Following a Week 18 that featured its share of blowouts, tight games and a bevy of star players who were sat in favor of staying healthy for the postseason, the 2024 NFL playoff field is set.
As usual, there is a solid contingent of players with Utah ties who are headed to the postseason.
As of Sunday night, following the conclusion of the NFL’s final week of the regular season and with this year’s playoff seedings and wild-card matchups set, there were 34 Utah ties on NFL playoff rosters.
That is seven more than last season, when 27 players with Utah ties were on postseason rosters heading into the playoffs.
The 34 players ties the 2020 and 2021 playoffs for the highest number of players with Utah ties to advance to the postseason since the NFL expanded the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams.
Two years ago, 28 players with Utah ties made the playoffs.
The University of Utah leads the way amongst Utah colleges with 11 former players on NFL postseason rosters this year, followed by BYU at nine. Utah State and Weber State each have three, while Snow College has two and Southern Utah has one.
Sixteen of the 34 played high school football in Utah. East and Orem each have three former players in the postseason, Brighton and Stansbury and Brighton have two and Bingham, Bountiful, Corner Canyon, Desert Hills, Timpview and Westlake each have one.
Of the 34, 24 are on active rosters (two more than last year), five are on practice squads and five are on injured reserve.
All 14 teams in the playoffs have at least one player with a Utah tie. Denver has the most with six, including five former Utes and a former Cougar.
Here’s a look at each of the Utah ties on NFL rosters this year. Players are on a team’s active roster unless otherwise specified:
AFC playoff teams
1. Kansas City Chiefs
- Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU and Orem High
- Siaki Ika, DT, East High (on practice squad)
2. Buffalo Bills
- Cole Bishop, S, Utah
- Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State
- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
3. Baltimore Ravens
- Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU
- Marcus Williams, S, Utah
4. Houston Texans
- Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High
- Kedon Slovis, QB, BYU (on practice squad)
5. Los Angeles Chargers
- Simi Fehoko, WR, Brighton High (on injured reserve)
- Alohi Gilman, S, Orem High (on injured reserve)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah
- Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State, Snow College and East High
- Eric Rowe, S, Utah (on practice squad)
7. Denver Broncos
- Cody Barton, LB, Utah and Brighton High
- Garett Bolles, OT, Utah, Snow College and Westlake High
- Jonah Elliss, LB, Utah
- Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah
- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU and Corner Canyon High
- Thomas Yassmin, TE, Utah (on practice squad)
NFC playoff teams
1. Detroit Lions
- Tim Patrick, WR, Utah
- Penei Sewell, OT, Desert Hills High
- Sione Vaki, RB, Utah
- Jonah Williams, DL, Weber State
2. Philadelphia Eagles
- Britain Covey, WR/RS, Utah and Timpview High (on injured reserve)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Sua Opeta, OG, Weber State and Stansbury High (on injured reserve)
4. Los Angeles Rams
- Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High
5. Minnesota Vikings
- Taki Taimani, DL, East High (on injured reserve)
- Max Tooley, LB, BYU and Bountiful High (on practice squad)
6. Washington Commanders
- Michael Davis, CB, BYU
- Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
7. Green Bay Packers
- Zayne Anderson, S, BYU and Stansbury High
- Chris Brooks, RB, BYU
- Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
