Red Raiders in the NFL: It’s time to talk roster cuts

With the 2019 NFL preseason officially in the books, i more than 1,000 players were cut before Saturday’s deadline for each team to trim down to 53 players. That means several Red Raiders were cut from the team.

Wide receiver Antoine Wesley did not make the team this season. Wesley had one of the best seasons by a Texas Tech receiver in school history with his impressive junior season. His 88 catches for 1,410 yards were a giant jump from his 10 catches for 137 yards as a sophomore and zero catches in four games as a freshman. He had originally signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent. He is now part of the practice squad.

Difficult cuts for the Rams on Saturday included fan favorite Dakota Allen. A few months ago when the Rams decided to use a seventh-round pick on Allen, he seemed like the kind of rookie that could play a major role on defense, so the cut was surprising. Still, he was brought back on Sunday to be a part of the practice squad, so not all hope is lost.

Derrick Willies came out of nowhere last year to become a hero in the Cleveland Browns overtime win against the hated Baltimore Ravens, hauling in a spectacular 39 yard pass from Baker Mayfield. That was a definite highlight. Sadly, Willies was cut when the Browns pared down to 53 players on August 31. However, the next day he signed with the practice squad, so there is a clear path back to the NFL now.

Also cut from his team was former Red Raider Davis Webb. If you recall, Webb spent the 2018 season and 2019 offseason with the NY Jets before being released last week. He was originally drafted by the NY Giants in the third round (87th overall) in the 2017 draft. He was at Texas Tech for 3 seasons before transferring to Cal his senior year.

That 53 man roster deadline is always rough. We see some of the best players get cut from the team. We just hope to see these guys back on that roster someday.