BOISE, Idaho — Before the 2023 NFL season officially kicks off on Sept. 7 at Arrowhead Stadium, all 32 teams were required to cut their rosters down to 53 players Tuesday afternoon. The frenzy resulted in teams releasing or waiving more than 1,100 players.
After the dust settled, 11 former Boise State football players remained on their respective teams' active roster entering the regular season. The list includes a pair of 10-year veterans and two rookies drafted in the sixth round in April.
Of all programs in the Mountain West Conference, the Broncos led the way with the largest presence on NFL 53-man rosters.
Additionally, Boise State's 11 next-level players is more than current Pac-12 and future Big 12 schools like Arizona State (10), Colorado (10) and Arizona (four), per Boise State Athletics.
On two separate occasions this year, Bronco Nation will get to watch four former standouts take the field in the same game. John Bates and Charles Leno Jr. of the Washington Commanders will do battle with DeMarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 and Week 18.
Fans won't have to wait until November to see a Bronco vs. Bronco matchup, however. On Sunday, Sept. 10, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and the Dolphins visit the Los Angeles Chargers to do battle with Scott Matlock and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
A full breakdown of former Boise State players on active NFL rosters to start the 2023 season is included below:
JL Skinner - Denver Broncos
- Rookie - No. 34
- The hard-hitting All-Mountain West safety was picked in the sixth round with the 183rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Skinner and Denver agreed to a four-year contract worth nearly $4.04 million in May. The deal included a $196,219 signing bonus, per Spotrac. The rookie is listed on the Broncos' ESPN depth chart as the third-string strong safety behind Kareem Jackson and Caden Sterns.
Scott Matlock - Los Angeles Chargers
- Rookie - No. 99
- The Homedale native and three-year starter was picked in the sixth round with the 200th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after posting 115 tackles in Boise. According to Spotrac, Matlock received a $172,296 signing bonus as part of his four-year, $4.012 million deal. He is listed on the Chargers' ESPN depth chart as the second-string left defensive end behind Morgan Fox.
Khalil Shakir - Buffalo Bills
- Second season - No. 10
- Turned 10 receptions into 161 yards and a touchdown during his 2022 debut. Shakir also returned three punts for 23 yards and a kickoff for 34 yards. Currently expected to start at wide receiver for the Bills alongside Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.
John Bates - Washington Commanders
- Third season - No. 87
- Bates enters his third year with 34 receptions, 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his NFL career. The 25-year-appeared in 17 games as a rookie and 16 contests in 2022. Bates is Washington's No. 2 tight end option behind veteran Logan Thomas.
Avery Williams - Atlanta Falcons
- Third season - No. 26
- The versatile running back and returner is expected to miss the 2023 season after he suffered a knee injury earlier this offseason and is on the IL-list. Williams would have certainly been included on the Falcons' 53-man roster after posted 292 yards on punt returns in 2022. He also turned 16 kickoff returns into 313 yards, while rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Ezra Cleveland - Minnesota Vikings
- Fourth season - No. 72
- The 6-foot-6, 312-pound starting left guard has lived up to the hype in Minnesota after the Vikings selected the Boise State product with the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Cleveland will once again protect Kirk Cousins and the Vikings' backfield as a starter this year.
Alexander Mattison - Minnesota Vikings
- Fifth season - No. 2
- The 2019 third-round pick has officially taken over as Minnesota's lead ball carrier after the Vikings released longtime starter Dalvin Cook earlier this offseason in an effort to save salary cap. Mattison himself signed a two-year, $7 million deal to stay in Minnesota before Cook was released. Despite an often No. 2 role, he has posted 1,670 yards and 11 touchdowns on 404 carries in his career (4.1-yard average).
Leighton Vander Esch - Dallas Cowboys
- Sixth season - No. 55
- The Idaho native and former first-round pick was brought back on a two-year contract worth $11 million in March after posting 90 total tackles, a sack and a forced fumble last year. Vander Esch has been a staple of the Cowboys' defense as a starting linebacker, having collected 439 total tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles since 2018.
Cedrick Wilson Jr. - Miami Dolphins
- Sixth season - No. 11
- After three seasons with Vander Esch in Dallas, Wilson received a three-year, $22 million contract prior to the 2022 season and joined the Dolphins. Just this week, Miami reworked the wide receiver's contract to open up more cap space. Wilson's best season came in 2021 when he grabbed 45 passes for 602 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He will once again start in Miami next to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Charles Leno Jr. - Washington Commanders
- 10th season - No. 72
- Leno's journey from a seventh-round pick back in 2014 to a decade in the NFL is nothing short of impressive. The 31-year-old is entering his third year in Washington after spending seven seasons with the Chicago Bears. Leno has appeared in every regular season contest for eight-straight years and he earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2018. Leno and the Commanders agreed to a three-year extension worth $37.5 million in January 2022.
DeMarcus Lawrence - Dallas Cowboys
- 10th season - No. 90
- The three-time All-Pro defensive end was ranked 99th by his peers in the "Top 100 Players of 2023" after he grabbed 60 total tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles last year. The 10-year veteran and 2014 second-round pick has racked up 386 total tackles, 54.5 sacks, 19 forced fumbles and two interceptions during his time as one of the cornerstones of the Cowboys' defense.
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