NFL rosters must be finalized by Sunday, which has a few former Oklahoma players fighting for their professional lives with the biggest cuts of the season coming.
Obviously the likes of Baker Mayfield and CeeDee Lamb and even rookie R Mason Thomas have solidified their spots, and some Sooners have even already had their 53-man hopes dashed, but four former OU players in particular are somewhere in the middle, and maybe even closer to the exit, with less than a week to prove themselves.
Sooners fighting for an NFL roster spot
Indianapolis seemed like a good landing spot for Deion Burks after he fell to the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he hasn't stunned during the preseason with four catches for 19 yards in his last outing. The Colts signing veteran receiver Keenan Allen was the nail in the coffin for Burks' rookie fate. He's fighting with two other players for the last receiver spot, but with no role on special teams, Burks likely won't get it.
The Colts will host the Lions at noon CT Saturday on NFL Network.
Trace Ford is still a long-shot to make the Giants’ 53-man roster, but there seems to at least be hope after head coach John Harbaugh gave Ford credit by name because of his performance in their last preseason game against the Dolphins.
“I thought a lot of guys stood out. To single out one or two guys, you probably have to single out 10 or 15 guys. It was a lot of guys flying around, you know. Trace Ford had a great game. Numerous guys had really good games,” Harbaugh said.
Ford will still likely be back on the practice squad as a second-year player, but maybe this means Harbaugh has faith in him if needed down the road.
The Giants will stay in their own stadium to visit the New York Jets at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday.
Sterling Shepard signed with Houston just last week as the Texans were looking for more bodies at wide receiver after Jayden Higgins’ season-ending injury. He’ll still have to make the roster, though, and after the Texans just traded for Kayshon Boutte, that’s now looking less likely.
Shepard is running out of NFL opportunities as a 10-year veteran at 33 years old. He spent the past two seasons catching passes from Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, but wasn't very productive.
The Texans travel to the Carolina Panthers at 6 p.m. CT Friday.
Robert Spears-Jennings has actually impressed as a rookie during the preseason, but that still might not be enough for the seventh-round pick. What could be the death of Spears-Jennings is if the Steelers decide to keep four quarterbacks on their roster, and it looks like things are headed that way right now. That would force the franchise to take one less player somewhere else, and Spears-Jennings would be the next man out. He'd still be on the practice squad with a solid shot at getting promoted during the season.
The Steelers head to the Buffalo Bills at 6 p.m. CT Thursday on NFL Network.
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