Hawkeyes in the NFL: James Ferentz sticks

Ricky Stanzi threw 907 passes for Iowa. He had been in the NFL almost continuously from 2011 until this weekend. He was with four teams, but never threw a pass in a regular-season game.

A slew of former Hawkeyes were cut by their NFL teams over the weekend. Some, like Stanzi, were expected. The New York Giants typically carry only two quarterbacks, and he was their No. 3 guy. He barely got playing time in the preseason.

It had looked like James Morris might stick with the New England Patriots at linebacker since he was the team's leading tackler in preseason games. Nope. It was a surprise to some who cover or follow the Pats. Maybe he'll turn up on another NFL roster shortly.

NFL veterans Tony Moeaki, Jeff Tarpinian, Julian Vandevelde and Shaun Prater lost their jobs. Vandervelde is one of the Hlog's all-time favorites. He has appeared on my podcast, and I'd love to have him back on again this year. Here's what he tweeted (@BatMandervelde) after his release:

Well Philly, it's time for me to be hittin' that old dusty trail. It's been real, it's been fun, see you next summer for Philly Comic Con.

Safety John Lowdermilk and guard Conor Boffeli were long shots to make the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears, respectively. They hung on until the final cuts.

Thirteen former Hawkeyes have been cut since training camp start. Center James Ferentz was waived by the Houston Texans, but signed by the Denver Broncos Sunday and placed on their 53-man roster.

Ferentz hasn't played in a game that counted since his finale with Iowa in 2012. He signed with the Texans in May 2014, and spent last season on their practice squad.

As this Denver Post story informs us, Ferentz played 203 snaps for Houston this preseason, 62 of them when Houston played the Broncos on Aug. 22.

Moeaki went from playing in last season's Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks to getting cut by the Atlanta Falcons in a matter of eight months.

Then there's running back Brandon Wegher, who hadn't played at a level of football higher than NAIA (Morningside College, 2013 and 2014) since leaving Iowa's program shortly before the 2010 season. He has made the Carolina Panthers' roster. Quite a story. But he counts as Morningside's, not Iowa's.

Offensive lineman Adam Gettis and defensive lineman Louis Trinca-Pasat are on the practice squads of the New York Giants and St. Louis Rams, respectively. Tight end Allen Reisner is on injured reserve with the Baltimore Ravens after breaking an ankle in a preseason game. Fullback Mark Weisman FB Weisman was released by the Cincinnati Bengals under the Waived/Injury category, cleared waivers, and reverted to the Bengals' Reserve/Injured list.

Here are the 22 active roster players from Iowa in the NFL: (If I'm missing someone or if there has been a practice squad signing I'm unaware of, let me know.)

Atlanta Falcons

- DE Jonathan Babineaux, DE Adrian Clayborn, S Charles Godfrey

Baltimore Ravens

- DT Carl Davis, G Marshal Yanda

Carolina Panthers

- DT Colin Cole

Cleveland Browns

- LB Christian Kirksey

Dallas Cowboys

- LB Anthony Hitchens

Denver Broncos

- C James Ferentz

Detroit Lions

- OT Riley Reiff

Green Bay Packers

- OT Bryan Bulaga, DE Mike Daniels, S Micah Hyde

Houston Texans

- TE C.J. Fiedorowicz

Minnesota Vikings

- LB Chad Greenway

New England Patriots

- TE Scott Chandler, CB Bradley Fletcher

Philadelphia Eagles

- G Matt Tobin

St. Louis Rams

- OT Andrew Donnal

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

- TE Brandon Myers

Tennessee Titans

- DE Karl Klug

Washington Redskins

- OT Brandon Scherff

That's no quarterbacks, no running backs, no wide receivers, seven offensive linemen, three tight ends, six defensive linemen, three linebackers, three defensive backs, three rookies.