The Washington Commanders opened the preseason with a disappointing 48-18 loss to the New England Patriots on Friday. Of course, Washington sat 30 players, almost all of its starters, including quarterback Jayden Daniels and backup QB Marcus Mariota.

The 2025 NFL preseason kicked off Thursday and continues through Sunday with several rookies playing their first snaps.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as Notre Dame in the NFL: How Former Irish Stars Played in Week 1 of the 2025 Preseason. Notre Dame had plenty of former football players see valuable minutes in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason, but no one was better than outside linebacker/defensive end Julian Okwara.