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Rice Football 2020: Owls in the NFL – Preseason Update

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Rice Football is well represented on 2020 NFL rosters. Here’s where each of the NFL Owls stand prior to the beginning of the season.

There are former Rice football players scattered across the NFL. Stay tuned each week for their game results and notables from each player.

Week 1 schedule

Denver (Anderson, Callahan) vs Tennessee
Pittsburgh (Boswell, McDonald) vs New York Giants
Seattle (Willson) vs Atlanta
Cincinnati (Covington) vs Los Angeles Chargers
Detroit (Fox) vs Chicago
Houston (Gaines) vs Kansas City
Cleveland (Sendejo) vs Baltimore

Offense

Calvin Anderson – OT, Broncos

Anderson signed with the Broncos midway through last season but never saw game action. He’s back on the roster this year and listed as the backup to Garett Bolles at left tackle on the team’s first official depth chart.

Vance McDonald – TE, Steelers

McDonald is entering his fourth season in Pittsburgh, the longest stint he’s had with any one team since entering the league in 2013. His 38 receptions last year were the second-most in his career, but his 273 receiving yards were below his the 610 he posted the season prior. With Big Ben back, McDonald’s impact on the offense should tick back upward.

Luke Willson – TE, Seahawks

Willson was brought back to Seattle for his blocking ability. He’s an excellent addition to protect quarterback Russell Wilson with the ability to slip out and catch a few passes as well. He caught eight balls in eight games with the Seahawks last season while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 13th best pass-blocking tight end.

Defense

Bryce Callahan – CB, Broncos

Callahan missed the entire 2019 season with injuries but is back and ready to see his first snaps as a Denver Bronco despite signing with the team November of 2019. He had six pass breakups and two interceptions in each of his last two seasons with the Bears, encompassing a total of 25 games.

Christian Covington – DL, Bengals

Covington signed with the Broncos this offseason as a free agent but didn’t spend much time in the Mile High City. He was traded to Cincinnati in the final days of training camp, reuniting him with fellow Owl James Casey, the Bengals tight ends coach. Covington is coming off a productive season in Dallas with six starts, one sack and a career-best 28 tackles.

Phillip Gaines – CB, Texans

Gaines appeared in five games with the Texans last season after joining the team following brief stints with the Bills and Browns. An ankle injury ended his season prematurely and could impact his availability for the start of the 2020 season. He practiced over the weekend after missing some time the week prior.

Andrew Sendejo – Saf, Browns

Sendejo spent time with the Vikings and the Eagles last season, totaling four passes defended, three interceptions and 45 total tackles. He won the starting free safety job during camp and projects to start alongside Karl Joseph in the defensive backfield for Cleveland this year.

Special Teams

Chris Boswell – K, Steelers

Boswell connected on 28-of-28 extra points last season and 29-of-31 field goals. He was perfect from inside 40-yards. He entered 2020 with a career field goal percentage of 87 percent.

Jack Fox – P, Lions

Fox beat out Auburn grad Arryn Siposs for the starting punting job in Detroit this offseason. When he takes the field on Sunday he’ll play in his very first regular season game after seeing some preseason action with the Chiefs last year.

More Owls in the NFL

From practice squads to current free agents, there are others Owls on the cusp of returning to active rosters. Find more detail on current contractual agreements and former Rice football players waiting for their next opportunity here.

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BREAKING: Jack Fox to be Detroit Lions starting punter

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Former Rice football punter Jack Fox has won his first pro punting job, beating out competitor Aaron Siposs to become the Detroit Lions punter.

It’s been a remarkable journey for former Rice Football punter Jack Fox. From high school football in Missouri to college ball in Texas, Fox has moved around the country and back again hoping for one of 32 coveted NFL jobs. After years of striving, those dreams have come true, Jack Fox has won the starting punting job for the Detroit Lions per Dave Birkett.

The Lions will likely cut punter competitor Aaron Siposs this week as part of their end of camp roster cuts. The team will have to trim down their roster to 53 prior to their season-opening game against the Bears of Sunday, Sept. 13. When Fox takes the field on that day, he’ll punt in a regular season game for the first time in his career.

Prior to settling in with the Lions, Fox signed with Kansas City following the 2019 NFL Draft as an undrafted free agent. He was cut from the Chiefs’ practice squad and drafted by an XFL team before ultimately signing a futures deal with the Lions and entering their punting competition.

