The 2023 National Football League season began on Thursday with the Detroit Lions upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs 21-20. Here are 18 healthy Canadians that are beginning the season on active NFL rosters.
Matthew Bergeron– The native of Montreal, Quebec is an offensive lineman who was drafted in the second round, 38th overall, by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is expected to start at left guard.
Chase Brown–The native of London, Ontario is a running back who was drafted in the fifth round, 163rd overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is to backup Joe Mixon.
Sydney Brown–The native of London is a free safety who was drafted in the third round, 66th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is to backup Reed Blankenship.
Chase Claypool–The wide receiver from Abbotsford, British Columbia was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Chicago Bears on November 1. Last season with the Bears and Steelers, he had 46 catches for 451 receiving yards and one touchdown. The major score came in a 20-18 Steelers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 16. Claypool is slated to start for Chicago.
Michael Hoecht–The starting linebacker from Oakville, Ontario is with the Los Angeles Rams. Last year he had 36 combined tackles (23 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles), four tackles for a loss, nine quarterback hits, one forced fumble and 4.5 sacks.
Jevon Holland–The starting free safety from Coquitlam, British Columbia is with the Miami Dolphins. Last year he had 96 combined tackles (77 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hit, two interceptions for 64 yards, seven pass deflections, one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks. The interceptions came in a 20-7 Dolphins win over the New England Patriots on September 11 and in a 16-10 Dolphins win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 23. The 1.5 sacks, quarterback hit and forced fumble came in a 21-19 Dolphins win over the Buffalo Bills on September 25.
Chuba Hubbard–The running back from Edmonton, Alberta is with the Carolina Panthers. Last year he had 95 rushes for 466 rushing yards and two touchdown rushes. He also had 14 catches for 171 receiving yards. The rushing touchdowns came in a 21-3 Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 23, and in a 30-24 Panthers win over the Seattle Seahawks on December 11. Hubbard is behind Miles Sanders on Carolina’s depth chart.
Alaric Jackson–The left tackle from Windsor, Ontario is with the Los Angeles Rams. He has played 12 games with the Rams over the last two seasons and is set to backup Joe Noteboom.
Deane Leonard–The defensive back from Calgary, Alberta is with the Los Angeles Chargers. Last season he had five combined tackles (four solo tackles and one assisted tackle), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. The forced fumble came in a 19-16 Chargers win over the Denver Broncos on October 17, and the assisted tackle came in a 17-14 Chargers win over the Tennessee Titans on December 18. Leonard is to backup J.C. Jackson at cornerback.
Jesse Luketa–The linebacker from Ottawa, Ontario is with the Arizona Cardinals. In his rookie season in 2022, he had three solo tackles and two tackles for a loss. Luketa is behind Dennis Gardeck and Victor Dimukeje on Arizona’s depth chart.
Carter O’Donnell–The offensive left tackle from Red Deer, Alberta is also with the Cardinals. He is to backup D.J. Humphries.
Amen Ogbongbemiga–The linebacker from Calgary is also with the Chargers. Last season he had six tackles (two solo tackles and four assisted tackles). Ogbongbemiga is behind Kenneth Murray Jr. on the Chargers depth chart.
Josh Palmer–The native of Brampton, Ontario is a starting wide receiver for the Chargers. Last season he had 72 catches for 769 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Tavius Robinson–The rookie from Guelph, Ontario is a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was selected in the fourth round, 124th overall, by the Ravens in the 2023 NFL Draft. Robinson is backing up Odafe Oweh on the Ravens depth chart.
Nathan Shepherd–The starting left defensive tackle from Ajax, Ontario is with the New Orleans Saints. This past season with the New York Jets, he had 33 combined tackles (16 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles), four tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks.
Sidy Sow–The offensive guard from Bromont, Quebec is with the New England Patriots. He is second on the Patriots depth chart behind Calvin Anderson.
Benjamin St-Juste–The starting cornerback from Montreal is with the Washington Commanders. Last season he had 42 combined tackles (34 solo tackles and eight tackles), three quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and seven pass deflections. The forced fumble came in a 32-21 Commanders upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on November 14.
Brent Urban–The native of Mississauga, Ontario is with the Baltimore Ravens, and backing up Broderick Washington at defensive end. Last season he had 21 combined tackles (10 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles), three pass deflections, two tackles for a loss, one quarterback hit, and one sack.