How former Maryland stars fared through the 2023 NFL season

Sam Okuayinonu and Jacob Copeland are the lone players on teams still in the playoff hunt heading into Sunday with both players on the practice squad as the 2024 season saw several former Terps post career-high numbers and some of the best plays of the season.

The Chicago Bears acquired DJ Moore from the Panthers in the trade for the number one pick and almost immediately made them the winners. Moore finished with career highs in catches (96), yards (1364), and touchdowns (8). He finished almost 1000 yards better than the next leading wide receiver, as tight end Cole Kmet finished second in yards. He may have a familiar face alongside him in Chicago in 2024 with reports that former Maryland and current LA Chargers assistant Chris Beatty is interviewing with the Bears.

Fellow receiver Stefon Diggs of the Bills was off to a hot start with five 100-yard games in the first six weeks. He cooled off after that, though, not reaching 100 yards again the rest of the year. Diggs still finished the regular season with 107 catches for 1183 yards and 8 touchdowns. The final memory from the 2024 season will be of Diggs squandering a potential big play in the divisional round loss to the Chiefs. Rakim Jarrett caught 4 passes for 60 yards in 10 games for the Buccaneers after going undrafted in 2023. With Mike Evans potentially leaving in free agency, Jarrett could be in for an increased role in 2024.

Yannick Ngakoue, Moore’s teammate in Chicago, had a rough season, finishing with a career-low four sacks and missed the last four games due to a broken ankle. JC Jackson was another Terp who would like to have forgotten 2023. Jackson was benched by the Chargers in week three, was traded to the Patriots in October, along with a 2025 seventh-round pick for a 2025 sixth-round pick, and ended his year on the non-football illness list.

Jackson’s teammate in New England, Chad Ryland, struggled in his first season as an NFL kicker, only converting 64% of his kicks. He did have a heroic moment late in the season, hitting a game-winning field goal against the Broncos with two seconds left on Christmas Eve.

Offensive Linemen Spencer Anderson and Jaelyn Duncan were late-round picks who made their team’s week one roster and saw the field as rookies. Anderson played in eight games for the Steelers, while Duncan started five games for the Titans before missing the final game of the season due to a neck injury.

The top draft picks for the Terps in 2023, Deonte Banks and Jakorian Bennett, were on the field a lot for the Giants and Raiders, respectively. Banks missed the final two games due to a shoulder injury but showed promise finishing with 11 pass breakups and two interceptions while guarding number one targets most of the time. Bennett, meanwhile, struggled after earning a starting spot in week one, being benched and dealing with some injuries throughout the season.

Colts safety Nick Cross’ first career interception might have been one of the best of the season. Against the Steelers, Cross stole a jump ball from George Pickens when Mitchell Trubrisky attempted to hit him deep. He also had 2 pass breakups and a tackle for loss to go along with his 39 tackles. Packers’ Safety Darnell Savage had a 64-yard pick-six in the team’s 48-32 Wild Card win over Dallas after not having one in the regular season. That play could have earned him some more money when free agency comes in March.

“He’s built like a little bulldog,” Colts safety Ronnie Harrison said of Cross. “He’s strong as hell. He can play the free or the strong (safety position) and he’s fast. He knows the game. He has good feet. He has good ball IQ…he’s a good football player all-around.”

I had Chigoziem Okonkwo as a breakout candidate for the Titans during training camp, and he ended the season as the team’s second-leading receiver, only behind Deandre Hopkins. Okonkwo finished with 54 catches for 528 yards and a touchdown as the Titans offense struggled to find consistency for most of the year. Josh Woods and Quinton Jefferson reached new highs in 2023. After only starting one game in his first five years in the league, Woods started seven for the Cardinals this year. He also totaled a career-high in tackles with 61. Jefferson was part of a Jets unit that was third in the NFL in yards given up. He also reached a new career high in sacks with six, along with 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Michael Dunn started two of the 12 games he played in, as the Browns offensive line was hit hard with injuries. Ty Johnson was called up from Buffalo’s practice squad in October and was on the field for 10 games as a returner and reserve running back. He did pick up a key third down to extend a drive in the divisional match-up against Kansas City that later led to a touchdown to give the Bills the lead back. Jake Funk and Sam Okuayinonu ended the season on the practice squad for the Lions and Buccaneers, respectively, and three others signed future contracts with different teams. Durell Nchami signed with the Broncos, Jacob Copeland with Kansas City, and Tyler Marby is in Seattle.

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May 3, 2024