Stanford in the NFL: Cardinal Alums that Made NFL 53-Man Rosters for 2025

The 2025-26 NFL season is nearly here. With the preseason now over and teams trimming their rosters down to 53, all 32 franchises are shifting gears to preparing for Week One, where the quest for the Lombardi Trophy commences. In what will be a long and competitive 17-game season, only one team will enjoy glory.

The Stanford Cardinal have a lot of alumni who made initial 53-man rosters, with the former Cardinal stars either earning a spot with an exceptional training camp, or being seasoned veterans that had their roster spots cemented well before camp began. With the season beginning in less than one week, here is a list of all the former Stanford standouts that will be on an active roster in Week One.

Arizona Cardinals

TE Elijah Higgins

WR Michael Wilson

Carolina Panthers

WR Brycen Tremayne

Chicago Bears

C Drew Dalman

Dallas Cowboys

DL Solomon Thomas

Houston Texans

QB Davis Mills

TE Dalton Schultz

Jacksonville Jaguars

OT Walker Little

Los Angeles Chargers

TE Tucker Fisk

DB Kendall Williamson

Los Angeles Rams

K Joshua Karty

TE Colby Parkinson

Las Vegas Raiders

DL Thomas Booker IV

DB Kyu Blu Kelly

Miami Dolphins

P Jake Bailey

DB Ethan Bonner

New England Patriots

TE Austin Hooper

New Orleans Saints

DB Justin Reid

New York Giants

DB Paulson Adebo

LB Bobby Okereke

New York Jets

DL Harrison Phillips

Philadelphia Eagles

QB Tanner McKee

Pittsburgh Steelers

OL Andrus Peat

San Francisco 49ers

RB Christian McCaffrey

Tennessee Titans

WR Elic Ayomanor

Washington Commanders

TE Zach Ertz

The NFL regular season officially begins with the Kickoff Game on Sept. 4, where the Dallas Cowboys take on the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. In Stanford terms, that will be Solomon Thomas going against Tanner McKee.

After that, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers play each other in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday. The Rams have two former Cardinal in Joshua Karty and Colby Parkinson, compared to no former Cardinal on K.C..--seems like an easy choice.

The normal Week One slate will then continue on Sunday and will be capped off by Monday Night Football. Recently drafted Elic Ayomanor and the Tennessee Titans will be taking on the Denver Broncos on Sunday, September 7 at 1:05 p.m. (PT).

As for Stanford, the Cardinal are currently on a bye week but will return to action next weekend when they travel to Provo to take on BYU. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. (PT) and will air on ESPN.