7 Utah-related storylines to follow in the 2025 NFL season

The influence of Utah football — from the high school to college ranks — continues to be felt in the NFL.

While states like California, Florida and Texas are football powerhouses and churn out NFL stars at a blistering pace, the Beehive State has a growing presence at the highest level of the sport.

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That will be no different during the 2025 season, as there is nearly enough talent with Utah ties to fill an entire roster.

Currently, there are 47 Utah ties on NFL active rosters, with another 20 on practice squads.

What are the top names and storylines to watch for in the 2025 season?

Will Jaxson Dart play as a rookie?

Jaxson Dart, the former Corner Canyon and Roy High star, has been one of the most intriguing rookies during the offseason, thanks to positive impressions coming out of New York Giants camp and the team’s preseason games.

When Dart was going through the draft process, he was largely viewed as more of a project, where he would take over a franchise a year or two down the road.

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Could that process happen sooner, though?

With the Giants, he is behind veteran signal caller Russell Wilson, who will be the team’s starter to begin the season, and a backup alongside another veteran, Jameis Winston.

Dart completed 68.1% of his passes (32 of 47) for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in three preseason games for New York.

On the Giants’ unofficial depth chart for their Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders, Dart is listed as the primary backup to Wilson.

The Giants don’t plan to rush him into service before he’s ready — whether that’s this year or next, or even later.

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“I feel like whenever my number is called, I’m going to go out there and I am going to play my game and ball — that’s my mindset any time I touch the field,” Dart said, according to Fox Sports. “Obviously, Russ is the starter and he’s going to be amazing. He’s had such a great camp and has played at an elite level. So, my job is just be the best teammate and be ready whenever it is.”

What’s next for Puka Nacua and Dalton Kincaid?

At least based on preseason expectations heading into the 2024 season, some may view their sophomore campaigns as a bit of a down year for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (BYU, Orem High) and Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (Utah).

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Nacua missed time due to injury and came up just 10 yards short of a 1,000-yard receiving season. Even with playing just 11 games, Nacua had 79 receptions for 990 yards and three touchdowns in helping the Rams advance to the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.

Kincaid, meanwhile, had some national pundits hyping he’d become a top-five NFL tight end in his second pro season. A knee injury also forced him to miss some time in 2024, though the former Ute still had 44 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns, numbers that didn’t match his breakout rookie year after being a first-round selection in 2023.

Can both Nacua and Kincaid bump up their productivity and leadership this season?

The Bills are considered one of the teams with the best odds to win the Super Bowl in 2025, and Kincaid could be asked to be an even bigger producer in Buffalo’s offense that is captained by Josh Allen.

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Nacua, meanwhile, appears primed to have another 1,000-yard receiving season after going for a then-rookie record 1,486 yards in 2023, when he was a fifth-round selection.

His Los Angeles team isn’t considered as strong of a playoff contender as Buffalo, but the Rams have made the postseason each of the previous two seasons Nacua has been with the organization. Los Angeles also added veteran Davante Adams to its receiving group this offseason, which could open things up more for Nacua.

Will there be a Year 3 surge for both offensive playmakers?

Nacua is focused on “just being consistent” heading into his third season.

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“There’s an excitement to go out there and prove ourselves again,” he said in an interview posted on the team’s website. “Last season is over and we’re ready to have a new challenge step in front of us.”

Which guys who aren’t offensive skill position players will have the biggest impact?

While guys like Nacua and Kincaid might earn plenty of the spotlight as offensive playmakers, there are several other NFL names with strong Utah ties that are expected to play critical roles for their teams this season.

In the NFL’s annual countdown of the top 100 players currently in the league — known as “NFL Top 100” and voted on by the players — there are five Utah ties, with BYU and Utah State each represented twice on the list in 2025, as well as another former Utah high school star.

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Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, a former Desert Hills High standout, is No. 13 on the list, followed by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, the former BYU defender, at No. 16.

Nacua clocks in at No. 41, while two former Utah State stars — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner — come in at No. 68 and No. 74, respectively.

Another top-100 list also includes a pair of former Utes, in addition to the aforementioned five on the NFL Top 100 countdown.

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco has Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson at No. 71 on his list, as well as Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles at No. 74.

Who will emerge among a decent rookie group?

There are 15 total rookie Utah ties on rosters right now, with six of those being on active rosters, six on practice squads and three more on injured reserve.

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Dart, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jalen Royals (Utah State), Chiefs linebacker Jeffrey Bassa (Kearns High) and Buffalo Bills tight end Jackson Hawes (Highland High) all were draft picks who will start the season on an active roster.

