Trace McSorley Refuses to Go Quietly Into the NFL's Final Roster Cuts

If you follow college football with any sort of closeness, the name Trace McSorley is sure to ring a bell.

Penn State's single-season record-holder in both passing yards and touchdown passes, McSorley ranks second on the school's all-time list in both categories, leading the Nittany Lions to back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2016 and 2017.

Picked in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens, McSorley has bounced around the league ever since, spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers before landing with the Washington Commanders this offseason.

McSorley didn't put up huge numbers for the Commanders this preseason, but in this weekend's exhibition finale against the Pats, he delivered a few impressive moments that looked like he was still carving up Big Ten defenses:

McSorley is buried on the Commanders' depth chart behind No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, veteran backup Marcus Mariota, and others. He's likely to be among their roster cuts prior to Tuesday's deadline for teams to get down to the initial 53-man lists they'll be taking into the regular season.

But while McSorley lacks the prototypical size or elite arm strength of a quality NFL starter, he's got enough physical talent, mental toughness and intangibles to latch on with another team that doesn't have as much depth at the game's most important position.

Don't be surprised if another team sees what McSorley put on film this weekend against New England, remembers what he did at Penn State back in the day, and decides he's worth a roster spot as a failsafe backup plan heading into the 2024 season.

If he's not able to find a spot on another team's active roster, Washington would be wise to stash him on the practice squad, if only to take advantage of his presence in the quarterback room as they develop Daniels as their new franchise passer.

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