Four of Duke’s five players on NFL rosters have carved out consistent starting roles as the season progresses. The Blue Zone takes a look at how all of the former Blue Devils fared in Weeks 3 and 4.
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Redskins
Despite a lackluster performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, the 5-foot-8 receiver has continued to enjoy a successful season. In what was expected to be a favorable matchup for Crowder against Cleveland’s secondary, Washington’s entire passing game struggled to get going, as quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an interception to go along with just 183 passing yards. Crowder was targeted just three times—only missing one pass on a ball that would ultimately be intercepted by Browns cornerback Jamar Taylor—and totaled a disappointing 21 yards.
The performance was uncharacteristically quiet a week after Crowder had a big game against the New York Giants. He excelled not only on offense, with four receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, but also on special teams, as he had a 50-yard punt return that set up the Redskins for a field goal in the beginning of the second quarter.
Jamison Crowder juked Dwayne Harris into the next century on Sunday.https://t.co/tzvIO5Ratj pic.twitter.com/B20Xe3PaU0
— SB Nation NFL (@SBNationNFL) September 26, 2016
Crowder has proven to be one of Kirk Cousins’ favorite targets by amassing the second-most targets and the third-most receiving yards on the team and matching Jordan Reed for the most receiving touchdowns so far with two.
Laken Tomlinson, LG, Detroit Lions
In Weeks 3 and 4, the Blue Devils’ most recent first-round selection has quietly improved on his up-and-down beginning to the season. During the two-week span, Tomlinson was only whistled for one penalty—a five-yard false start call in Week 3 that proved insignificant after kicker Matt Prater capitalized on a 50-yard field goal attempt. This performance showed tremendous growth after Tomlinson was whistled for two costly holding calls in Week 2.
Tomlinson played 100 percent of the snaps in each of the Lions’ past two games and has not yet left the field for an offensive play all season. The Chicago native is entrenched as the starting left guard on the Lions depth chart, and his solid play in the past two games seems to be a positive sign going forward for the former Blue Devil.
Vincent Rey, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
The most experienced former Blue Devil in the NFL continued his production for the Bengals' defense in Week 3’s matchup against the Denver Broncos. Rey tied for the team lead with five tackles in the team’s 29-17 loss. He played a key role in keeping the Broncos' running game in check, as CIncinnati held C.J. Anderson to just 37 yards on the ground.
In Week 4’s matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the linebacker struggled to put up numbers and managed just two tackles, but the defense was only on the field for 45 snaps. But Rey made an impact in the defensive backfield—he broke up a key pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill to receiver Kenny Stills on third down in the first quarter, swinging the momentum to Bengals in their 22-7 win. Though the veteran will likely lose snaps to Vontaze Burfict—who returned from a three-game suspension in Week 4—and offseason addition Karlos Dansby, Rey, a team captain for the Bengals, will continue to play a significant rotational role on defense and special teams.
Ross Cockrell, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Cockrell has had a tremendous beginning of the season, locking up his spot as the Steelers' starting cornerback opposite veteran William Gay. He combined to total seven solo tackles in Weeks 3 and 4. In Week 4’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Cockrell recovered a fumble coughed up by running back Spencer Ware early in the first quarter, setting the Steelers up for a passing touchdown to veteran receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Pittsburgh's secondary was torched by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles in a 34-3 loss in Week 3, but it rebounded in Sunday 43-14 rout of the Chiefs.
Cockrell, a two-time first-team All-ACC honoree and former fourth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills, was surprisingly released by the team after just one season. After catching on with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native has relished his second chance and exceeded expectations.
Jeremy Cash, LB, Carolina Panthers
Despite earning All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in his senior year at Duke, Jeremy Cash was not viewed as a viable strong safety in the NFL and surprisingly tumbled out of the NFL draft in April.. Cash was immediately snatched up by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent and put on 15 pounds to convert from a safety to a linebacker. Although he was a regular contributor on both defense and special teams throughout the preseason, Cash has yet to play a snap on defense during the regular season and did not see the field on special teams in Weeks 3 and 4 after playing 40 snaps in Weeks 1 and 2.
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