Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State rookie safeties Kevin Winston Jr. and Jaylen Reed took longer than either wanted to make their presence felt at the NFL level. Both have dealt with injuries all year, but now they have some positives to look back on when their first season in the pros is finished, the former more than the latter. Winston, whose final season with the Nittany Lions ended after just six quarters in 2024, did not make it back to the field at the next level until get- ting some special teams work in Week 5 before getting three snaps in Weeks 6 and 7 with the Tennessee Titans, who took him in the third round of this year's draft. "He's done an outstanding job on special teams as he's come back into the fold, and when guys produce in other positions, it's noticed," Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said in Oc- tober. "He deserves to play." Winston continues to prove his de- fensive coordinator right. The Mary- land native bumped his snap count up to 21 the following week and started the next five games for the AFC South team. He had 33 tackles, including 4 for loss and a sack, along with 2 pass breakups entering a Week 15 clash with the San Francisco 49ers. Reed, a sixth-round pick of the Hous- ton Texans, was dealing with yet an- other injury in mid-December and is now out for the year. A forearm injury suffered in Week 13 will keep him off the field moving forward. After dealing with health issues ear- lier in the year that delayed his debut until Week 7, Reed made his way from special teams to the defense in Week 10. Two weeks later, in his biggest pro effort to date, he made 12 tackles and recovered a fumble in the Texans' 23-19 win over Buffalo on Thanksgiving Day. The former Nittany Lion started a week later against Indianapolis and made 2 stops before hurting his arm. While both former Penn State stars have dealt with injuries during their first pro season, they've had someone to lean on: PSU safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. "I'm just happy for them," Poindexter said in October. "That was their dream the whole time they were here, to be able to play at that level. It's awesome to see when kids can reach their dreams and perform well." FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL As of Dec. 11 Saquon Barkley (Played at Penn State from 2015-17), RB, Philadelphia Eagles: Barkley totaled 862 yards on 218 carries (4.0 yards per carry) and 5 touchdowns for the Eagles through 13 games while adding 35 receptions for 259 yards and 2 touch- downs. Ryan Bates (2016-18), OL, Chicago Bears: Bates played on the field goal unit in all of the Bears' first 13 games. Jaquan Brisker (2019-21), S, Chicago Bears: Brisker totaled 64 tackles, 1 sack and 1 in- terception heading into a Dec. 14 clash with Cleveland. Ji'Ayir Brown (2020-22), S, San Francisco 49ers: Brown played in all 13 games for the 49ers, totaling 53 tackles and 2 intercep- tions. Abdul Carter (2022-24), DE, New York Gi- ants: Carter totaled 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks heading into the Giants' game against Wash- ington on Dec. 14. Tariq Castro-Fields (2017-21), CB, Philadel- phia Eagles: Castro-Fields was signed to the Eagles' practice squad on Oct. 13. Sean Clifford (2017-21), QB, Cincinnati Bengals: After being cut by Green Bay at the Former PSU Safeties Flash Potential Despite Injuries G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS Kevin Winston Jr. had to be patient earlier in the NFL season while working his way back from a knee injury that cost him most of his junior year at Penn State, but he has come on strong in recent weeks. PHOTO COURTESY TENNESSEE TITANS