Looking back at what every Canadian NFL player did in their preseason appearances in the NFL 12 players were released by their teams, 10 of which were released in the last 2 days as NFL teams get to their 53-man rosters.
Among the recent cuts, Nathan Rourke was waived by the Jaguars. LB/S Jonathan Sutherland was waived by the Seahawks who was drafted 5th overall by Montreal in the 2023 CFL draft and WR Jared Wayne was waived by the Texans who was taken 16th overall by Toronto in the CFL Draft.
Other Articles:
Week 12 First and 2nd Team of the Week
Mike Mitchell’s Week 13 Power Rankings
MTL @ WPG Takeaways: Winnipeg Is Exploiting Zone Defences
Midseason All-Star Team, Awards
Week 11 Team of the Week, Week 10 Stars of the Week
Recent releases:
Nathan Rourke QB, waived by the Jaguars on Monday.
Brett Rypien QB, released by the Rams Tuesday.
Jonathan Sutherland S/LB, waived by the Seahawks on Tuesday.
Jared Wayne WR, wavied by the Texans Tuesday.
Nikola Kalinic TE, waived by the Rams Tuesday.
Brent Urban DE, released by the Ravens Tuesday.
Luiji Vilain LB, waived by the Vikings Tuesday.
Tyrell Ford CB, waived by the Packers Monday.
Eli Ankou NT, released by the Bills Monday.
Dakoda Shepley OL, waived by the Colts Monday.
Christian Covington DT, waived on August 26 by the Lions.
N’Keal Harry WR, waived by the Vikings on August 24.
QB – Nathan Rourke – Jacksonville Jaguars
College: Fort Scott (2016), Ohio Bobcats (2017-2019)
CFL: 2020 round 2 (pick 15) by the BC Lions
NFL: Undrafted, signed by Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2023 season.
Preseason Week 1 @ Dallas:
Nathan Rourke had a tremendous performance as he completed 9 of his 17 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. He also had 6 rushes for 20 yards and a touchdown. He went somewhat viral for his passing touchdown in which he broke tackles in the backfield and made a great throw with a man on him. All 4 pass rushers had a hand on him at one point of the play yet he still was able to create a touchdown.
Preseason Week 2 @ Detroit
Rourke had a strong outing in Detroit completing 10 of his 12 passes for 121 yards. He also rushed 6 times for 14 yards. C.J. Beather completed 12 of his 20 passes for 138 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in this game.
Preseason Week 3 vs. Miami
Rourke completed 4 of his 6 passes against Miami for 74 yards. He also rushed 2 times for 5 yards.
Over his 3 preseason games, Rourke completed 23 of his 35 passes (65.7%) for 348 yards and a touchdown. He had 14 rushes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Rourke had a passer rating of 107.8 which was 2nd among rookie quarterbacks behind only Aidan O’Connell of the Raiders. He also had the highest passer rating ahead of Trevor Lawrence at 94.8 and C.J. Beathard at 92.4.
Nathan Rourke was waived on Monday by the Jaguars but I would suspect that a team will claim him given how impressive he was as a rookie quarterback this preseason.
QB – Brett Rypien – Los Angeles Rams
College: Boise State (2015-2019)
CFL: Undrafted
NFL: Undrafted, Denver Broncos (2019-2022), Los Angeles Rams (2023)
Preseason Week 1 vs. LA Chargers:
Attempted 6 passes and completed 3 of them for 11 yards in the loss to the Chargers. He also had 1 rush for 6 yards.
Preseason Week 2 vs. Las Vegas
Completed 4 of his 4 passes for 14 yards.
Preseason Week 3 @ Denver
Completed 7 of his 13 passes for 67 yards. He also rushed once for 2 yards.
Over the preseason Rypien completed 14 of his 23 passes for 92 yards. He rushed 2 times for 8 yards. He had a 51 offensive grade by PFF.
