As the both the Duke football and NFL seasons ramp up, the Blue Zone takes a look at how former Blue Devils are performing with their professional teams:
Jake Bobo, WR, Seattle Seahawks
At age 25, Jake Bobo is proving that players with unconventional paths can reach — and succeed in — the NFL. During Sunday’s 20-10 win against the Cardinals, the former Blue Devil had a career outing, catching four passes for a career-high 61 yards, which included an exceptional toe-tap touchdown to give the Seahawks the lead for good. Seattle has a stout receiver room featuring DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Bobo has clearly earned the trust of quarterback Geno Smith. Bobo and the 4-2 Seahawks look to carry momentum from their victory into a tough matchup against the 4-2 Browns.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
For the second straight contest, Daniel Jones was ruled out Sunday due to a neck injury sustained in Week 5. The former Blue Devil’s absence wasn’t exactly felt in a defensive slugfest, as backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor led the Giants to a 14-7 victory over the Washington Commanders. Taylor threw two touchdowns in the contest, as many as Jones compiled in his five games this season. New York improved to 2-5 on the season, although it still remains at the bottom of the NFC East. Jones will look to get healthy ahead of a pivotal contest against the Giants’ in-city rival, the 3-3 Jets, next Sunday.
Jamison Crowder, WR/PR, Washington Commanders
One of the better punt returners since entering the league in 2015, Jamison Crowder was busy Sunday against New York. In a game that saw 18 combined punts, the former Blue Devil had the opportunity to field six of them for a combined 33 yards. Crowder’s longest return of the day was just 17 yards, and the Giants’ special teams unit limited his number heavily Sunday, stamping his explosiveness. Additionally, Crowder committed his first fumble of the season on a muffed punt in the second quarter, but it rolled out of bounds. Crowder still ranks in the top-12 in punt return average on the season, and he and the Commanders will look to upset a strong Eagles squad next Sunday.
Noah Gray, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Three things were true for the Chiefs in Sunday’s win against the Chargers: Taylor Swift came to cheer them on, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sublime and one of their tight ends lived up to National Tight Ends Day. Unfortunately for Blue Devil fans, that tight end was Travis Kelce, who delivered a 12-catch, 179-yard performance. Meanwhile, former Blue Devil Noah Gray had a quiet contest, only registering one catch for eight yards. Gray did push his streak of registering at least one reception to 20 games, showing his consistency as an occasional option for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Gray will attempt to ramp up his workload in a divisional matchup against the Broncos next Sunday.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.