Eleven Former Wyoming Cowboys Land on NFL Rosters

LARAMIE -- Remember when it was a tall task to find Wyoming football players in the NFL?

For years it was Malcom Floyd and, well, seemingly no one else.

There have been a few standouts over the last couple of decades: Mitch Unrein, Patrick Chukwurah, Derrick Martin, Mark Nzeocha, Chase Roullier and more.

This is an issue of the past.

Eleven former Cowpokes landed on NFL rosters out of training camp, led, as always, by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is entering year seven under center in Orchard Park.

Only Fresno State, San Diego State and Boise State -- 13 -- have more active players.

Rookie tackle Frank Crum is on Denver's active roster. His Wyoming teammate, Treyton Welch, recently joined the practice squad in New Orleans. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end was initially signed by the Browns last spring as a free agent.

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There's the "controversial" players, too. You know, the guys who didn't finish their collegiate careers in Laramie.

Solomon Byrd, a seventh-round selection of the Houston Texans, played at Wyoming from 2018-21 before transferring to USC for his final two seasons of eligibility. He made the practice squad.

So did Xazavian Valladay.

UW's second all-time leading rusher (3,281 yards) was recently cut by the New York Jets, a team he spent last season with. He's back in the Big Apple after resigning with the franchise last week. Valladay played for the Cowboys from 2018-21 before heading to Arizona State for his final year.

Both Byrd and Valladay earned their degrees at Wyoming.

Logan Wilson tallied a career-high 135 tackles last fall. The middle linebacker is entering his fifth season in Cincinnati. His former running mate, Chad Muma, could find himself in a starting role this season in Jacksonville.

Marcus Epps is heading into his second season in Sin City. He finished with 66 tackles out of the Raiders' secondary in 2023. Edge rusher Carl Granderson is poised to have a big season with the Saints after capping his brief preseason stint with a team-best 1.5 sacks in just two outings. The Sacramento, Calif., product has 23 career sacks, including 8.5 last season.

Andrew Wingard and Tashaun Gispon, both safeties in Jacksonville, will start the 2024 campaign on the sideline. Wingard suffered a knee injury during fall camp and Gipson, the longest-tenured Cowboy in the NFL, is facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing policy.

Number of Mountain West Players in the NFL by school:

Boise State: 13

Fresno State: 13

San Diego State: 13

Wyoming: 11

Colorado State: 7

Utah State: 5

Nevada: 5

Hawaii: 4

San Jose State: 4

New Mexico: 4

Air Force: 3

UNLV:1

* Source: ourlads.com

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players