One Auburn alumnus returned to the NFL on Tuesday, while two other former Tigers lost their roster spots in the league.
The Arizona Cardinals signed linebacker Eku Leota for their practice squad, the Cleveland Browns released linebacker Eugene Asante from their practice squad and the New York Jets waived defensive tackle Byron Cowart from its injured reserve.
Leota played in three games for the New Orleans Saints as a practice-squad elevation this season, getting on the field for 31 special-team plays.
Each NFL team is allowed to elevate two of its practice-squad members to active status for each game. But no player can be elevated more than three times by a team in one season.
The Saints released Leota from their practice squad on Nov. 25.
After entering the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2023, Leota played in eight games with the Carolina Panthers. After Leota played in the Panthers’ first two games of 2024 and recorded his first NFL sack and three tackles for loss in the season-opener, Carolina waived Leota.
Leota joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad one week later and spent the rest of the 2024 season there, playing in one game. The Steelers waived Leota in their roster reduction from the preseason to the regular season in August, and the Saints signed him for their practice squad on Sept. 2.
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Asante had been on the Browns’ practice squad since Oct. 14, but he had not appeared in a game.
Asante started his NFL journey as an undrafted rookie with the Miami Dolphins in May. In the Dolphins’ 14-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in their preseason finale on Aug. 23, Asante sustained an ankle injury, and Miami waived him with an injury settlement three days later.
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Cowart had been on injured reserve on Aug. 26 because of an ankle injury. By leaving the Jets’ injured-reserve list, Cowart will have an opportunity to play in 2025, if healthy. But he needs a team.
If Cowart doesn’t play, this season will follow the recent pattern of his career.
Once ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2015 signing class, Cowart played at Auburn in 2015 and 2016 before being granted his release early in the 2017 season. Cowart cited his lack of playing time and the health of his mother as the reasons he sought to leave the Tigers. Cowart played at Maryland in the 2018 season.
Cowart joined the New England Patriots in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played in five games as a rookie, then made 14 starts in his second season.
Cowart did not play during the 2021 season. He opened training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list with an undisclosed injury and never came off it.
After playing all 17 regular-season games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, Cowart didn’t play in any NFL regular-season games in 2023, even though he appeared on the rosters of the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Dolphins.
In 2024, Cowart played in 15 games, with seven starts, for the Chicago Bears and recorded 2.5 of his career 3.5 sacks.
Cowart signed with the Jets as a free agent in March.