The NFL is into the second half of its season.
IU has 13 players on NFL rosters or practice squads as of week 12, and most of those players haven’t seen much game action. Some have, though, and one has enjoyed a strong year.
Three former Indiana players have made their NFL debuts this season.
Here are individual updates on various Hoosiers around the league.
Micah McFadden, LB, New York Giants
McFadden has started all 10 games for the Giants in a really solid individual season. Pro Football Focus ranks him No. 38 (out of 81) overall among linebackers across the NFL. He’s especially excelled as a pass-rusher, with the 12th-best pass rush PFF grade at the position. This season, McFadden has 0.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, five QB hits, three fumble recoveries, three passes defended, and one interception.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee
Westbrook-Ikhine is Tennessee’s second-leading receiver, but on a typically run-heavy offense, that doesn’t translate to a ton of production. Through 10 games, the fourth-year wideout has 20 receptions on 31 targets for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
Peyton Hendershot, TE, Dallas
Hendershot hasn’t seen the field since week three for the Cowboys, as Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker have emerged as the team’s main tight ends. He has one catch for three yards on the season.
Ian Thomas, TE, Carolina
Thomas missed four games in the middle of this season with a calf strain but was activated to the 53-man roster ahead of last week’s game against Dallas. The blocking-first tight end has two catches for 36 yards across six games this year.
Raheem Layne, S, Los Angeles Chargers
Layne started in week four with the Chargers thin at safety, and he made three tackles that day against the Raiders. But after seeing just one defensive snap and 52 percent of special teams snaps in week five, Layne hasn’t seen game action since. He suffered a season-ending injury.
Cam Jones, LB, Kansas City
Jones has played in all 10 games for the reigning Super Bowl champions this year, primarily on special teams. The rookie has made three total tackles on the season.
Dan Feeney, G, Chicago
The guard has spent this season as a reserve offensive lineman for his hometown team. He hasn’t played much this year, seeing the field on just seven percent of offensive snaps and 14 percent on special teams. Feeney did play 40 snaps last weekend.
Marcelino McCrary-Ball, LB, New York Jets
McCrary-Ball had spent the whole year on the Jets’ practice squad, until he was activated last week for their game in Buffalo. That was his NFL debut. He did not record a tackle, but played on 70 percent of special teams snaps that day. He reverted back to the practice squad after the game.
Caleb Jones, T, Green Bay
Jones has been on the Packers’ 53-man roster all season, but has played in just one game, for one snap on special teams. That was his NFL debut.
Practice squads
According to the Football Database, IU has five players on practice squads, including McCrary-Ball.
Defensive end Ryder Anderson (New York Giants), cornerback Jaylin Williams (Minnesota), and tackle Luke Haggard (Tampa Bay) have remained with those practice squads all season. There were two midseason practice squad transactions involving IU players: the Jets signed guard Rodger Saffold, and the Eagles released cornerback Tiawan Mullen.
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