RB – Chase Brown – Cincinnati Bengals
(Photo credit: Ryan Meyer, Bengals.com)
College: Western Michigan (2018) Illinois (2019-2022)
CFL: Drafted 2023 round 7 (pick 163) by the Montreal Alouettes
NFL: Drafted 2023 round 5 (pick 163) by the Cincinnati Bengals
Preseason Week 1 vs. Packers:
Brown had the 104th-highest PFF rushing grade as he rushed 8 times for 12 yards (1.5 average). He did catch all 3 of his targets for 33 yards. Brown played 6 passing plays but did not have a good PFF pass-blocking score at 25.4.
Preseason Week 2 @ Atlanta
Rushed 9 times for 18 yards and 1 touchdown. Also recorded 1 reception for 0 yards. He did have a good pass-blocking grade from PFF in this game at 84 if not an impressive rushing average.
Preseason Week 3 vs. Washington
Rushed 11 times for 39 yards (3.5 average) and caught 2 passes for -1 yard. It was positive to see him average 3.5 yards per carry in this game after being held to 2 yards per carry or less in his other 2 preseason games.
Brown finished the preseason with 28 carries for 69 yards (2.5 average) and a touchdown. He is currently listed as one of 2 third-string running backs for the Bengals.
RB – Chubba Hubbard – Carolina Panthers
College: Oklahoma State (2017-2020)
CFL: Drafted 2021 round 5 (pick 43) by the Calgary Stampeders
NFL: Drafted 2021 round 4 (pick 126) by the Carolina Panthers
Preseason Week 1 vs. New York Jets:
Rushed 4 times for 9 yards (2.3 average). Had only the 107th-highest run grade by Pro Football Focus. Hubbard also caught his only target for 3 yards. He was on the field for 6 pass plays as well and had a good PFF pass-blocking grade of 73.1.
Preseason Week 2 @ New York Giants
Hubbard rushed 8 times for 30 yards (3.8 average). He had a pass-blocking grade of only 3.6 in the game and played 20 passing snaps.
Preseason Week 3 vs. Detroit
Did not play.
Hubbard finished the preseason with 12 carries for 39 yards 3.3 average. He is expected to be the 2nd string runningback for the Panthers.
WR – Chase Claypool – Chicago Bears
College: Notre Dame (2016-2019)
CFL: Undrafted despite being the #2 rated Canadian prospect.
NFL: Drafted 2020 by the Pittsburgh Steelers (2020-2022), Chicago Bears (2022 via trade)
Claypool did not play in the preseason. He is currently listed as one of 3 starting receivers for the Bears.
WR – N’Keal Harry – Minnesota Vikings
College: Arizona State (2016-2021)
CFL: Undrafted
NFL: 2019 round 1 (pick 32) by the New England Patriots (2019-2021), Chicago Bears (2022), Minnesota Vikings (2023)
Preseason Week 1 @ Seattle:
N’Keal Harry caught both of his targets for 24 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.
Harry was released on August 24 and played in 1 preseason game.
WR – John Metchie III – Houston Texans
College: Alabama Crimson Tide 2019-2021
CFL: Drafted 2022 round 7 (pick 59) by the BC Lions.
NFL: Drafted 2022 round 2 (pick 44) by the Houston Texans.
Preseason Week 1 @ New England:
Metchie caught his only target for 5 yards. It is good to see John Metchie III back on the field after missing the 2022 season due to a leukemia diagnosis. He had an 85.5 run-blocking grade in the game.
Preseason Week 2 vs. Miami
Caught one of 2 targets for 5 yards.
Metchie is currently expected to be a 2nd string receiver for the Texans.
WR – Josh Palmer – Los Angeles Chargers
College: Tennessee (2017-2020)
CFL: Not selected despite being the #1 Canadian prospect.
NFL: 2021 round 3 (pick 77) by the Los Angeles Chargers
Palmer did not play in the preseason and is expected to be a 2nd string receiver for the Chargers.
WR – Jared Wayne – Houston Texans
College: Pittsburgh (2019-2022)
CFL Draft: 2023 2nd round (166th overall pick) by the Toronto Argonauts.
NFL Draft: Signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent.
