UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A total of 39 Penn State football lettermen are populating rosters of 25 National Football League teams as the 2023 season kicks off on Thursday. Thirty-three made 53-man rosters, while four are on practice squads, and two are on injured reserve.
Saquon Barkley enters the season as the Giants team captain, showcasing his outstanding leadership. The Washington Commendars lead the NFL with four Penn Staters, while the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers each have three. The Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers each have two.
With Robbie Gould's retirement following last season as the longest NFL-tenured Nittany Lion in school history (18 seasons), DaQuan Jones and Allen Robinson jointly take over the elder statesman position of the Nittany Lion group, both entering their 10th NFL seasons in 2023 with Jones on the Bills and Robinson on the Steelers.
Nine members of Penn State's Rose Bowl-winning 2022-23 squad are a part of NFL organizations. Sean Clifford (Green Bay Packers), Brenton Strange (Jacksonville Jaguars), Parker Washington (Jacksonville Jaguars), Joey Porter Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers), Ji'Ayir Brown (San Francisco 49ers), Chris Stoll (Seattle Seahawks), and Mitchell Tinsley (Washington Commanders) are on active rosters. PJ Mustipner (Denver Broncos) is on the practice squad, while Juice Scruggs (Houston Texans) will begin the season on the IR.
Additionally, three former Nittany Lions are on NFL coaching staffs. Jeff Nixon moved to New York to mentor Saquon Barkley as the Giants' running backs coach, Bobby Engram coaches two Nittany Lions (Jahan Dotson, Mitchell Tinsley) as the Washington Commanders' wide receivers coach, and Christian Daboll, a former student manager, is also on the Giants' staff as an offensive assistant.
Former Penn State Players on 2023 NFL opening day rosters (Pro experience in parantheses):
Atlanta Falcons (1): Arnold Ebiketie (2)
Arizona Cardinals (1): Jesse Luketa (2)
Baltimore Ravens (2): Odafe Oweh (3), Jordan Stout (2)
Buffalo Bills (3): Ryan Bates (5), DaQuan Jones (10), Connor McGovern (5)
Carolina Panthers (2): Yetur Gross-Matos (4), Miles Sanders (5)
Chicago Bears (1): Jaquan Brisker (2)
Cincinnati Bengals (1): Nick Scott (5)
Dallas Cowboys (1): Micah Parsons (3)
Denver Broncos (1): PJ Mustipher (R)
Detroit Lions (1): Jason Cabinda (6)
Green Bay Packers (2): Sean Clifford (R), Rasheed Walker (2)
Houston Texans (1): Juice Scruggs IR (R)
Indianapolis Colts (1): Will Fries (3)
Jacksonville Jaguars (2): Brenton Strange (R), Parker Washington (R)
Kansas City Chiefs (1): Donovan Smith (9)
Los Angeles Chargers (1): Austin Johnson (8)
Miami Dolphins (1): Nick Bowers (3)
New England Patriots (1): Mike Gesicki (6)
New York Giants (3): Saquon Barkley (6) C, Cam Brown (4), Amani Oruwariye (5)
New York Jets (1): Adrian Amos (9)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3): Pat Freiermuth (3), Joey Porter Jr. (R), Allen Robinson II (10)
San Francisco 49ers (2): Ji'Ayir Brown (R), Kevin Givens (4)
Seattle Seahawks (1): Chris Stoll (R)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1): Chris Godwin (7)
Washington Commanders (4): Jahan Dotson (2), Mitchell Tinsley (R), Troy Apke IR (6), Tariq Castro-Fields (2)
Italics indicates practice squad | C Team Captain | IR Injured Reserve |
PUP Physically Unable To Perform
The Nittany Lions are set for a noon ET kickoff against Delaware on Saturday, Sept. 9 on Peacock.
The 2023 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.
