Just how hard is it to make an NFL roster? These former BYU players know

‘Tis the season.

The NFL has an offseason, a preseason, a regular season and a postseason, but it also has a stress season, and a handful of former BYU players, especially the undrafted free agents, are right in the middle of it.

“Every day you are waiting, making sure no one from the front office is lingering around. You stay out of their way and make sure to not make eye contact with anyone. You keep your head down and stay on the move.”

Austin Collie

Following this weekend’s final preseason games, all 32 teams will cut their rosters. Next Wednesday, they will go from 96 players to 53. Of the 22 former Cougars vying for jobs, players like Taysom Hill , Fred Warner , Puka Nacua and Kyle Van Noy , among others, have nothing to worry about; however, there are several who have everything to worry about. For them, football could be coming to an end.

Austin Collie and Isaiah Kaufusi know the process all too well . They traveled on different roads, but each ended in the same way — with a request to see the general manager.

Collie cut short

“It’s stressful for sure, especially if you are on the fence,” Collie told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “Every day you are waiting, making sure no one from the front office is lingering around. You stay out of their way and make sure to not make eye contact with anyone. You keep your head down and stay on the move.”

Collie started his NFL career as a fourth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2009. During his five-year run as a pro, he suited up for the Colts and Patriots and caught most of his 179 passes from Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He even started in Super Bowl XLIV .

“The games were nothing compared to the pressure you are dealing with during practice in training camp,” Collie said. “You are always having to perform. You are always being judged, always being critiqued and evaluated. When you got to the games everything seemed a little easier.”

Injuries and concussions cut short Collie’s promising career. He was released by the Colts after the 2012 season. The 49ers signed him to a one-year contract, but Collie didn’t survive the final roster cut before the 2013 season. New England signed him twice and cut him twice later that same season, ending Collie’s NFL career.

Pain and relief

Kaufusi’s NFL run didn’t get out of his first preseason with Indianapolis. The Colts signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He arrived at training camp knowing the odds were stacked against him as he and two other previous draft picks competed for one roster opening at linebacker.

“It was extremely tough. Talk about one of the hardest times of my life, not only physically but mentally and emotionally,” Kaufusi said. “Trying to make that 53-man roster was extremely trying.”

With a productive preseason, Kaufusi survived the first two cuts, but when the final one arrived, he sensed the end was near and he packed his bag. The NFL is a numbers game and there wasn’t room for him.

“I was waiting at my locker all morning because I knew this was the time,” he said. “A manager came by and said, ‘Hey, the GM wants to see you and bring your iPad (playbook).’”

Kaufusi was released and the suspense was over.

“I haven’t really shared this with a lot of people, but for me, it was somewhat relieving,” he said. “I gave it everything I had, but I was relieved when I got the call because it was like, ‘Now I know what’s happening. I know what’s going on with my life.’”

Stress season

The stress season is at its peak for Kedon Slovis, Dax Milne, Chris Brooks, Zayne Anderson, Max Tooley, Jaren Hall, Zach Wilson, Chris Wilcox, Kaleb Hayes, Samson Nacua, Ryan Rehkow and Aidan Robbins. They will take their uncertain futures into the final weekend of preseason games before Wednesday’s cuts, hoping to avoid a summons to see the general manager.

Whether they are playing to stay on their current rosters or to catch the attention of another team, their moment to perform is right now. For Collie and Kaufusi, their next football moment will be Aug. 31 as regular members of the BYUtv Sports Nation “GameDay” pregame and postgame shows. That’s when their own notion of a “Stress Season” will take on a whole new meaning.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com .