Preseason Week 1 @ New England:
Wayne caught his only target for 19 yards. He did suffer a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for 1-2 weeks.
Jared Wayne was waived by the Texans on Tuesday and played in 1 preseason game.
TE – Nikola Kalinic – Los Angeles Rams
College: York
CFL: 2019 round 2 (pick 10) by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
NFL: Indianapolis Colts (2022), Los Angeles Rams (2023-)
Preseason Week 3 @ Denver Sat 8/26, 9 PM ET, 6 PM PT:
Played in the final preseason game against Denver. Did not record a target. He did have good blocking grades with a 72.9 pass-blocking grade and a 70.7 run-blocking grade.
Kalinic was waived by the Rams on Tuesday.
OL – Matthew Bergeron – Atlanta Falcons
College: Syracuse (2019-2022)
CFL: Undrafted (ranked #1 Canadian prospect)
NFL: 2023 round 2 (pick 38) by the Atlanta Falcons
Preseason Week 2 vs. Cincinnati
Played only in the 2nd preseason game. He played 14 pass-blocking snaps and 9 run-blocking snaps and had a 26.6 pass-blocking grade and a 76 run-blocking grade in the game. Bergeron is currently expected to start at left guard due to the season-ending injury to Matt Hennessy.
OL – Alaric Jackson – Los Angeles Rams
College: Iowa
CFL: 2021 Round 2 (pick 15) by the BC Lions.
NFL: Signed by the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 as an undrafted free agent.
Preseason Week 1 vs. LA Chargers:
Played in 3 run plays and 8 passing plays. Had a PFF grade of 55.1.
Preseason Week 2 vs. Las Vegas
Played 14 pass-blocking snaps with a grade of 79 and 11 run-blocking snaps with a 72.6 run-blocking grade.
Played 36 snaps total in the preseason finishing with an overall grade of 70.1. Expected to be a second-string left tackle for the Rams. The starter, Joe Noteboom is questionable for week 1.
OL – Carter O’Donnell – Indianapolis Colts
College: Alberta
CFL: 2020 round 3 (pick 22) by the Montreal Alouettes.
NFL: Signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a UDFA in 2020.
Preseason Week 1 @ Buffalo:
Played 7 run plays and 8 pass plays recording a pass plays. Had a 56.4 run-blocking grade and a 76.6 pass-blocking grade from PFF.
Played 127 offensive snaps in the preseason finishing with an overall grade of 55.4. He had a good grade for pass blocking at 77.9 but a run blocking grade of just 46.7. Expected to be the second-string left guard.
OL – Dakoda Shepley – Indianapolis Colts
College: UBC Thunderbirds
CFL: 2018 round 1 (pick 5) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (Played for them in 2019)
NFL: UDFS New York Jets (2018), San Fran Sisco 49ers (2020), Seattle Seahawks (2021), Dallas Cowboys (2022), Indianapolis Colts (2023)
Preseason Week 1 @ Buffalo:
Had one of the lowest PFF pass protection grades in that week at 16.7 on his 7 pass plays. In 2 run plays, he had a 58.6 run-blocking grade.
Shepley played 68 snaps in the preseason total with an overall grade of 44.9, a pass-blocking grade of 27.5, and a run-blocking grade of 57.7. Shepley was waived on Monday.
OL – Sidy Sow – New England Patriots
College: Eastern Michigan (2017-2022)
CFL: 2023 round 6 (pick 48) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NFL: 2023 round 4 (pick 117) by the New England Patriots
Preseason Week 1 vs. Houston:
He played 46 snaps (20 run plays and 26 passing plays). He had a pass-blocking grade of 79.2 and a run-blocking grade of 27.4 from PFF for that game.
Sow played 99 snaps in the preseason and had an overall grade of 52.6 by PFF, 69.5 pass-blocking grade, and a 34.3 run-blocking grade. He is currently listed as a second-string right tackle on the Patriots unofficial depth chart.
