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Weber State in the pros: Jones makes NBA preseason debut; Reid, Shaheed shine in NFL

By BRETT HEIN - Standard-Examiner | Oct 8, 2024

Associated Press: Reed Hoffman, Jeff Lewis, Kyle Phillips

From left: New Orleans receiver Rashid Shaheed scores a touchdown in Kansas City; Cleveland linebacker Winston Reid exits the field in Las Vegas; Dillon Jones poses for a portrait in Oklahoma City.

While current Weber State football quarterback Richie Muñoz led a slew of interest in the Wildcats over the weekend, three WSU alums had big days in the professional ranks.

Men’s basketball great Dillon Jones (WSU class of 2024) made his NBA preseason debut Monday night in San Antonio and made a splash in the third quarter for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jones peppered the Spurs with several mid-range jumpers, including a baseline fadeaway. He converted a tough drive and made a 3-pointer from the wing, shooting 6 of 7 for 13 points in the third quarter alone.

Jones finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in a team-high 26 minutes, shooting 8 of 11 from the field. The Thunder won 112-107, incorporating the team debuts of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein while not playing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort or Jaylin Williams.

The Thunder next play at 6 p.m. MDT Wednesday, hosting Houston in a game that will air on NBA TV.

Entering his 13th professional season, reports have All-NBA star Damian Lillard (2012) as comfortable and aiming for a return to form after settling into his trade to Milwaukee. He was lights out in his preseason game Sunday, scoring 15 points in 17 minutes, shooting 4 of 6 from the 3-point line and dishing four assists.

Winston Reid had his first big day in the NFL. The former Weber State linebacker (2024) started the season on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad but was promoted to the active roster a few weeks ago.

Sunday in Washington, Reid totaled eight tackles, second-most on the team, in Cleveland’s loss to the Commanders. He tallied half of a sack, two passes defended and one quarterback hit.

Pro Football Focus, which specializes in advanced data for player performance, graded Reid with the fourth-best performance among all linebackers in NFL’s Week 5 and second-best of any defensive player on the Browns.

Speedster Rashid Shaheed (2022) continued his long-distance exploits Monday night in Kansas City. The receiver for the New Orleans Saints scored yet another touchdown of 40 or more yards, hauling in a 43-yard score on a second-quarter deep ball from Derek Carr.

Shaheed finished with four catches for a team-high 86 yards, adding one 38-yard kickoff return and one 10-yard punt return.

Outside of a Week 3 game against Philadelphia in which Shaheed did not catch a pass, the third-year pro has caught 19 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns in the other four games.

Elsewhere in the NFL, Taron Johnson (2018) of the Buffalo Bills has been sidelined with an arm injury he suffered in the first game of the season. He was reported to be close to returning Sunday but didn’t play; Johnson may return next week.

Longtime Rams player and defensive end Jonah Williams (2020) signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in the spring but Minnesota terminated his contract in late August. He was guaranteed $350,000 in that contract. After 41 games in Los Angeles, the Rams brought Williams back, signing him Friday, but he did not play in Sunday’s game.

After four years with the Eagles, offensive lineman Sua Opeta (2019) signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay for the 2024 season good for $1.375 million overall and $650,000 guaranteed. But Opeta tore his ACL in camp and has been on the injured reserve list.