There’s almost enough Ohio State alumni in the NFL to field an entire team

It is here! Actual football will be played tonight with the kick-off of the 2018 NFL preseason with the Baltimore Ravens vs. Chicago Bears Hall of Fame game at 8 p.m. ET in Canton, Ohio.

With the rest of the preseason just over a week away, players are giving their all at training camp and looking to stay healthy while also practicing aggressively enough to snag one of the final roster spots with their respective teams.

Ohio State alumni currently make up 51 roster spots — including Ryan Shazier, who will miss this season due to his back injury — on 27 of 32 NFL teams. That’s a lot of Buckeyes! In fact, it’s only two-players shy of being able to field an entire NFL roster on a single team, counting specialists.

Sure, these guys will have to survive the first and second round of cuts before team’s finalize their 53-man rosters, but it’s still pretty impressive that the Buckeye contingent in the NFL is stronger than ever.

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Here’s a look at what’s been happening since the onset of training camp with some of your favorite Buckeyes:

Former Ohio State linebacker John Simon has been moved to DE by the Colts’ coaches, but so far seems to be impressing at the position.

“Notably, John Simon has made a strong impression in camp, which is huge for him, since the switch to the defensive end role was one many thought he might struggle with. It will be interesting to see if his success holds up when the starting tackles return.”

Chargers’ DE Joey Bosa doesn’t think he’s anywhere near hitting his ceiling yet.

“I think there’s so much I have to work on that I have an idea in my head of what I want things to look like and how I want to be as a player, and I’m not anywhere near those things, but I know I’m making the right steps in that direction,” Bosa said Sunday.

The Jets could finally be a team to watch in 2018 and Buckeye LB Darron Lee is one of the talented pieces they have to build around.

“In terms of pure physical playing speed, third-year pro Darron Lee has assumed the great Ryan Shazier’s title of Football’s Fastest Linebacker.”

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Recently retired

It’s not often that we write articles about players retiring who have only been in the league a three or four years, but as head injuries — and awareness of the medical concerns — continue to grow in numbers, more players are looking to hang up their cleats before it’s too late.

This is the case with former OSU and NFL linebacker Joshua Perry announced his retirement earlier in the week. It’s a big loss for the football community, but the Buckeye has big plans for how he’s going to spend his time post-NFL.

Similarly, offensive lineman Jack Mewhort announced his retirement from the NFL after spending four years with the Colts. He bounced from injury to injury over the past few years, and specifically had some lingering issues with his knees.

The Colts GM Chris Ballard had nothing but praise for the Buckeye.

“He fought through injuries and played through pain,” Ballard said in a release. “Jack is a selfless player who always carried a team-first mentality. He is revered among his coaches, teammates and staff and his leadership will be missed in the locker room. We’re appreciative of Jack’s dedication to the Colts and we wish him the best moving forward.”

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Working on a comeback

Panthers’ H-back Curtis Samuel is still rehabbing the ankle injury sustained last year and started training camp on the PUP list. But now, he’s back and doing things like this:

Patriots’ special teams maven, Nate Ebner, is similarly still recovering from a season-ending knee injury and started training camp on the PUP list.

“While there is still a chance he starts camp on the physically unable to perform list, he would certainly come off it at some point prior or during the season.”

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Already fighting injuries

Buckeye wide receiver Corey “Philly” Brown was signed by the Denver Broncos last week — after spending the offseason as a free agent — but was quickly sidelined with, what seems like, a freak head injury.

“Corey Brown had an accident in the weight room,” Joseph said on Sunday. “He bumped his head—simple as that.”

Just weeks after earning some reps with the first team during OTAs, second-year WR Noah Brown sat out of the Cowboys’ practice on Saturday with a hamstring injury.

“Brown missed Friday’s session as well. With a penetrable depth chart at wide receiver, the 2017 seventh-round pick has a great opportunity to make the Cowboys’ roster. Injuries will not help his cause, however, so he will be hoping to get back on the field as soon as possible in order to compete for a 53-man roster spot.”

After missing out on much of his rookie season with the Raiders, CB Gareon Conley is once again on the sideline, this time with a hip injury.

“He’s got a little hip strain there,” said Guenther. “It’s unfortunate. He made a good play on a ball in a one-on-one drill and just bumped his hip a little bit. He won’t be out too long.”