Twelve players with Alabama football roots who were waived on Saturday returned to the NFL teams that had let them go as practice-squad members on Sunday.
Each NFL team can have a 10-player practice squad. As the name implies, the players on the squad practice with the team, but they cannot play in games. Only the 53 players on the active roster are eligible to play in games.
Some teams signed their complete practice-squad allotment on Sunday; others announced only a partial squad. The players from Alabama high schools and colleges who were snapped up for practice squads on Sunday included:
- Running back Jordan Chunn (Madison County, Troy) by the Dallas Cowboys.
- Wide receiver Gehrig Dieter (Alabama) by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Center J.C. Hassenauer (Alabama) by the Atlanta Falcons.
- Defensive tackle Dee Liner (Muscle Shoals, Alabama) by the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Linebacker Cassanova McKinzy (Woodlawn, Auburn) by the Washington Redskins.
- Safety Rolan Milligan (UAB) by the Detroit Lions.
- Quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) by the San Francisco 49ers.
- Offensive tackle Trenton Scott (Lee-Huntsville) by the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Offensive lineman Chad Slade (Moody, Auburn) by the Houston Texans.
- Offensive tackle Victor Salako (Grissom, UAB) by the New York Giants.
- Cornerback Levi Wallace (Alabama) by the Buffalo Bills.
- Defensive tackle Gabe Wright (Auburn) by the Oakland Raiders.
There were also reports that former Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones would sign with the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. The Ravens announced eight members of their practice squad on Sunday, and Jones was not among them. However, it was thought that was because Jones hadn’t arrived in his hometown to sign his contract. Jones has spent the previous two seasons with the New England Patriots and was waived on Saturday after missing last season because of a knee injury.
The practice-squad players cleared waivers on Sunday before re-signing with their teams from the preseason.
Chunn, Hassenauer, Liner, Scott and Wallace are rookies. The other seven players have been on NFL practice squads previously, and Slade and Wright have played in regular-season games.
Practice-squad players are paid a minimum of $7,600 per game week, or $129,200 if they stay on the practice squad for the entire 17-week regular season. They can be paid more. The minimum salary for an NFL player on an active roster is $28,235.29 per game week, or $480,000 if they stay on the active roster for the entire 17-week regular season.
