Jayhawks will be plentiful in NFL training camps

Fifteen former KU players on preseason rosters

Dana Stubblefield has changed teams. So have Kwamie Lassiter and Don Davis.

Davis, Lassiter and Stubblefield are among 15 former Kansas University football players listed on the preseason rosters of National Football League teams.

Stubblefield, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, was released last March by the San Francisco 49ers, but was quickly picked up by the cross-the-bay Oakland Raiders. Lassiter, who spent the last eight seasons as a free safety for the Arizona Cardinals, signed with the San Diego Chargers early last month while Davis, a linebacker who was with the St. Louis Rams the last two seasons, joined the New England Patriots in May.

Technically, offensive guard Rod Jones will be with a new team this summer, too. The 6-foot-4, 355-pound Jones signed with the Washington Redskins after spending the 2001 season with the Rams, but missed all of the ’02 campaign after suffering an elbow injury in a preseason game. Jones last played at Kansas in 1995.

Stubblefield is the dean of the former Jayhawks in the NFL. This is his 11th season. Gilbert Brown, Green Bay’s 350-pound nose tackle, is in his 10th year while Lassiter, Davis and safety Gerald McBurrows of the Atlanta Falcons are in their ninth NFL campaigns.

With NFL camps scheduled to open later this month, three nondrafted members of the 2002 KU football team are hoping to hook on as free agents. Offensive tackle Justin Sands will have a trial with the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver Byron Gasaway will try out with the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Greg Cole will get a look-see from the San Diego Chargers.

Last year former KU defensive back Andrew Davison earned a roster spot with the New York Jets despite being overlooked in the draft. The 5-11, 185-pound Davison played in six of the Jets’ games, mostly on special teams.

Davison was one of three seniors from the 2001 season who were NFL rookies last year. Nose tackle Nate Dwyer, Arizona’s fourth-round draft choice, spent most of the 2002 season on the practice squad and offensive guard Justin Hartwig, sixth round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans, played in only three regular-season games.

The other former Jayhawks on NFL camp rosters this summer are fullback Moran Norris (Houston), linebacker Chaz Murphy (Detroit) and defensive end Ron Warner (Tampa Bay).

Missing from an NFL roster is former KU wide receiver Isaac Byrd. The 6-1, 188-pound Byrd caught 14 passes for the Carolina Panthers in his sixth pro season last fall, but Byrd has not landed a contract with an NFL club. He is an unrestricted free agent.