More than one out of every 32 players on NFL rosters to begin the 2025 season is from Ohio State.
As NFL teams around the league set their initial 53-man rosters on Tuesday, 57 Buckeyes survived final cuts to make one of the league’s 32 teams.
The Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns lead the NFL with six Buckeyes on each of their rosters, followed by the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, who each have four Buckeyes on their roster. The Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans each have three players on their rosters who finished their college careers at Ohio State.
25 of the NFL’s 32 teams have at least one Buckeye on their initial 53-man rosters. The only teams that don’t have any Buckeyes on their initial rosters are the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
14 members of last year’s national championship team are on 53-man rosters to begin the 2025 season. All of Ohio State’s 2025 NFL draft picks are on their teams’ 53-man rosters except running back Quinshon Judkins, who remains unsigned by the Browns due to the NFL’s ongoing investigation into his domestic violence arrest (even though he was not formally charged). Offensive tackle Josh Fryar made the Cardinals’ roster despite going undrafted.
Tight end Gee Scott Jr. and center Seth McLaughlin, who also went undrafted, were among the players released by their teams during Tuesday’s final cuts.
The full list of players who made 53-man rosters, sorted by team, can be found in the table below. (Note: The table only includes players who finished their college careers at Ohio State.)
| Team | No. | Players |
|---|---|---|
| BROWNS | 6 | OT Dawand Jones, C Luke Wypler, DT Mike Hall Jr., LB Jerome Baker, CB Denzel Ward, S Ronnie Hickman |
| CARDINALS | 6 | WR Marvin Harrison Jr., OT Paris Johnson Jr., OT Josh Fryar, OLB Baron Browning, LB Cody Simon, CB Denzel Burke |
| JETS | 4 | QB Justin Fields, TE Jeremy Ruckert, C Josh Myers, WR Garrett Wilson |
| STEELERS | 4 | QB Will Howard, DT Cameron Heyward, LB Malik Harrison, OLB Jack Sawyer |
| BILLS | 3 | WR Curtis Samuel, DE Joey Bosa, DB Jordan Hancock |
| COMMANDERS | 3 | WR Terry McLaurin, WR Noah Brown, CB Marshon Lattimore |
| LIONS | 3 | OT Taylor Decker, OL Jamarco Jones, DT Tyleik Williams |
| SAINTS | 3 | WR Chris Olave, DE Chase Young, LB Pete Werner |
| TEXANS | 3 | QB C.J. Stroud, TE Cade Stover, DT Tommy Togiai |
| 49ERS | 2 | TE Luke Farrell, DE Nick Bosa |
| BRONCOS | 2 | RB J.K. Dobbins, OLB Jonathon Cooper |
| COLTS | 2 | DE Tyquan Lewis, DE JT Tuimoloau |
| FALCONS | 2 | DE Zach Harrison, LS Liam McCullough |
| RAIDERS | 2 | LB Tommy Eichenberg, OL Thayer Munford |
| VIKINGS | 2 | G Donovan Jackson, CB Jeff Okudah |
| BEARS | 1 | G Jonah Jackson |
| BUCCANEERS | 1 | WR Emeka Egbuka |
| CHIEFS | 1 | OT Josh Simmons |
| COWBOYS | 1 | S Malik Hooker |
| JAGUARS | 1 | DT DaVon Hamilton |
| PANTHERS | 1 | S Lathan Ransom |
| PATRIOTS | 1 | RB TreVeyon Henderson |
| RAMS | 1 | DT Ty Hamilton |
| SEAHAWKS | 1 | WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba |
| TITANS | 1 | OLB Dre’Mont Jones |
The following former Buckeyes were released or waived by NFL teams during their final roster cuts:
- Bengals: C Seth McLaughlin
- Commanders: DT Jalyn Holmes
- Dolphins: CB Kendall Sheffield
- Falcons: S Jordan Fuller
- Jets: DB Tanner McCalister
- Patriots: TE Gee Scott Jr.
- Seahawks: OLB Tyreke Smith
- Steelers: RB Trey Sermon, P Cameron Johnston, LS Jake McQuaide
- Texans: CB Damon Arnette, WR Xavier Johnson
- Vikings: TE Nick Vannett
Three former Buckeyes were placed on season-ending injured reserve: offensive tackle Isaiah Prince (49ers), cornerback Shaun Wade (Bears) and wide receiver Parris Campbell (Cowboys). The Seattle Seahawks placed former Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins on the reserve/non-football injury list; he remains eligible to play this season, but will miss at least the Seahawks’ first four games.
While he doesn’t count toward Ohio State’s official total of NFL players, former Buckeye quarterback Quinn Ewers – who transferred to Texas after one season at OSU – made the Miami Dolphins’ initial 53-man roster despite falling to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft. Former Ohio State and Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord, however, was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles despite being selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Ohio State’s total number of players on NFL rosters could still fluctuate before Week 1 as more roster moves will be made in the coming days as teams pick up players cut by other teams and place players on injured reserve. While Will Howard is on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial 53-man roster, he will reportedly be placed on injured reserve due to the hand injury he suffered in training camp, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He will be eligible to return to action this season after making the initial 53-man roster, but will be sidelined for at least four games once he is placed on IR.
Players who were released by teams will also be candidates to land on practice squads as NFL teams begin building their 16-man practice squads over the next several days.
