Week 7 of the NFL season was memorable for a couple former Pitt Panthers.
Aaron Donald, James Conner, Tyler Boyd, Larry Fitzgerald are players that have been producing since entering the league but Sunday a new name emerged from our list of former Pitt Panthers in the Pros that we’re tracking.
Dane Jackson, CB, Buffalo Bills: The 2020 seventh round pick was elevated to the Bills 53-man active roster and instantly opened the eyes of Sean McDermott and the Bills coaching staff. After breaking up a third down attempt to Denzel Mims and forcing the Jets to attempt a field goal, Jackson followed that up with his first career NFL interception late in the first half. Then with Buffalo only up 15-10 in the fourth quarter, Jackson once again broke up a third down attempt to Mims. Jackson also finished the game with three tackles.
Following the game, McDermott mentioned Jackson in his postgame speech to the team.
“That was huge. For any rookie to contribute like that, especially coming off the bench the way he did,” McDermott said. “That’s our team, the ‘next man up’ mentality. The great part about it is he was prepared, which I give credit to him and to the coaching staff for that. It’s a great lesson for the rest of the young players on our team that when your number is called, you’ve got to be ready. At any moment, you’ve got to be ready. Dane did a great job and players, really, I thought rallied around him as well.”
Dion Lewis, RB, NY Giants: Three carries for 23 yards (7.7 yards/carry).
Avonte Maddox, CB, Philadelphia: Maddox returned to action after being sidelined for three weeks by an ankle injury. Without him, Philadelphia’s secondary has struggled and he recorded one tackle against the NY Giants.
James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh: Conner continues to stay healthy and is running well for the Steelers. Against the Titans, Conner ran 20 times for 82 yards and also caught three passes for 29 yards. Conner scored a touchdown but it was called back because of an offensive penalty. That is back-back weeks that Conner has carried 20 times after carrying 20 times for 101 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland.
Tyler Boyd, WR, Cincinnati: Boyd continues to develop into the go-to receiver for Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrows. Sunday against Cleveland, Boyd caught 11 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. Boyd also completed one pass for 16 yards. For the season, Boyd has 48 catches for 517 yards and two touchdowns. This was his fourth game this season with seven or more catches and his second 100-plus yard performance.
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Jordan Whitehead, S, Tampa Bay: Recorded three tackles in Tampa’s 45-20 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona: Fitzgerald hauled in a season high eight catches for 62 yards in Arizona’s 37-34 OT victory over Seattle. The headline during that game was that one of those eight catches as the 1,400 over Fitzgerald’s soon to be Hall of Fame career. That milestone makes Fitzgerald only the second player in NFL history (Jerry Rice) to accomplish it.
Aaron Donald, DT, LA Rams: Recorded one tackle, two assists and one-half sack in the Rams’ 24-10 win over Chicago.
Very happy to see that Dane Jackson got a shot and did well. It seemed like he would make a decent pro and was surprised when didn’t make the Bill roster.
Bills fan here. Dane Jackson has been one of the 4 protected members of the Bills practice squad every week. He had 4 veterans in front of him – 2 corners and two nickels. There was no reason to play a rookie until injuries decimated the secondary. The Bills were and are high on him, just didn’t throw him to the wolves in his rookie year with no training camp due to COVID. I think you’ll see him playing every week next year for sure. Many NFL rookies are not making the usual contribution due to no preseason and no… Read more »