More former Kentucky Wildcats find spots on NFL Practice Squads

It’s been a tough week for many former Kentucky Wildcats, as NFL teams cut their rosters to 53 players. It didn’t take long for several to find new homes — or, in a few cases, learn they didn’t need to pack their bags at all.

After being waived by the Washington Commanders on Tuesday, Chris Rodriguez was added to their practice squad on Wednesday. The former Kentucky running back was selected by the Commanders in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Last year, he appeared in 13 games, finishing with 51 carries for 247 yards and two touchdowns before an ankle injury cut his rookie season short. He struggled this preseason, totaling four carries for 4 yards and four catches for 39 yards on 14 snaps.

Devin Leary isn’t going anywhere either. After waiving him on Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens signed the former Kentucky quarterback to their practice squad. The Ravens drafted Leary in the sixth round in April. He had a shaky preseason, turning the ball over three times in Baltimore’s preseason finale, but clearly, the club wants to see more.

Two more former Cats are moving closer to the Bluegrass. Offensive lineman Tashawn Manning and defensive tackle Justin Rogers were signed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad. Manning finished his college career at Kentucky in 2022 after five seasons at Auburn. He signed with Baltimore in 2023 and spent his rookie season on the Ravens’ practice squad. Rogers started his career at Kentucky and finished it at Auburn. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys in April and waived on Tuesday.

Bryce Oliver, who played for Kentucky for three seasons before transferring to Youngstown State, was waived by the Tennessee Titans but chose to stick with the franchise on the practice squad despite interest from other teams. Oliver caught two touchdown passes in the Titans’ third preseason game on Sunday. Defensive tackle Phil Hoskins also has a new home, joining the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad after being released by the Arizona Cardinals.

Yesterday, the New York Jets claimed Brenden Bates off waivers after the former Kentucky tight end was waived by Chicago. Lonnie Johnson is headed to the Carolina Panthers after being released by the Houston Texans.

Here is a running list of where the rest of the former Cats are as of today. We’ll update it as more news comes out.

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Kentucky Wildcats on NFL teams