Two NFL players with local ties look to tackle new season

The 2024 NFL season kicked off on Thursday night with primetime action, as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 27-20 in a game that featured a player from Guelph.

Tavius Robinson’s hometown is Guelph, and the second-year edge rusher with the Baltimore Ravens played for University of Guelph before joining the Ole Miss Rebels NCAA football program, which helped him create his pathway to the NFL. The 25-year-old Outside Linebacker stands in at 6-foot-6, and was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 124th overall.

Now in his second season, Robinson faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in a Week One rematch of last years AFC Championship Game that ended in heartbreak for his team.

Baltimores General Manager, Eric DeCosta had high praise for the Edge Rusher last week, prior to the beginning of the regular season.

“I think his best football is still to come,” said DeCosta. “He’s going to be one of these guys, that probably a year or two from now, we’re going to say was one of our better fourth round picks.”

Robinson and the Ravens are considered to be Super Bowl contenders by most, but he’s not the only NFL player with a local connection.

Theo Johnson is a rookie with the New York Giants, who originally is from Winnipeg, but moved to Ontario when he was young and he began playing football in Cambridge.

The 23-year-old stands in at 6-foot-6, 264 pounds, and he cracked the Giants’ active 53-man roster after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 107th overall selection. He made a statement in college football last season by hauling in 34 receptions for 341 yards and seven touchdowns with Penn State in the Big Ten Conference as a Junior.

The Tight End is set to debut with the New York Giants on Sunday at 1 p.m. when his team takes on the Minnesota Vikings in their regular season opener, after being one of four Canadians selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“You dream of playing for an NFL team,” said the rookie, after his first practice with the Giants. “But actually having that NY (logo) on your helmet… its a different feeling”

These two Canadian-born NFL players are on teams with different expectations, as the Ravens are considered to be among the leagues best, while the Giants are expected to be basement-dwellers. However, these two young athletes have defied the odds and are gaining notice in the National Football League, with an opportunity to make an impact in the fresh 2024 season.