Hawks in the NFL: Greg Mabin Plays Lights Out

Week seven of the NFL season proved to be a little bit under the radar for many of your favorite former Hawkeyes. That said, there are some guys who really had great weeks and also some guys who are making their first appearance in this series since the start of the regular season!

As always, keep in mind, this is not meant to be a full update on every former Hawkeye in the NFL. This is more catered to the former Hawkeyes who stood out or had something interesting or important happen to them this past week.

Hope you enjoy and go Hawks!

GREG MABIN

Three weeks ago, I never thought I’d be uttering Greg Mabin’s name in relation to the NFL ever again … three weeks later, we now get to reflect on Mabin’s Tennessee Titans debut and all you can say is … WOW!

This past Sunday, the Titans played lights on defense against the Kansas City Chiefs and Mabin was one of the main contributors to that cause, as he played 100% of the defense’s total snaps (all at right cornerback) and only allowed one catch for six yards… Incredible.

Well done, Greg Mabin.

TRISTAN WIRFS

OH BABY THIS FEELS GOOD!!!

After a couple weeks of folks questioning whether or not Tristan Wirfs is a true all-pro level offensive tackle, Wirfs went ahead and turned out his best performance of the season and put and end to all of the ridiculous gifs of him getting flipped by Khalil Mack during last year’s Bears-Bucs matchup.

From start to finish, Wirfs dominated Mack, only getting beat on one or two snaps and, at the end of the day, Wirfs extended his streak of no sacks given up to 22 straight games… and once again, this is Khalil Mack he was going up against.

Without a doubt, Wirfs in firmly in the all-pro conversation and if he continues down the path he’s on and maintains good health, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll achieve it in only his second season in the NFL.

DESMOND KING

If there’s one thing we all know about Desmond King, it’s that the guy has and always will be capable of making plays.

Well, on Sunday, King stepped into a punt return role in addition to his role on defense and performed extremely well, as he provided the Houston Texans with two big returns. It’s very likely that King will remain in this role for quite a while and there’s no reason to suspect that this past week’s performance was some sort of fluke.

JAMES DANIELS

As we’ve mentioned in this series, James Daniels has performed at a very high level this season and as the season pushes onward, he only seems to be getting better.

As displayed by the chart below, Daniels finds himself in elite company in terms of run blocking and pass blocking efficiency and that sort of balance and ability is sure to get him paid this upcoming offseason.

MEKHI SARGENT

In some rather unfortunate news, former Hawkeye running back, Mekhi Sargent, was waived by the Tennessee Titans this week after receiving a limited snap count through the early part of the NFL season.

That said, the news isn’t all bad, as Sargent was successfully added back to the Titans practice squad this week. Hopefully in the near future, Sargent can find his way back on an active roster, whether that’s Tennessee or elsewhere.

BARRINGTON WADE

In some rather unfortunate news, former Hawkeyes linebacker, Barrington Wade, was waived this week after seeing limited action on special teams following a string of injuries. That said, you have to imagine the Denver Broncos will be adding Wade back via the practice squad assuming he ends up clearing waivers.

SAHUN BEYER

For the first time since the preseason, we have some news on former Hawkeye tight end, Shaun Beyer, as the Denver Broncos have added him to their practice squad “protected list,” which prohibits other teams from signing him to their own practice squad or active roster.

This shows that the Broncos value Beyer’s ability highly and with tight end being such a high value position in the NFL right now, it really bodes well for Beyer’s future within the organization.

JOSH JACKSON

In some more unfortunate news, former Hawkeye defensive back, Josh Jackson, was waived this past week by the New York Giants after having been traded for at the start of the season.

Jackson’s time in New York was rather uneventful and it’ll be interesting to see what happens to him next, as he just hasn’t seemed to generate a spark at the NFL level thus far in his career.

Regardless, we wish him the best and I’m sure he’ll land somewhere soon!

COY CRONK

Ending this week’s post on a positive note... WE HAVE A COY CRONK SIGHTING!!!

After failing to latch on to even a practice squad spot with the Green Bay Packers following the preseason, Coy Cronk’s NFL future was certainly up in the air. That said, this past week, the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to take a shot on the former Hawkeye by adding him to their practice squad.

It’ll be interesting to follow his career moving forward, but it’s so great to see Cronk back in the fold!