Fox spent this offseason training with current and former NFL specialists. In spite of the challenges of working out without a gym in the midst of a pandemic, he found a way to continue to push himself to improve. While with Detriot, he’ll likely handle kickoffs and holds for field goals, as well as his duties as the team’s primary punter.

Check out our recent interview with newly minted Lions punter Jack Fox who jumping on The Roost Podcast in late August to talk about the competition and his offseason. The interview begins at 22:34. He breaks down what it’s like to battle for a job in training camp, what he’s learned during the offseason and more.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 35 – James Casey on Rice Football and the NFL

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The Roost Podcast can’t go too long without returning to our Rice Football roots. James Casey stops by to reminisce and update us on his journey through the NFL.

After spending the last two shows on the NBA with former Rice Basketball guard Tamir Jackson and Star Wars with cross country runner Adolfo Carvalho, The Roost Podcast returns to Rice football talk this week with James Casey.

The former Rice standout has been busy since he last played ball at South Main. He gave us the rundown on his adventures since Rice and what life is like working in the NFL during a pandemic.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with James Casey on Episode 35.


Episode 35 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you James Casey on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • James Casey joins the show — The first active coach to join the podcast, Casey recounts his career up to this point and some of his favorite moments along the way including:
    • His Rice experience joining the football team after playing minor league baseball
    • His favorite non-athletic Rice memories and the squirrels on campus
    • The trajectory of Rice football now under coach Mike Bloomgren
    • The decision to become a coach and his path to the Cincinnati Bengals
    • Joe Burrow and the impact great quarterbacks can have on a team

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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BREAKING: Christian Covington signs with Denver Broncos

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Former Rice football defensive lineman Christian Covington has a new NFL home, signing with the Denver Broncos in the days following the NFL Draft.

Christian Covington is on the move. Initially drafted by the Houston Texans after a standout Rice football career, Covington played four seasons in Houston. He tallied 7.5 sacks and 39 tackles, playing in the trenches alongside JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.

From there, he signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games with Dallas last year, setting career highs in tackles (20) and starts (six).

In mid-April, Covington joined The Roost Podcast and briefly discussed his free agency and future plans. He mentioned the current global climate was impacting how he and his agent went about normal business, but hoped to have a solution worked out soon.


Less than a week after the NFL Draft was finished, teams had answers to their depth chart questions and Covington had his next NFL home. Per Adam Caplan, Covington is joining the Broncos on a 1-year, $1.75 million contract with $625,000 guaranteed. Originally from Canada, this will be his first football season outside of Texas since coming to Rice in 2011.

Denver is a popular destination for former Owls in the NFL. Covington’s former college teammate corner Bryce Callahan is also with the team as is offensive lineman Calvin Anderson. Jordan Taylor, also a teammate of Covington’s, was with the Broncos through the 2018 season, just missing a reunion.

Find the latest updates on all former Rice football players in the NFL on our NFL Owls Tracker. The list has been updated to include the next wave of pro Owls. Three players from the 2019 squad have signed as undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft: Myles Adams (Carolina), Justin Gooseberry (Falcons) and Nick Leverett (Buccaneers).

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 29 – Christian Covington and Rice memories

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Christian Convington joins The Roost Podcast this week in the next installment of our longest offseason interview series.

The Roost Podcast is doing chugging along. In our newfound world without sports on the field, we’ve found time to sit down and interview current and former Rice Athletes across several sports. If you haven’t caught recent episodes, you’ll want to check out visits with Erica Ogwumike, JP Heath, Taylor McHargue and more.

This week former Rice football defensive lineman Christian Covington joined the show. We talked about his recruitment from Canada, his rude awakening to the Texas heat and what’s been going on in his life during the recent shutdown. From favorite JJ Watt stories to his free agency updates, you won’t want to miss it.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, Give a listen to Episode 29.

Episode 29 Notes

  • Housekeeping — If you’re on Twitter, please give the show a follow. Get a sneak peak when episodes are inbound and the latest happening by turning on notifications. We promise not to spam you and you’ll be the first to know when new shows drop. It’s a win-win.
  • Christian Covington joins the show — After interviewing his Rice football teammate Taylor McHargue on a previous episode, Covington was kind enough to join us this week. We discussed:
    • What free agency looks like during a pandemic
    • His journey from Canada to Rice to the NFL
    • His impressions on the Rice football program today
    • Favorite memories on and off the field at Rice
    • JJ Watt’s generosity and laser tag prowess … and more.

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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