Idaho ties in the NFL: Former Vandal recovers a fumble, 2 Boise State alums make debuts

The first week of the NFL regular season saw 18 players with Idaho ties take the field, including six starters.

Of the 18 men who logged playing time, 11 are former Boise State standouts, while five are University of Idaho alums. Four also played high school ball in the Gem State.

Below is a look at how players with Idaho ties performed during Week 1 of the NFL regular season.

BOISE STATE

TE, John Bates, No. 87 Washington Football Team: Came off the bench and saw two snaps at tight end and 10 on special teams, but did not record any stats in Washington’s 20-16 loss to the L.A. Chargers. It was the rookie’s regular-season debut.

G, Ezra Cleveland, No. 72 Minnesota Vikings: Started at left guard and played 83 snaps on offense (100%) and four on special teams in the Vikings’ 27-24 loss to Cincinnati.

CB, Dont’e Deayon, No. 21 Los Angeles Rams: Deayon is a member of the Rams’ practice squad and was not called up for their 34-14 win over Chicago.

WR, John Hightower, No. 82 Philadelphia Eagles: Hightower is a member of the Eagles’ practice squad and was not called up for their 32-6 win over Atlanta.

DE, DeMarcus Lawrence, No. 90 Dallas Cowboys: Started at defensive end and totaled five tackles and one forced fumble in the Cowboys’ 31-29 loss to Tampa Bay. Lawrence was on the field for 43 of 65 snaps on defense.

OT, Charles Leno Jr., No. 72 Washington Football Team: Started at left tackle and played 55 offensive snaps (100%) and five on special teams.

RB, Alexander Mattison, No. 25 Minnesota Vikings: Came off the bench and played nine offensive snaps, totaling one carry for 2 yards and catching one pass for 4 yards.

RB, Jeremy McNichols, No. 28 Tennessee Titans: Came off the bench and had two carries for 9 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards. He also made one tackle when Titans QB Ryan Tannehill was intercepted. McNichols played 23 offensive snaps in the Titans’ 38-13 loss to Arizona.

DT, David Moa, No. 96 New York Giants: Moa is a member of the Giants’ practice squad and was not called up for their 27-13 loss to Denver.

G, John Molchon, No. 75 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Placed on injured reserve earlier this month and is expected to miss at least the first three weeks of the season with a leg injury. Molchon missed all of last season with an undisclosed leg injury.

C, Matt Paradis (Council High), No. 61 Carolina Panthers: Started at center and played all 64 of the Panthers’ offensive snaps in a 19-14 win over the N.Y. Jets.

QB, Brett Rypien, No. 4 Denver Broncos: Rypien is a member of the Broncos’ practice squad and was not called up for their 27-13 win over the N.Y. Giants.

S, Darian Thompson, No. 23 Dallas Cowboys: Was elevated from the Cowboys’ practice squad and played one snap on defense and 26 on special teams.

ILB, Tanner Vallejo, No. 51 Arizona Cardinals: Played six snaps on defense and 20 on special teams, registering one tackle.

LB, Leighton Vander Esch (Salmon River High), No. 55 Dallas Cowboys: Came off the bench and made two tackles in 14 defensive snaps. Vander Esch also played nine snaps on special teams.

DE, Curtis Weaver, No. 59 Cleveland Browns: Weaver is a member of the Browns’ practice squad and was not called up for their 33-29 win over Kansas City.

CB, Avery Williams, No. 35 Atlanta Falcons: Returned two punts for 11 yards, with a long of 7, and returned one kickoff for 4 yards. He also shared a tackle on special teams. It was the rookie’s regular-season debut.

WR, Cedrick Wilson, No. 1 Dallas Cowboys: Came off the bench and caught three passes for 24 yards, with a long of 13 yards. Wilson also returned one punt for 2 yards and made a tackle on special teams. He played 34 snaps on offense and eight on special teams.

IDAHO

WR, Jeff Cotton, No. 88 Jacksonville Jaguars: Cotton is a member of the Jags’ practice squad and was not called up for their 37-21 loss to Houston.

G/T, Jesse Davis, No. 77 Miami Dolphins: Started at right tackle and played all 54 offensive snaps in the Dolphins’ 17-16 win over New England.

LB, Christian Elliss, No. 53 Philadelphia Eagles: He was cut by the Minnesota Vikings in preseason but was added to the Eagles’ practice squad on Sept. 9.

LB, Kaden Elliss, No. 55 New Orleans Saints: Came off the bench and played 23 snaps on defense and 16 on special teams in a 38-3 win over Green Bay. Elliss recovered a Packers fumble late in the fourth quarter.

DE, Benson Mayowa, No. 10 Seattle Seahawks: Although he is listed as a defensive end on the Seahawks’ roster, he came off the bench and played 32 snaps at outside linebacker. Mayowa sacked Colts QB Carson Wentz for a 10-yard loss and tackled RB Jonathan Taylor for a 3-yard loss while adding two QB hurries in Seattle’s 28-16 win.

RB, Elijhaa Penny, No. 39 New York Giants: Started at fullback and played three snaps on offense and 11 on special teams but did not record any stats.

HIGH SCHOOLS

DE, Porter Gustin (Emmett High), No. 94 Cleveland Browns: Gustin is a member of the Browns’ practice squad and was not called up for their 33-29 win over Kansas City.

QB, Taysom Hill (Highland High), No. 7 New Orleans Saints: Came off the bench and contributed two carries for 1 yard and completed his only pass attempt for 3 yards. Hill played 22 snaps on offense and one on special teams.

DT, Tommy Togiai (Highland High), No. 93 Cleveland Browns: Togiai was not on the Browns’ active roster.

DL, Jonah Williams (Rocky Mountain High), No. 92 Los Angeles Rams: Came off the bench and made one tackle in the third quarter while playing 13 snaps on defense and three on special teams.