The outlet listed 20 NFL veterans in danger of not making a team's 53-man roster this weekend
College football and the NFL are nearing their respective returns, with the former set to return this weekend and the NFL commencing on Wednesday, September 9th in a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.
Before then, the league's 32 teams will finalize their rosters, trimming each team to 53 players by the end of the weekend.
While the Florida Gators are well-represented at the professional level, the upcoming cuts could see multiple veterans finding themselves on the outside looking in to begin the season.
CBS Sports compiled a list of 20 NFL veterans who could be among roster-cut casualties this weekend, and a pair of former Gators made the list: running back Dameon Pierce and wide receiver Van Jefferson.
Pierce, currently with the Philadelphia Eagles, had a strong debut season in the NFL yet has bounced around a bit as of late and now appears to be a potential roster-trimming casualty. The Houston Texans drafted Pierce with the No. 107 overall pick in the draft, a fourth-round selection, in the 2022 NFL Draft after he compiled 574 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his senior season. His 13 touchdowns on the ground were the most in a single season since Tim Tebow in 2009 and good for fifth in school history. Pierce also added 19 catches for 216 yards and three touchdowns as a senior.
Throughout the preseason, Pierce has recorded 36 rushing yards on 14 attempts, along with 92 kickoff return yards.
The surprise 939-yard rookie season that made Dameon Pierce seem like a steal as a fourth-round pick feels far away. It was only four years ago, but since then, Pierce's workload has diminished by the season, as he has made more of an impact on special teams than in the backfield.
He spent a couple of weeks on the Chiefs' practice squad last fall after the Texans released him, and now he is seeking to latch on with the Eagles. The problem is that Saquon Barkley exists, while Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley are already locked into backup roles.
As for Jefferson, the former Super Bowl winner is attempting to latch on with the Washington Commanders, though the team is believed to have considerable depth at wideout, and Jefferson has hauled in just three receptions for 31 yards in the preseason thus far. After Jefferson finished with a team-leading 657 yards receiving and six touchdowns on 49 catches as a senior in 2019, the Los Angeles Rams selected Jefferson in the second round of the NFL Draft with the No. 57 overall pick.
Not long after he played a key role in the Rams winning the 2022 Super Bowl with career highs in receptions (50), receiving yards (802) and touchdowns (6), Van Jefferson was briefly the No. 1 receiver in Los Angeles. During a Cooper Kupp absence, Jefferson was supposed to take over as the top target, but Puka Nacua's emergence derailed his Rams tenure.
Since then, Jefferson has been a part-time starter for the Falcons, Steelers and Titans. He could carve out that same role with the Commanders, but it could be difficult considering the team's wide receiver depth.