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Of the 93 Utah ties on NFL rosters going into the first full weekend of preseason play, around 50 earned playing time this past week. That didn’t include established stars such as Fred Warner, Jordan Love or Garett Bolles, guys whose roles are defined and less dependent on learning things in the preseason. In contrast to those three, the preseason gives a lot of players — many Utah ties included — the opportunity to make their case for a role with their organization, with impending cuts and depth chart movement looming when the regular season arrives. Five players with Utah ties, in particular, stood out with their Week 1 performances: Mory Bamba, CB, New York Jets The former BYU defender who went undrafted had a memorable night in the Jets’ 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one that had both fans and the organization buzzing. The 6-foot-2 Bamba ended up with four pass deflections, including one on a third-and-goal situation early in the second quarter where he made a break on the ball on a slant pattern and broke up the pass, forcing a field goal. “I think some of the younger DBs actually showed up, and he’s the one that really stands out,” New York coach Aaron Glenn told reporters, referring to Bamba. “He had some good plays on special teams, too. “There were a couple of mistakes that he had, and I’ve got to make sure I say that, but for the most part, I thought he showed out tonight.” Bamba played 46 defensive snaps, second-most among cornerbacks on the team, had four defensive tackles and another on special teams and gave up just three receptions for nine targets. According to the team, Bamba’s four pass defenses came within an eight-minute period in the second quarter. “It’s a game of imperfect, but the biggest thing is I just keep having that next play mentality and just play loose,” Bamba said, per the Jets website. “When you’re out there overthinking, you’re going to end up messing up anyway. I just allow myself to play loose and stay loose out there.” Zach Wilson, QB, New Orleans Saints Another change of scenery did some good for the former BYU quarterback and No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as he had a standout day in New Orleans’ 24-20 loss to Jacksonville Saturday. Wilson, the former Corner Canyon High star, is on his third team in as many seasons. On Saturday, he came off the bench and had the best passing day of six quarterbacks who played in the game. After Spencer Rattler got the start at QB for New Orleans, Wilson entered the game in the second quarter, and on his second possession he led the Saints to a touchdown on a short field after an interception set them up at the Jaguars 28. It was capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Oscar Delp. Wilson played 23 total snaps and completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown during his stint. He ended up with a passer rating of 118.0. On the Saints’ final drive of the first half, Wilson led the team from its own 5 into field goal range in just under a minute, setting up a 29-yard field goal to end the half. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 84 yards on the drive. “I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of the offense,” Wilson told reporters, per the Saints. “I love the offense. I think they do such a good job with it, and so I think that’s one thing: I feel confident. Any play these guys call, I feel like I have a good option.” Lander Barton, LB, Los Angeles Chargers Like Bamba, Barton is trying to make a regular-season roster as an undrafted free agent. In Los Angeles’ 27-7 win over Houston, he capitalized on an opportunity to help break the game open for the Chargers. With the Texans facing a second-and-4 from their own 26, quarterback Davis Mills lost a fumble as he was being hurried. The ball bounced around for a few seconds before Barton caught it on a bounce, then advanced the ball five yards to the Houston 21. That set Los Angeles up for a touchdown that gave the Chargers a 27-7 lead. Barton also had a special teams tackle while playing 15 defensive snaps and 11 on special teams. Jack Kelly, LB, New York Giants Will Kelly, a sixth-round draft pick by the Giants in April, end up being a late-round steal? It’s far too early to make an educated guess on that, but the former Kearns High, Weber State and BYU star has turned some heads in New York already. He added some fuel to that hype during the Giants’ 13-10 loss to Minnesota. The rookie Kelly ended up with a team-high five tackles and two QB pressures, showing the kind of disruption he was known for in college. One of the most impressive plays for him came with the Vikings pinned deep in their own end. On the third-down play, Kelly rushed up the middle and pushed his blocker, a running back, into quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s space, helping set up a sack by his teammate, Darius Alexander. Spencer Fano, OT, Cleveland Browns A lot has been made about the sparring that Fano and star edge rusher Jared Verse have engaged in during practice recently. Fano, the former University of Utah and Spanish Fork High star tackle, is appreciating the lesson he’s getting from Verse — and that battle helped Fano lock up the No. 1 spot at left tackle. “Every day I’m just trying to come out here and compete,” Fano said, per 247 Sports. “And if that’s what they wanted to see, then (heck) yeah. I just trust in my coaches and the work that I put in so far, and I’m super excited to be where I’m at.” Fano, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 draft, ended up starting for Cleveland in its 34-10 loss to Chicago. He played 33 total snaps, staying on the field — even longer than some of his other offensive line starters — until quarterback Deshaun Watson left the game. “There’s certain things that you’ve got to go through and keep learning and put it in your memory bank and be able to function, and he’s certainly plenty athletic enough, certainly plenty smart enough,” Browns coach Todd Monken said of Fano, according to Browns Zone. “And he’s only going to continue to ascend when you’re wired the right way, you’ve got a competitive stamina, you’re smart, you’re athletic.”