There were a total of 47 former Penn State players on NFL teams entering the opening week of the 2024 season, and 35 of them entered the year on 53-man rosters. A handful of ex-Nittany Lions made their marks early and often this past weekend as the campaign kicked off.
Led by Saquon Barkley’s eye-opening debut for the Philadelphia Eagles, here’s a look at the top performances and more from former Penn State players in Week 1 of the NFL season.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
It was a vintage performance from Barkley. In his first game with the Eagles, after signing a three-year, $37.75 million deal this past offseason, Barkley rushed 24 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns while tallying two receptions for 23 yards and a score in the air. Barkley was instrumental in Philadelphia’s 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in Brazil.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin showed no signs of age in his eighth year in the league. Godwin led the Buccaneers with eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season-opening 37-20 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys dominated, and so did linebacker Micah Parsons, as he almost always does. Parsons was all over the place in Dallas’ 33-17 blowout over the Cleveland Browns. He tallied four tackles, a sack, 11 pressures and a pass deflection that led to an interception.
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
The big news for tight end Pat Freiermuth came before kickoff. He signed a four-year, $48.4 million contract extension with the Steelers before tallying four receptions for 27 yards in an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
There was nothing pretty about the Panthers’ 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Hey, but at least Miles Sanders showed up in the box score. Sanders carried the ball only five times, but led Carolina with 22 rushing yards in the loss.
Joey Porter Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Last year was a tremendous rookie season for cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who proved to teams they shouldn’t have let him slide to the second round of the NFL Draft. Porter tallied three tackles in Pittsburgh’s season-opening win, but left the game with a shoulder injury in the third quarter.
Rookie report
Four former Nittany Lions made their NFL debuts this weekend. Theo Johnson led the way with one reception for 18 yards in his first career start at tight end for the New York Giants. Chop Robinson, a first-round selection by the Miami Dolphins, appeared but did not show up in the stat sheet. Meanwhile, offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad (Kansas City Chiefs) and Caedan Wallace (New England Patriots) each appeared in action.
