Duke in the NFL: Weeks 5 and 6

Four of Duke’s five players on NFL rosters have continued to see consistent playing time as the season progresses. The Blue Zone takes a look at how all of the former Blue Devils fared in Weeks 5 and 6.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Redskins

After a strong start to the season, Crowder seems to be coming back down to earth offensively. His targets have dipped recently, with quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing the ball to Crowder only 10 times in the past three weeks compared to 25 targets in the first three. In a Week 5 win against the Baltimore Ravens, Crowder caught all three of his targets for 35 yards. The 5-foot-8 wideout failed to capitalize against a Baltimore secondary depleted by injuries, but made his presence felt on special teams when he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. 

How would you name Jamison Crowder's 85-yard punt return?

Let us know using #NTPCrowder! https://t.co/CS8IWWYX7A

— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2016

This was the Redskins’ first punt return for a touchdown since 2008 and could not have come at a better time, as it gave Washington a 16-10 lead and helped them win the game to move to better than .500 for the first time this season.

Crowder had a strong receiving performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, hauling in three-of-four targets for 52 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown catch for the first score of the afternoon. Crowder also notched lost nine yards on his first rushing attempt of the season after taking a handoff from running back Chris Thompson. Although he seemed to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage, Crowder’s knee never actually touched the ground. Regardless, officials signaled him down on the play, which was not reviewable.

Tomlinson once again played in 100 percent of offensive snaps against the Rams after being benched for a portion of the Eagles game for rookie Graham Glasgow and playing in only 44.3 percent of the Lions' snaps. The left guard’s strong outing against Los Angeles may put to rest rumors of his starting spot being usurped.

Vincent Rey, LB, Cincinnati Bengals

The seven-year veteran continues to play meaningful snaps on defense for the Cincinatti Bengals. But since linebacker Vontaze Burfict's return from suspension in Week 4, Rey’s stats have dipped, as he registered only one solo tackle in each of the last two games.

Rey and the rest of Cincinnati’s linebacker corps failed to provide any resistance in the running game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, allowing rookie Ezekiel Elliot to run for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Rey did better against the New England Patriots in Week 6 with four total tackles, but the Bengals still surrendered 79 rushing yards in the team’s second straight loss. Rey needs to get his game back to early-season shape to continue to meaningfully contribute on defense.

Ross Cockrell, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers

The former fourth-round pick has continued to exceed expectations after being released by the Buffalo Bills after just one season with the team. Cockrell played some of his best football of the season during the past two weeks, defending three passes against the New York Jets in Week 5 and another two against the Miami Dolphins the following week. He also has nine total tackles the past two weeks, with a season-high five tackles against the Dolphins.

Although the Pittsburgh secondary failed to create a turnover against two interception-prone quarterbacks in Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Tannehill, Cockrell has quietly held his own as the starting cornerback and is expected to continue to impress on a solid Pittsburgh defense.

Jeremy Cash, LB, Carolina Panthers

After going undrafted last April, Cash was picked up as a free agent by the Carolina Panthers and switched from safety to linebacker in order to make the 53-man roster. Despite gaining 15 pounds for the position switch, Cash has not played a single snap since playing 40 special teams snaps in Weeks 1 and 2.