Former Minnesota Gophers on 2020 NFL rosters

Boosted by a few rookies, there are currently 11 former Minnesota Gophers on either an active roster, injured reserve or practice squad of an NFL team. Here’s a capsule summary of every ex-Minnesota player in the league.

De’Vondre Campbell, LB, Arizona Cardinals

After four years in Atlanta, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, Campbell signed a one-year contract with Arizona in the offseason. Campbell played in all 16 games in each of the past three seasons with 44 starts. Last season he led the Falcons with 129 tackles. However, Campbell played outside linebacker in Atlanta, which uses a 4-3 defense, and is expected to move to inside linebacker with the Cardinals.

Blake Cashman, LB, New York Jets

Taken in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, Cashman played in seven games with five starts as a rookie before injuring his shoulder and missing the rest of the season. He finished with 38 tackles and a half sack. Cashman is listed on the second team on New York’s initial unofficial depth chart behind veteran Avery Williamson, who tore his ACL in the 2019 preseason and missed the entire year.

Carter Coughlin, LB, New York Giants

After recording 24.5 tackles for loss and 14 sacks combined as a junior and senior, Coughlin was selected in the seventh round of the 2020 draft by the Giants. He made the Giants’ initial 53-man roster but is listed as a third-string strongside linebacker on the team’s initial unofficial depth chart.

Tyler Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Johnson had a big senior season, recording 86 catches for 1,318 yards with 13 touchdowns – all of which set Minnesota single-season records. A hamstring limited Johnson during training camp but was one of six wide receivers kept by Tampa Bay on its initial 53-man roster. Johnson is listed as a third-team wideout behind Mike Evans and Justin Watson.

Kamal Martin, LB, Green Bay Packers

Martin played only eight games as a senior – finishing with 65 tackles — and skipped Minnesota’s bowl game. He was selected in the fifth round by Green Bay in the NFL draft. Martin received notice during training camp and seemed to be in line for playing time, but suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve after making the initial 53-man roster. He’ll have to miss at least three games before he can be activated, although he’s expected to be out at least six weeks.

Eric Murray, S, Houston Texans

Taken in the fourth round of the 2016 draft by Kansas City, Murray played three seasons for the Chiefs. In 2018, he appeared in 15 games with nine starts and posted 43 tackles and an interception. However, the following year he was traded to Cleveland. Last season with the Brows he played in nine games with five starts – he sat out Weeks 9-5 with an injury – and had 22 tackles. Murray signed with Houston in the offseason. While he played cornerback with the Gophers, Murray has mainly played safety in the NFL. He’s listed as one of the Texans’ starters at safety, although he’s expected to move around some, perhaps at corner or as a pseudo linebacker at box safety.

Ryan Santoso, K/P, New York Giants

As Minnesota’s kicker for his first two years and the Gophers’ punter his last two, Santoso’s resume has helped him stay in the professional realms. He’s spent time, or worked out with, Detroit (where he spent 2018 on the Lions’ practice squad), Jacksonville, Buffalo and Pittsburgh. In 2019, he headed to Montreal of the CFL and later ended up with Tennessee, where he handled kickoffs for three games (nine touchbacks in 17 attempts). Santoso rejoined the Alouettes for 2020 but was released when the league canceled it season. He signed with the New York Giants and while he didn’t make their 53-man roster, he was signed to the team’s practice squad.

Maxx Williams, TE, Arizona Cardinals

Williams has not been able to match the production he had in college, when he posted 61 catches for 966 yards with 13 touchdowns with the Gophers. Those numbers helped him get taken in the second round of the 2015 draft by Baltimore. Hindered a bit by injuries, Williams had 63 catches for 497 yards and three TDs in 42 games (21 starts) with the Ravens. He signed with Arizona in 2019 and played in all 16 games, with 10 starts, recording 15 receptions for 202 yards with a TD. Williams is set to be a starter with the Cardinals again in 2020 and likely a safety valve for quarterback Kyler Murray, who has the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and DeAndrew Hopkins as his receiving options.

Chris Williamson, CB, New York Giants

A transfer from Florida and a reserve in 2018, Williams started for the Gophers in 2019 and was selected by the Giants in the seventh round of the 2020 draft. Williamson was one of the cuts as New York got down to 53 players, but he was re-signed to the practice squad. Williams, who was cross trained at corner and safety during training camp, is listed as a defensive back on the team’s roster.

Damien Wilson, LB, Kansas City Chiefs

Wilson spent four seasons with Dallas after being a fourth-round pick in 2015, never missing a game and starting roughly one-third of the time. In 2019, he signed a two-year with Kansas City. Starting all 16 games, he had career highs with 79 tackles and 1.5 sacks and had 19 more tackles in the playoffs as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Wilson is slated to start once again in K.C.’s 4-2-5 defense.

Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Injuries curtailed Winfield’s time with the Gophers but left for the NFL after recording 88 tackles and a school-record seven interceptions in 2019. Tampa Bay selected Winfield in the second round (No. 45 overall) in the 2020 draft. He impressed in Bucs’ training camp and beat out Mike Edwards, who played in 15 game with seven starts for Tampa Bay in 2019, for one of the two starting safety spots. Winfield is also listed as the team’s backup kick returner and fourth-string punt returner.