Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
6 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M with 61 yards in only his second playoff game. With Sanders, Gould and San Fran- cisco defensive lineman Kevin Givens all in contention to play in Super Bowl LVII, Penn State is assured of having a representative in the NFL's main event for the 52nd time in the 57 years that the game has been played. FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL Through games of Jan. 22 Marcus Allen (Played at Penn State from 2011- 14), LB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Allen suffered a biceps injury while making a tackle on a kickoff during Pittsburgh's 13-10 win over Las Vegas in Week 16. He missed the Steelers' final two games and finished the season with 12 tackles, all on special teams. Adrian Amos (2011-14), S, Green Bay Packers: Amos finished as the Packers' second-leading tackler with 102 stops, including 7 for loss and 2 sacks. He also had an interception and 5 passes defended. Troy Apke (2014-17), S, Washington Command- ers: Relegated to the Commanders' practice squad this year, Apke was released on Nov. 26. Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, New York Giants: Making the first playoff appearances of his five- year NFL career, Barkley had 53 yards and 2 touch- downs in New York's 31-24 win over Minnesota in the Wild Card Round and 61 yards in a 38-7 loss to Philadelphia a week later in the Divisional Round. Barkley finished with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards during the regular season, ranking fourth in the league. Having played out the option year of his rookie contract, he will be seeking a long-term deal with the Giants in the offseason. Ryan Bates (2015-19), OL, Buffalo Bills: Bates started at right guard for a Buffalo team that ranked second in the league in both scoring (28.4 points per game) and total offense (397.6 yards per game). Nick Bowers (2015-19), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Bowers joined the Bengals' practice squad in Sep- tember and didn't see action during the regular season. He was called up to the active roster prior to their visit to Buffalo in the Divisional Round of the playoffs but did not play in the 27-10 win that put them in the AFC Championship Game. Jaquan Brisker (2019-21), S, Chicago Bears: Brisker made a great first impression in Chicago. His 104 tackles (73 solo) ranked second on the team, and he finished with 4 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and an interception. Cam Brown (2016-19), LB, New York Giants: Brown played in six games and was credited with 6 tackles. He did not see action in the Giants' two postseason games. Jason Cabinda (2014-17), FB, Detroit Lions: Slowed by an ankle injury and later by an illness, Cabinda played in only four games for the Lions. When active, he was used almost exclusively as a blocking back and finished the year with 1 carry for 4 yards. Tariq Castro-Fields (2017-21), CB, Washington Commanders: Castro-Fields played in two games for Washington before being put on injured reserve with a knee problem. Dan Chisena (2015, 2018-19), WR, Minnesota Vi- kings: Chisena saw action in two games and finished the season without a catch. Jahan Dotson (2019-2021), WR, Washington Commanders: Dotson enjoyed an outstanding rookie season, catching 7 touchdown passes to lead the Commanders. He finished third on the team with 523 yards on 35 catches. Arnold Ebiketie (2021), DE, Atlanta Falcons: Ebik- etie finished the season with 3 sacks and 9 quar- terback hits, with both totals ranking third on the Falcons' defense. He wasn't a full-time starter for Atlanta, but he still managed to be a top contributor on the defense. Pat Freiermuth (2018-20),TE, Pittsburgh Steelers: Freiermuth finished the season ranked seventh in targets among tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus. He also posted the second-highest number of contested-catch targets among tight ends with 24. Freiermuth ranked second on the team with 63 catches for 732 yards and 2 touchdowns. Will Fries (202016-20), OL, Indianapolis Colts: Fries manned the starting right guard position from Week 10 onward. During that time, he surrendered only 1 sack and played better as the season went on. He gave up only 2 pressures in the final three games while providing a spark in the ground attack for a struggling Colts offense. Mike Gesicki (2014-17), TE, Miami Dolphins: The 2022 season was probably not what Gesicki had in mind for a contract-year performance. He took a step back statistically in head coach Mike McDaniel's receiver- heavy offense. The former Penn State tight end was targeted only 52 times, half as many as he had in 2021. Gesicki never started a game for the Dolphins and fin - ished with 32 catches for 362 yards and 5 touchdowns.