Photo by: Kansas City Chiefs
#NFLKnights: 2023 Playoff Preview
Jan 10 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – With the 2023 NFL playoffs set to begin this weekend, 12 Rutgers football players have qualified for the postseason. The list includes seven active players, four on practice squads and one on injured reserve.
Active (7)
FB Michael Burton (Kansas City)
LS Andrew DePaola (Minnesota)
RB Gus Edwards (Baltimore)
DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Chargers)
TE Tyler Kroft (San Francisco)
RB Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City)
DB Logan Ryan (Tampa Bay)
Practice Squad (4)
DL Michael Dwumfour (San Francisco)
LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams (Los Angeles Chargers)
DL Willington Previlon (Tampa Bay)
DL Kemoko Turay (San Francisco)
Injured Reserve (1)
LS Clark Harris (Cincinnati)
Saturday, January 14
4:30 p.m. (FOX) – Seattle at San Francisco (Michael Dwumfour, Tyler Kroft, Kemoko Turay)
8:15 p.m. (NBC) – Los Angeles Chargers (Sebastian Joseph-Day, Tyreek Maddox-Williams) at Jacksonville
Sunday, January 15
4:30 p.m. (FOX) – New York Giants at Minnesota (Andrew DePaola)
8:15 p.m. (NBC) – Baltimore (Gus Edwards) at Cincinnati (Clark Harris)
Monday, January 16
8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN) – Dallas at Tampa Bay (Willington Previlon, Logan Ryan)
Bye
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (Michael Burton, Isiah Pacheco)
DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Chargers)
| 2023 Playoff #NFLKnights |
FB Michael Burton (Kansas City)
LS Andrew DePaola (Minnesota)
RB Gus Edwards (Baltimore)
DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Chargers)
TE Tyler Kroft (San Francisco)
RB Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City)
DB Logan Ryan (Tampa Bay)
Practice Squad (4)
DL Michael Dwumfour (San Francisco)
LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams (Los Angeles Chargers)
DL Willington Previlon (Tampa Bay)
DL Kemoko Turay (San Francisco)
Injured Reserve (1)
LS Clark Harris (Cincinnati)
| Wild Card Weekend Playoff Schedule |
4:30 p.m. (FOX) – Seattle at San Francisco (Michael Dwumfour, Tyler Kroft, Kemoko Turay)
8:15 p.m. (NBC) – Los Angeles Chargers (Sebastian Joseph-Day, Tyreek Maddox-Williams) at Jacksonville
Sunday, January 15
4:30 p.m. (FOX) – New York Giants at Minnesota (Andrew DePaola)
8:15 p.m. (NBC) – Baltimore (Gus Edwards) at Cincinnati (Clark Harris)
Monday, January 16
8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN) – Dallas at Tampa Bay (Willington Previlon, Logan Ryan)
Bye
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (Michael Burton, Isiah Pacheco)
| 2022 Regular Season Recap |
- Fourteen former Rutgers football players logged snaps during the 2022 season.
- Andrew DePaola (Minnesota) was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl.
- Three Scarlet Knights combined for nine touchdowns.
- Isiah Pacheco (5)
- Gus Edwards (3)
- Duron Harmon (1)
- Four Scarlet Knights combined for eight interceptions.
- Devin McCourty (4)
- Duron Harmon (2)
- Sebastian Joseph-Day (1)
- Logan Ryan (1)
- Three rookies – Tre Avery (Tennessee), Olakunle Fatukasi (Tampa Bay/Denver) and Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City) logged regular-season snaps in their first seasons.
DB Tre Avery (Tennessee)"I'd say he was probably the best of the group of corners. He did everything that he could do with the snaps that he got. He gets in there and does it the way that we coach – he challenges, plays square, he had a PBU." - Titans HC Mike Vrabel on DB Tre Avery (@T21Avery). pic.twitter.com/8OKAXrWfyz
— Rutgers Football (@RFootball) November 30, 2022
- After making the Titans' 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent, Avery finished his rookie season with 29 tackles, nine passes defended, a fumble recovery and a tackle-for-loss in 14 games played. Avery started three games for Tennessee and was named Pro Football Focus 'Rookie of the Week' after he allowed just one catch for -1 yard against Green Bay in Week 11.