DT – Christian Covington – Detroit Lions
College: Rice
CFL: 2015 round 5 (pick 43) by the BC Lions
NFL: 2015 round 6 (pick 216) by the Houston Texans (2015-2018), Dallas Cowboys (2019), Denver Broncos (2020), Cincinnati Bengals (2020) Los Angeles Chargers (2021-2022), Detroit Lions (2023-)
Preseason Week 1 vs. New York Giants:
Played 14 snaps, 6 against the run and 8 against the pass. Did not record a tackle. Finished the game with a 56.2 PFF defensive grade.
Covington played 92 snaps this preseason registering a sack, a hurry, 2 tackles, and 2 assisted tackles. He had an overall defensive grade by PFF of 58.8. He was released from the Lions on Saturday.
DT – Neville Gallimore – Dallas Cowboys
College: Oklahoma (2015-2019)
CFL: 2020 round 8 (pick 71) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NFL: 2020 round 3 (pick 82) by the Dallas Cowboys.
Preseason Week 1 vs. Jacksonville:
Played 9 snaps against the run and 23 against the pass. Generated 4 quarterback hurries and 4 tackles. Gallimore had the 13 highest PFF pass-rush grade among interior defensive linemen in the first week of the preseason.
Gallimore played 33 snaps in the final 2 preseason games registering 1 tackle. He finished the preseason with an overall PFF defensive grade of 74.6. Expected to provide depth at defensive tackle for the Cowboys.
DT – Nathan Shepherd – New Orleans Saints
College: Simon Fraser, Fort Hays State
CFL: Undrafted
NFL:2018 round 3 (pick 72) by the New York Jets (2018-2022), New Orleans Saints (2023-)
Preseason Week 1 vs. Kansas City:
Played 9 snaps, 4 against the run, and 5 against the pass. Did not record a tackle. Was the 126th-graded interior defensive lineman which was pretty much middle of the pack.
Shepherd did not play in the last 2 preseason games.
Currently listed as a starting defensive tackle on the Saints’ website.
DE – Brent Urban – Baltimore Ravens
College: Virginia
CFL: 2013 round 2 (pick 15) by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
NFL: 2014 round 4 (pick 134) by the Baltimore Ravens (2014-2018), Tennessee Titans (2019), Chicago Bears (2019-2020), Baltimore Ravens (2020-)
Preseason Week 1 vs. Philadelphia:
Played 19 snaps, 12 of which were against the pass. Urban had 1 QB hurry, a batted pass, and 2 tackles. He did however have 1 missed tackle recorded per PFF.
Urban played 47 snaps over the 3 preseason games. He registered 1 QB hurry, a knockdown, and 6 tackles.
Urban was released on Tuesday.
DE – David Onyemata – Atlanta Falcons
College: Manitoba
CFL: 2016 round 4 (pick 35) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NFL: 2016 round 4 (pick 120) by the New Orleans Saints (2016-2022), Atlanta Falcons (2023-)
Onyemata played only 6 snaps this preseason which were in the 2nd preseason week against Cincinnati although he did not record a stat. He had a PFF defensive grade of 63. Currently listed as a starting nose tackle on the Falcons’ depth chart on espn.com and is a member of the 53-man roster.
NT – Eli Ankou – Buffalo Bills
College: UCLA
CFL: 2017 round 3 (pick 26) by the Ottawa Redblacks.
NFL: UDFA Houston Texans (2017), Jacksonville Jaguars (2017–2019), Cleveland Browns (2019), Indianapolis Colts (2020), Houston Texans (2020), Dallas Cowboys (2020), Atlanta Falcons (2021), Buffalo Bills (2021), Atlanta Falcons (2021), Pittsburgh Steelers (2021), Tennessee Titans (2021), Buffalo Bills (2021–)
Preseason Week 1 vs. Indianapolis:
Ankou had the 15th-highest defensive grade in the week by PFF among interior defensive linemen. He played 31 snaps, 19 of which were run plays. He had a QB hurry, 3 tackles, and was credited with 2 stops
Played 43 snaps in 2 games over the preseason registering 1 QB hurry and 3 tackles. He had a 75.8 PFF defensive grade over the preseason.