Former Utah defenders Connor O’Toole and Karene Reid were the two undrafted rookies who managed to make an initial 53-man roster, with the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, respectively.

Dart appears to be in a good position to contribute early in his career, perhaps even this season.

While Royals was ruled out for the Chiefs’ Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday in Brazil because of a knee injury, the former Aggie star will have opportunities to earn a spot in the Kansas City rotation, especially with Rashee Rice suspended for the first six games of the season.

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Bassa, meanwhile, is the backup at weakside linebacker and could factor into the Chiefs’ defensive rotation this year.

Hawes is one of three active roster tight ends with Buffalo, along with veteran Dawson Knox and Kincaid.

There’s also a handful of guys — including Houston Texans defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (Utah, Bingham High), Minnesota Vikings cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn (Utah), Denver Broncos tight end Caleb Lohner (Utah) and Rams offensive lineman Wyatt Bowles (Utah State, Syracuse High) — that could elevate from the practice squad to the active roster sometime this year.

Can Jordan Love get the Packers closer to a title?

Love is headed into his third season as the Green Bay Packers’ starter, and the past two years he’s gotten the franchise into the postseason.

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After reaching the divisional round during his first season as the starter, the Packers bowed out in the wild card round last year to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

With Green Bay adding some young playmakers around him — including taking Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden in the first round of April’s NFL draft and TCU’s Savion Williams in the third — can Love and the Packers make a deeper run in the postseason this time around?

Love has been consistently good in his first two seasons as a starter, going 18-14 while throwing for over 7,500 yards and 60 touchdowns during the past two years, to just 22 interceptions.

His numbers dipped a bit last season, though Love missed two games due to injury.

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Personal numbers aside, he’s got his sights set on the ultimate goal.

“You talk about Super Bowl, that’s the goal for us,” Love told reporters in late May, according to The Athletic. “We talked about that last year, and that’s the same message this year. We’re trying to win a Super Bowl. I’m definitely trying to be that guy to be able to take this team and lead them to that.”

Is Andy Reid still in prime position to win a title?

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid has gotten his Chiefs to the Super Bowl five times in the past six years, with Kansas City winning the title three times. In Super Bowl LIX, though, his team was handed a humbling 40-22 loss by Philadelphia.

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With guys like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones back, the Chiefs will again be a serious contender to capture the Super Bowl next February at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Kansas City has won 17 straight one-score games, an NFL record — that included 11 during the regular season in 2024 and another in the AFC championship, when the Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29.

Will that kind of luck run out in 2025, though? And could that put the Chiefs in a less favorable position come playoff time?

Kansas City is expected to make the postseason for the 11th-straight year under Reid’s leadership, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Chiefs return to the Super Bowl this season.

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Reid pays no attention to outside chatter that Kansas City’s Super Bowl window may be closing, after the team lost in a blowout to the Eagles last season.

“When it’s all said, it’s winning the game. We have winners, and they figured it out. I was proud of them for that,” Reid told Kay Adams in August on the “Up & Adams” podcast, according to NFL.com.

“We don’t listen to all the noise. If you do that, you’re gonna go crazy and then you’re not gonna have fun, right?”

Which Utah ties have the best chance of winning a Super Bowl?

In addition to the Chiefs — which have a number of Utah ties, among them Reid, Royals and Bassa — there are several other NFL teams with prominent Utah ties that are viewed as favorites to win Super Bowl LX in a few months.

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The latest odds have the Ravens, Bills and defending champion Eagles with the best chance to make the Super Bowl, according to The Athletic.

Following that trio are the Chiefs, Lions and Packers, as well as the Commanders.

Any combination of those teams with the top odds would have at least one notable Utah tie vying for a Super Bowl title.

Baltimore has former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, while Buffalo has Kincaid, Hawes, former Weber State cornerback Taron Johnson and former Utah safety Cole Bishop.

The Eagles recently brought back former Utah star Britain Covey to their practice squad — he won a Super Bowl ring with the team last season — and also have former Olympus High standout Cameron Latu on their practice squad.

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Detroit has one of the game’s best young offensive tackles, Sewell, as well as former Utah running back/safety Sione Vaki.

The Packers have the aforementioned Love, as well as two former BYU players in safety Zayne Anderson and running back Chris Brooks.

As for Washington, the Commanders will be relying heavily on a former Aggie, Wagner, and a former Ute, kicker Matt Gay, this season.