Penn State’s presence around the NFL dominated the final roster cutdown weekend, with one of the program’s biggest stars officially learning his status for the opening month of the regular season while several recent Nittany Lions were among the league-wide roster reductions.
The biggest headline involved former Penn State All-American Micah Parsons.
The Green Bay Packers officially placed Parsons on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list Sunday, ensuring the star edge rusher will miss at least the first four games of the 2026 season as he continues recovering from the torn ACL he suffered late last year. The move had long been anticipated, but it now makes his absence official. Parsons has previously indicated that a return sometime in October remains his target, though Green Bay will understandably take a cautious approach with one of the NFL’s premier defensive players.
While Parsons waits to return, a number of former Nittany Lions are now hoping to clear waivers and earn practice squad opportunities after final cutdowns.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Among those waived Sunday were linebacker Dominic DeLuca, center Nick Dawkins and linebacker Adisa Isaac by the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Sean Clifford, cornerback Jalen Kimber and wide receiver Mitch Tinsley by the Cincinnati Bengals, defensive back Kalen King by the Arizona Cardinals, offensive tackle Nolan Rucci by the Indianapolis Colts, wide receiver Trebor Pena by the Jacksonville Jaguars, long snapper Tyler Duzansky by the Las Vegas Raiders, wide receiver Liam Clifford and receiver Devonte Ross by the Los Angeles Chargers, and tight end Khalil Dinkins by the San Francisco 49ers.
The next 24 hours will be significant for many of those waived. Veterans and rookies alike can be claimed by another organization before the NFL’s practice squads begin taking shape. For players like DeLuca, Dawkins, Clifford and King, Sunday’s moves do not necessarily signal the end of their 2026 seasons, only the next chapter in the fight to remain in the league.
