The NFL’s roster-cut deadline always brings a few hard truths, and for UCF fans, this year delivered both good news and a few close calls. Several former Knights punched their tickets to 53-man rosters, while a handful of others landed on the wrong side of the cutdown but showed enough in August to keep the door open for a practice-squad return.
The biggest names on the list are the ones already positioned to play real snaps. Mike Hughes is back for his ninth NFL season and fourth with the Atlanta Falcons, and his spot was never really in doubt. Injuries have slowed him the last three years - he missed nine games over that stretch, including back-to-back contests in November because of a neck injury and the final weeks last season after a severe right ankle injury - but he’s healthy now and expected to open the year as Atlanta’s starting cornerback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
Tylan Grable also survived the final cut in Buffalo. The Bills’ sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft appeared in four games as a rookie, including a Week 18 start against the New England Patriots.
His second season got off to a rough start when Buffalo put him on injured reserve last August because of lingering concussion symptoms, but he was activated on Nov. 29 ahead of the Steelers matchup in Week 13. This season, he projects as a rotational tackle who can step in when the Bills need help up front.
Another former Knight set to keep his spot is Alex Ward, who has found a role on special teams with the Las Vegas Raiders after signing a reserves/futures contract in January. He’s entering his fourth NFL season and his first in Las Vegas, and that kind of stability is exactly what a specialist needs to survive a roster crunch.
Kalia Davis also made the Cleveland Browns’ 53-man roster, a move that looked likely once he signed a one-year deal worth up to $3 million in March. Like Hughes, his place on the roster wasn’t much of a surprise.
Mac McWilliams, meanwhile, is continuing his run with the Philadelphia Eagles. The 145th pick in last year’s draft is entering his second season in Philly after logging a few preseason drives and finishing with eight solo tackles.
Not every UCF alum was so fortunate. The Green Bay Packers moved on from Nyjalik Kelly and Jaden Nixon, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived Paul Rubelt. Still, there’s reason for optimism there: all three put together strong preseason showings and have a case to make for practice-squad spots.
In Other News...
UCFs Backfield Battle Just Got More Interesting This Summer
Summer is usually when depth charts start to take shape, and at UCF, a couple of familiar names are helping drive that conversation ahead of the 2026 season. Braeden Marshall is back for his fourth year and remains in line to handle the nickelback spot, while Taevion Swint is working his way into the picture at running back after a setback that slowed his development early on. It is the kind of backfield and secondary continuity that can quietly matter when camp opens, especially for a team trying to sort out who can be trusted in bigger roles.
Swints path is the one to watch because the staff has already shown plenty of belief in what he can become. A redshirt freshman now, he has been projected into the running back rotation, and coaches came away encouraged by what he put on display during spring practice. Marshall gives the defense a steady presence on the perimeter, but Swint brings the more intriguing offseason storyline, with his return to health and his early flashes leaving just enough room for the next step to become one of the summers more interesting competitions. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former UCF Standouts Suddenly Face A Tense NFL Wait
Jaden Nixon and Nyjalik Kelly put themselves on Green Bays radar with strong preseason showings, giving both former UCF standouts a real case to stick around as roster cuts approached. Kelly flashed on defense with two sacks and an interception, while Nixon provided an offensive spark with 64 rushing yards and a touchdown, the kind of production that can keep a young player in the conversation even when the numbers game tightens.
Now the wait begins, and it is the kind of anxious limbo plenty of undrafted or fringe NFL players know well. Neither Knight made the Packers initial 53-man roster, but there is still a path for both to remain in the organization if they come through waivers and land on the practice squad, where Green Bay can keep developing them and have them ready for a call-up if injuries start to create openings. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Frost Wants UCF Locked In With Opener Questions Looming
UCF has spent the week trying to make the final leap from camp mode to game mode as it gets set to open against Bethune-Cookman at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium. Scott Frost has stressed that part of the challenge now is sharpening the details that matter once the ball is live, and starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III has sounded ready for the first test of the season.
The Knights will, however, have to manage a few personnel questions as kickoff approaches. Edge rusher Bruno Dall is out because of an injury, and a couple of other pieces have been working through camp issues, leaving the staff with some decisions still hanging over the first depth chart of the year. [Read more 🡒]