Indiana’s NFL footprint is bigger than ever as 18 former Hoosiers survived the league’s roster cuts and landed on 53-man rosters heading into the 2026 season.
That’s the headline after this weekend’s wave of moves to lock in opening-day rosters. Indiana will have players on 12 different NFL teams to start the season, with the Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each carrying multiple former Hoosiers.
The list also says plenty about the Cignetti era in Bloomington. All 10 Indiana draft picks from that stretch made their teams, and three undrafted players - Ke'Shawn Williams, Myles Price and Kahlil Benson - also cracked opening rosters. Five more Hoosiers from before Curt Cignetti’s time are still in the mix as well: Ian Thomas, Micah McFadden, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Luke Haggard and Dan Feeney.
NFL teams had to submit their 53-man rosters by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, but this story may still shift before opening day.
Players who were waived can be claimed by other teams until Noon ET on Monday, and teams can begin signing players to practice squads after that. Released players can sign with any team right away.
Here’s where the former Hoosiers stand after cuts:
On 53-man rosters, Indiana has 18 players spread across the league:
Kaelon Black is with the San Francisco 49ers as a 2026 third-round pick, while Kurtis Rourke and C.J. West also made the 49ers as a 2025 seventh-round pick and 2025 fourth-round pick, respectively.
The Bengals kept WR/RS Ke'Shawn Williams, an undrafted player in 2025. Tampa Bay has OL Luke Haggard, a 2023 undrafted player, and OL Dan Feeney, a 2017 third-round pick.
Kansas City kept OL Kahlil Benson, an undrafted player in 2026.
Micah McFadden is still with the New York Giants as a 2022 fifth-round pick. The Jets kept a trio of Hoosiers: WR Omar Cooper Jr., the 2026 first-round pick; CB D'Angelo Ponds, the 2026 second-round pick; and LB Marcelino McCrary Ball, who entered the league as an undrafted player in 2022. Baltimore kept WR Elijah Sarratt, a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Las Vegas has two more former IU players in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a 2026 first-round pick, and tight end Ian Thomas, a 2018 fourth-round pick. Pittsburgh’s roster includes FB Riley Nowakowski, a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Tennessee kept OL Pat Coogan, a 2026 sixth-round pick. Houston has LB Aiden Fisher, a 2026 seventh-round pick.
Minnesota kept WR/RS Myles Price, who came into the league as an undrafted player in 2025.
Nine other former Hoosiers were waived or released, leaving their status unsettled for now: LB Cam Jones with the Kansas City Chiefs; OL Trey Wedig and WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine with the Indianapolis Colts; DB Louis Moore with the Miami Dolphins; DB Raheem Laynce with the New York Giants; TE Zach Horton with the Detroit Lions; WR E.J. Williams Jr. and RB/RS Roman Hemby with the Las Vegas Raiders; and DB Devan Boykin with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Several of those players could still wind up back on practice squads with their current teams. Waived players remain available to be claimed through Noon ET on Monday, while released players can sign elsewhere immediately.
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