FRESNO, Calif. - Eight former Bulldogs earned spots on initial 53-man rosters around the NFL following Tuesday's deadline ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Of the eight former 'Dogs on the initial rosters, four began their careers as undrafted free agents with Levelle Bailey doing so as a rookie this season.
Davante Adams (WR) - Las Vegas Raiders
Levelle Bailey (LB) - Denver Broncos
Derek Carr (QB) - New Orleans Saints
Jake Haener (QB) - New Orleans Saints
Jordan Mims (RB) - New Orleans Saints
Arron Mosby (DL) - Green Bay Packers
Ronnie Rivers (RB) - Los Angeles Rams
Mykal Walker (LB) - Washington Commanders
CB DaRon Bland enters the year on the Dallas Cowboys injured reserve. It was announced on August 24 that he would miss 6-8 weeks for surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot.
In the coming days, teams will announce additions to their practice squads and additional personnel movements.
Davante Adams - Adams enters his 11th season in the NFL, and his third with the Raiders. In his two seasons in Vegas, he has totaled 203 receptions for 2,660 yards and 22 touchdowns. In his professional career, he has 150 games played (143 starts), 872 receptions and 10,781 yards with 66 touchdowns, spending the first eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Levelle Bailey - Bailey made the Broncos' initial 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent, becoming Fresno State's first undrafted rookie to make the initial 53-man cut for any NFL team since Isaiah Burse in 2014, coincidentally with the Denver Broncos.
Derek Carr - Carr also enters his 11th season in the NFL, but second with the New Orleans Saints and the first with offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. In his first season in New Orleans, Carr threw for 3,878 yards with 25 touchdowns, completing 375-of-548 passing attempts. In his career, he's thrown for 39,100 yards and 242 touchdowns.
Jake Haener - Haener was a fourth round draft pick in 2023, entering his second season with the Saints alongside fellow Bulldog Carr in the position room. Haener has battled this preseason with Spencer Rattler for the backup job, and the Saints have not yet announced their choice for the No. 2 quarterback ahead of the season. Haener played in all three preseason games in 2024, earning the start in the final game of the preseason.
Jordan Mims - A trio of Bulldogs can be found in the gold and black as Mims made the initial roster for the first time in his career. An undrafted free agent in 2023, Mims started his professional journey with the Buffalo Bills but was waived at the end of the preseason that year. The next day, he was picked up by the Saints and placed on the practice squad. Mims saw action in two late-season games for the Saints last season. He had an impressive camp and preseason this summer, and earned a spot on the initial 53-man roster.
Arron Mosby - Mosby lands on the Packers' initial 53-man roster for the first time of his career. Going undrafted to the Carolina Panthers in 2022, he spent his first season in Carolina before being waived and picked up by the Packers in August 2023. Mosby was one of 12 undrafted players to make the Packers' initial 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Ronnie Rivers - Rivers, who didn't see action in the Rams' 2024 preseason games, makes the initial 53-man roster for his third season with the franchise. Rivers was an undrafted free agent in 2022, initially going to the Arizona Cardinals, then had a brief stop in Seattle before ultimately ending up with the Rams in Sept. 2022. Rivers was signed to the active roster in November 2022. Rivers has appeared in 17 games over the last two seasons, starting one game in each year. He's totaled 41 carries for 150 yards, and has yet to score his first professional touchdown.
Mykal Walker - Walker was drafted in 2020 to the Atlanta Falcons and spent three seasons there before seeing time on practice squads for the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers, he appeared in eight games with 33 total tackles and one interception. He signed with the Commanders in April 2024, and made the initial cut this week. In his career, he has appeared in 57 games with 25 starts. He totals 220 tackles with four interceptions and 13 passes defended.