Former Oregon players kept showing up across NFL preseason Week 3, with a few Ducks stacking strong showings and one familiar quarterback flashing big-play form again.
The most intriguing name in the bunch might be cornerback Jabbar Muhammad. After a breakout transfer season at Oregon in 2024, he went undrafted in 2025, then landed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent.
He still didn’t crack the 53-man roster, but his preseason work is putting him back on the radar. Muhammad opened with six tackles and a clutch game-winning pass breakup against the New Orleans Saints, then followed that with another six-tackle effort against the Carolina Panthers.
Linebacker Bryce Boettcher is bringing the same edge he had as a walk-on at Oregon into the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts fourth-round pick logged three tackles in his preseason debut and added four more in his second game.
The numbers are solid, but what’s really getting noticed is the way he’s playing. Boettcher drew attention with a big hit against the New England Patriots in his first outing, then added a tackle for a loss against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter of his latest game.
Nice TFL here for Bryce Boettcher 👀 #ProDucks pic.twitter.com/Lz50nj8vzU
Former Oregon teammates Malik Benson and Noah Whittington also got a preseason meeting for the first time. Benson, now with the Las Vegas Raiders, made an early impression in his first preseason game with two catches for 26 yards, including a 19-yard reception.
In his second outing, he finished with one catch for 18 yards on five targets. Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes offered this assessment, per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden: “You can just see he's being important to the team,” Stokes said.
“Even from the start of training camp with him, just him being a vertical threat. But now he's able to do intermediate routes.
He's able to break it down ... He's gonna be one of the guys we're gonna lean on in the future."
Whittington, on the other side of that matchup, carried the ball nine times for 11 yards and had a long of eight. In his first preseason appearance, the running back had 13 carries for 40 yards.
Bo Nix also got back into the mix for the Denver Broncos in the second week of preseason, and he looked sharp coming off a fractured right ankle in the NFL postseason. After two offseason surgeries, he still put together a clean outing against the Green Bay Packers.
In 14 snaps, Nix completed six of nine passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. His best throws included a 35-yard pass to Jaylen Waddle and a 21-yard touchdown to RJ Harvey.
If this is what healthy looks like, the former Oregon Heisman Trophy finalist may be lined up for another strong season.
In Other News...
Oregon Freshman Is Forcing His Way Into A Key Secondary Battle
Fall camp has given Oregon a chance to test a few different looks in the secondary, and freshman cornerback Davon Benjamin has been one of the more interesting pieces of that puzzle. Instead of staying in one lane, he has been working primarily at slot corner, a spot that asks a defender to handle plenty of traffic, quick decisions and constant adjustment. For a young player, that kind of assignment can accelerate the learning curve in a hurry.
Benjamin is part of a broader competition that includes veterans and other newcomers as the Ducks sort out their best options before the season opener. Coaches have been encouraged by his work ethic and his willingness to adapt, which matters in a camp built around flexibility and evaluation. Oregon is still sorting through several young defenders, but Benjamin has done enough to make this one of the more watchable battles on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Just Got A Stark Reminder About The New QB Market
The quarterback market in college football has reached a point that would have sounded impossible not long ago. A BetMGM post on X noted that the five highest-paid college passers are reportedly bringing in between $4 million and $6.5 million a year through NIL, a range that puts elite college money in the same conversation as the first round of the NFL Draft.
For programs like Oregon, it is another reminder of how much the path for top quarterbacks has changed before they ever hear their name called. The comparison to the rookie contracts of the first five quarterbacks selected in the 2026 NFL Draft is the eye-opener, since the richest of those deals tops out at $10.4 million and some college players can still out-earn certain pros without leaving campus. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Former Basketball Prospect Is Suddenly In The O-Line Mix
Trent Fergusons path into Oregons offensive line room has been anything but ordinary. The junior made the switch from basketball to football after a heel injury in high school, and even with so little time on the field, he moved fast enough to catch the Ducks attention. After only four football games, Oregon had seen enough to extend him a scholarship offer, a sign that his raw ability was already turning heads.
Since then, Ferguson has kept climbing. He played in every game during his sophomore season and is now in the mix for a starting role, a notable rise for someone who came to the sport so late. For Oregon, its another reminder that the programs line depth can come from unexpected places, and for Ferguson, the next step is no longer about learning the position but proving he belongs at the front of it. [Read more 🡒]