- Kansas City's primary fullback, Burton appeared in all 17 games during the regular season and finished with five carries and two receptions. The lead blocker for fellow Scarlet Knight Isiah Pacheco, Burton also played a key role on special teams with four tackles.
LS Andrew DePaola (Minnesota)A very special moment today when Coach O'Connell delivered the news that @KirkCousins8, @JJettas2, @TheeHOCK8, @zadariussmith and @AndrewDePaola have been selected to the Pro Bowl Games. pic.twitter.com/ANxDsHop60
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 22, 2022
- Regarded as one of the best long snappers in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, DePaola appeared in all 17 games for Minnesota this season. DePaola was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl, the first appearance of this professional career.
- San Francisco signed Dwumfour after he appeared in seven games with Houston during the 2022 season. Dwumfour finished with nine games played and produced seven tackles and a fumble recovery in the 49ers' regular-season finale against Arizona. Dwumfour is currently listed on San Francisco's practice squad ahead of the 2023 playoffs.
RB Gus Edwards (Baltimore)Truss Gus. @Ravens take a 14-7 lead. #RavensFlock
— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2020
📺: #BALvsCLE on ESPN
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/wVjLQzz43l pic.twitter.com/Njq5tBMBWo
- Edwards played in nine games for Baltimore and finished the regular season with 87 carries for 433 yards and three touchdowns. Edwards scored two touchdowns in a Week 7 victory at Cleveland, his first appearance since missing half of this season and all of last season due to injury.
- Fatukasi appeared in 13 games for Tampa Bay after making the team as an undrafted free agent, finishing the season with six tackles. Fatukasi was waived by Tampa Bay on December 13 and signed to Denver's practice squad the next day.
- In his first stint with Las Vegas, Harmon finished the 2022 season with a career-high 86 tackles along with five passes defended and two interceptions. Harmon returned one of those interceptions 73 yards for a touchdown to help the Raiders to a 38-20 win over Houston in Week 7.
- The longest-tenured former Rutgers football player in the NFL, Harris suffered an injury during Cincinnati's first game and missed the rest of the regular season. Now in his 15th year, Harris played in 206 career games, including 205 with the Bengals. Harris made the Pro Bowl in 2017.
DL Sebastian Joseph-Day (Los Angeles Chargers)
- After signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, Joseph-Day finished the season with a career-high 56 tackles along with nine tackles-for-loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and an interception. Joseph-Day became the 16th player from Rutgers to win a Super Bowl when the Los Angeles Rams defeated Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI.
- After signing a one-year deal with San Francisco in the offseason, Kroft finished the 2022 regular season with four catches for 57 yards in 11 games played. Kroft started four games for the 49ers this season.
- Maddox-Williams spent the entire season on the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent.
DB Devin McCourty (New England)Devin McCourty with the INT @McCourtyTwins
— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2023
📺: #NEvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Zuxd3911Wt pic.twitter.com/rXQ6P0b0wy
- McCourty finished his 13th NFL season – all with New England – with 71 tackles, eight passes defended, four interceptions and a fumble recovery in 17 games. McCourty's 35 career interceptions leads all active players in the league.
- After spending most of the season on Seattle's practice squad, Melton was signed to Green Bay's active roster for the club's final two games. Melton was selected in the seventh round by the Seahawks this past offseason.
RB Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City)1, 2, 3 PUNCH 🥊 pic.twitter.com/gnAZUTFwMc
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 8, 2023
- One of the best stories across the league after being selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Pacheco finished his rookie campaign with a team-high 830 rushing yards on 170 carries. Pacheco scored five rushing touchdowns and was the Chiefs' primary kick returner with 29 returns for 597 yards. Pacheco enters the playoffs as Kansas City's starting running back.
- Previlon spent the entire season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.
- After signing a one-year contract with Tampa Bay, Ryan finished the season with 37 tackles, three passes defended, a tackle-for-loss, a fumble recovery, and an interception in nine games at safety.
- Turay appeared in three games for San Francisco after signing with the 49ers this offseason. Turay is currently listed on San Francisco's practice squad ahead of the 2023 playoffs.
Thursday, August 27
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