He was released by the Bills on Monday.
LB – Michael Hoecht – Los Angeles Rams
College: Brown
CFL: 2020 round 2 (pick 10) by the Ottawa Redblacks.
NFL: UDFA Los Angeles Rams (2020-)
Preseason Week 1 vs. LA Chargers:
Played 13 snaps and had 1 assisted tackle.
Played 32 snaps over 2 preseason games registering 3 assisted tackles and finishing with a 65 PFF defensive grade. He is currently listed as a 1st string outside linebacker on the Rams’ unofficial depth chart.
LB – Jesse Luketa – Arizona Cardinals
College: Penn State (2018-2021)
CFL: 2022 round 2 (pick 20) by the Ottawa Redblacks.
NFL: 2022 round 7 (pick 256) by the Arizona Cardinals.
Preseason Week 1 vs. Broncos:
Played 31 snaps. Luketa generated 4 QB hurries and hit the passer once. He had 2 tackles and an assist.
Luketa played 72 snaps over 3 preseason games registering 8 QB hurries and a QB hit, 3 tackles, and an assisted tackle. He had a 77.4 defensive grade by PFF. He is currently listed as a third-string outside linebacker on the Cardinals’ unofficial depth chart.
LB – Amen Ogbongbemiga – Los Angeles Chargers
College: Oklahoma State (2016-2020)
CFL: 2021 round 1 (pick 8) by the Calgary Stampeders
NFL: 2021 UDFA Los Angeles Chargers
Preseason Week 1 @ Los Angeles Rams:
Ogbongbemiga had the 16th highest grade among linebackers for that week by PFF. He played 30 snaps and hit the quarterback twice, had 4 tackles, an assist, and 2 stops.
Played 57 snaps in 2 games registering 2 QB hits, 8 tackles, and 2 tackle assists. He had an 80.7 PFF defensive grade. He is currently listed as a 2nd-string linebacker on the Chargers’ unofficial depth chart.
LB – Tavius Robinson – Baltimore Ravens
College: Ole Miss (2020-2022)
CFL: 2023 round 8 (pick 66) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NFL: 2023 round 4 (pick 124) by the Baltimore Ravens.
Preseason Week 1 vs. Philadelphia:
Played 31 snaps. Had 1 QB hurry and 0 tackles.
Played in 91 snaps over 3 preseason games generating 2 QB hurries and a QB hit, a tackle, and an assisted tackle. Had a 46.8 PFF defensive grade. Currently listed as a third-stringer on the Ravens’ unofficial depth chart.
LB – Alex Singleton – Denver Broncos
College: Montana State
CFL: 2016 round 1 (pick 6) by the Calgary Stampeders (2016–2018).
NFL: 2015 UDFA Seattle Seahawks (2015), New England Patriots (2015), Minnesota Vikings (2015), Philadelphia Eagles (2019–2021), Denver Broncos (2022–)
Preseason Week 1 @ Arizona:
Played 11 snaps and had 3 tackles. Singleton had the 13th-highest linebacker grade by PFF for this week.
Singleton played 34 snaps in 2 games registering a QB hurry and 5 tackles. He had a PFF grade of 59.2. Currently listed as a starting inside linebacker on the Broncos’ unofficial depth chart.
LB – Luiji Vilain – Minnesota Vikings
College: Michigan (2017-2020), Wake Forest (2021)
CFL: 2021 round 3 (pick 25)
NFL: 2022 UDFA Minnesota Vikings
Preseason Week 1 @ Seattle:
Played 34 snaps and had a QB hurry, 2 QB hits, and a sack.
Played 112 snaps over 3 games registering a sack, 2 QB hits, 5 hurries, 4 tackles, and an assisted tackle. Had a 68.1 PFF defensive grade. Was waived by the Vikings on Tuesday.
CB – Tevaughn Campbell – Jacksonville Jaguars
College: Regina
CFL: 2015 round 3 (pick 22) by the Calgary Stampeders (2015), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2016–2017), Montreal Alouettes (2017–2018).
