia and again finished as one of the top three tacklers on the team. He was a relatively unknown name heading into August but now the former Wofford standout seems like he might be a dark horse to make the team. There are some coverage issues he will still need to clean up but one more week of popping off in the secondary would do him wonders.