Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As the NFL preseason draws close to an end – with final roster cut downs coming next week- a number of former Troy Trojans are making their mark.

After an injury slowed him in the beginning of training camp, former Trojan running back Kimani Vidal showed this week why he left Troy as one of the most decorated backs in school history. Vidal saw his first game action in the preseason this past weekend in the LA Chargers’ game against the LA Rams. Vidal carried the ball 11 times for 49 yards and also caught two passes for eight yards.

“I wasn’t surprised but I was definitely happy to see him go out and execute the way he did and he did some of the things you saw in college translate,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of Vidal. “So, it was a great first step for him He’s a hard working guy and he’s going to take it in stride and work to constantly improve.”

Vidal was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Chargers this past April.

Former Troy pass rusher Javon Solomon was selected in the fifth round of this past April’s NFL Draft. Solomon made a splash this weekend when he recorded two tackles and four quarterback hits before leaving Buffalo’s game against Pittsburgh with a calf injury. He also recorded two tackles in Buffalo’s first preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

Former Troy All-Sun Belt cornerback Reddy Steward – who signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent – has been turning heads in training camp. In the first preseason game of the season, Steward recorded two tackles against the Houston Texans and then followed up by recording five tackles against Buffalo. This past weekend, Steward led the Chicago defense with six tackles against the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s earned 13 total tackles during the preseason thus far.

The New England Patriots feature three former Trojans on their roster in former All-American Marcus Jones and former All-Sun Belt center Jake Andrews and safety Dell Pettus. Unfortunately at the start of training camp, the Patriots placed Andrews on injured reserve. After starting one game as a rookie last season, Andrews was expected to see his playing time increase in his second year. According to New England head coach Jerod Mayo, Andrews suffered a season-ending injury during the offseason.

Meanwhile, Jones is coming off own season-ending injury in his second season in 2023. Jones earned All-Pro honors as a rookie kick returner in 2022. Jones has been held out of preseason games thus far in camp but is expected to handle kickoff return duties for the Patriots as well as play cornerback this season.

Pettus signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent has been one of New England’s leading tacklers in each of the first two preseason games. He recorded a team-high five tackles against Carolina and then followed up with five more stops against Philadelphia this past weekend. Undrafted free agents are long shots to make NFL rosters but Pettus is making the final 53-man roster evaluation a difficult one for the Patriots.

“He’s definitely making a case for himself, not only defensively, but also on special teams,” Mayo said of Pettus. “That’s going to be a hard decision there, but he’s doing a good job for us.”