NFL: 2015 UDFA, New York Jets (2019), Los Angeles Chargers (2019–2022), Las Vegas Raiders (2022), Jacksonville Jaguars (2022–).
Preseason Week 1 @ Dallas:
Played 24 snaps. Was targetted twice in coverage and allowed 2 receptions for 17 yards. He did have a missed tackle but had a pretty decent cover grade in that week that put him 68th among cornerbacks.
Played 60 snaps over 3 games. Generated 4 tackles. Had a PFF defensive grade of 59.3. Currently listed as a 4th stringer on ESPN.com’s depth chart for the Jaguars.
CB – Tyrell Ford – Green Bay Packers
College: Waterloo
CFL: 2022 round 2 (pick 13) by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
NFL: Green Bay Packers (2023-)
Preseason Week 1 @ Cincinnati:
Played 16 snaps and had 2 tackles. Ford was targeted once in coverage and allowed an 11-yard reception.
Played 32 snaps in 2 games contributing 3 tackles. Ford had a PFF defensive grade of 77.4. Ford was waived by the Packers on Monday.
CB – Deane Leonard – Los Angeles Chargers
College: Calgary (2017-2019), Ole Miss (2020-2021)
CFL: 2021 round 2 (pick 18) by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
NFL: 2022 round 7 (pick 136) by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Preseason Week 1 @ Los Angeles Rams:
Played 30 snaps and had 1 tackle. Was targetted 4 times in coverage and allowed 1 reception for 9 yards.
Played 99 snaps over 3 games and contributed 4 tackles and 2 assisted tackles. He had a 72.3 PFF defensive grade. Leonard is currently listed as a 2nd string cornerback on the Chargers’ website.
CB – Benjamin St-Juste – Washington Commanders
College: Michigan (2017-2018), Minnesota (2019-2020)
CFL: 2021 round 6 (pick 52) by the Toronto Argonauts.
NFL: 2021 round 3 (pick 74) by the Washington Football Team.
Preseason Week 1 @ Cleveland:
Played 7 snaps and had a tackle, an assisted tackle, and 1 missed tackle. He did not play in the last 2 preseason games.
St-Juste is currently listed as a starting cornerback on the Commanders’ unofficial depth chart.
S – Sydney Brown – Philadelphia Eagles
College: Illinois (2018–2022)
CFL: Undrafted despite being the #3 ranked Canadian prospect.
NFL: 2023 round 3 (pick 66) by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Preseason Week 1 @ Baltimore:
Played 41 snaps and had 8 tackles. Brown had the 41st-highest defensive grade by PFF among safeties that week.
Played 124 snaps over 3 games generating 12 tackles and an assist. Had a 62.2 PFF defensive grade. Currently listed as a 2nd string safety on the Eagles’ unofficial depth chart.
S – Jevon Holland – Miami Dolphins
College: Oregon (2018-2020)
CFL: 2021 not drafted despite being the #3 Canadian prospect.
NFL: 2021 round 2 (36th pick) by the Miami Dolphins.
Played in 39 snaps over the last 2 preseason games. Holland contributed 3 tackles and 2 assists. He had a 71.3 PFF defensive grade.
Holland is currently listed as a starting safety on the Dolphins’ unofficial depth chart.
S – Jonathan Sutherland – Seattle Seahawks
College: Penn State
CFL: 2023 round 1 (pick 5) by the Montreal Alouettes.
NFL: 2023 UDFA signed by the Seattle Seahawks.
Preseason Week 1 vs. Minnesota:
Jonathan Sutherland played 57 snaps. He had a QB hurry, a QB hit, 2 tackles, and an assisted tackle. He was targetted 4 times in coverage and allowed 3 receptions for just 13 yards. Sutherland had the 33rd-highest defensive grade in the first week of the preseason among safeties.
Sutherland played 106 snaps over the first 2 preseason games generating 3 QB hurries and a QB hit, and 6 tackles plus an assist. He had a 78.9 PFF defensive grade with a 73.2 coverage grade.
Sutherland was waived by the Seahawks on Tuesday.
