Nick Dzubnar (left), shown in NFL game last season, resigns with the Tennessee Titans; J.J. Koski (right) signals first down for the Rams on Saturday.
Eight Receptions for Koski; Dzubnar Resigns with Titans
8/23/2021 10:02:00 AM | Football
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Former Cal Poly wide receiver J.J. Koski started for the second straight week with the Los Angeles Rams and made eight catches in Saturday's 17-16 preseason loss to the Las Vegas Raiders inside Sofi Stadium.
One week after making three catches for 36 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers, Koski gained 61 yards on his eight catches and was the target of 10 throws. The remaining targets also were catches, but were wiped out by penalties.
Koski, who was on the practice team with the Rams last year and did not play in any regular season games, has to survive two more roster cuts in the next nine days. NFL teams cut from 90 to 85 players last week and must trim to 80 players by 1 p.m. Tuesday. The final cut from 80 to 53 players will be made August 31.
Koski was in on 75 of the Rams' 76 plays Saturday as well as two special teams plays. He made one catch in the first quarter, three in the second and four more in the fourth.
The Rams (0-2) play their final preseason game Saturday at the Denver Broncos.
Koski spent the entire 2020 NFL season on the Rams' practice squad and did not play in any regular season games. He is listed second on the Rams' 2021 preseason depth chart behind Cooper Kupp.
Koski also changed jersey numbers this season, switching from 15 to 17 to make room for Tutu Atwell, another wide receiver and a second-round draft pick from Louisville.
Selected as Cal Poly's male athlete of the year for the 2019-20 academic year, Koski signed a high priority free agent contract with the Rams hours after the 2020 NFL Draft. He earned Cal Poly's most valuable player and most valuable offensive player awards following the 2019 season.
Koski was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection and also was named to Phil Steele's Big Sky Conference Team.
The 6-1, 195-pound fifth-year senior caught 42 passes for 868 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season as a Mustang in 2019. With 121 receptions, 2,311 yards and 18 touchdowns in his Mustang career, the San Ramon Valley High School graduate is tied for fifth in touchdowns, No. 5 alone in receiving yards and No. 6 by himself in receptions.
His career highs were established in the UC Davis game when Koski caught eight passes for 163 yards. Another career high was set in the Eastern Washington contest in November as Koski scored three touchdowns.
Koski, Cal Poly's leading receiver for three consecutive seasons, was an all-Big Sky third-team selection in 2018 and finished his career with a 19.1-yard average per reception, ninth in Cal Poly's Division I record book. He graduated in the fall of 2019 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.
Koski made one catch and one tackle in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., becoming the first Cal Poly football player in six years to compete in an all-star game.
Meanwhile, inside linebacker and special teams ace Nick Dzubnar, who became a free agent for the second time last March, has agreed on terms of a new contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Dzubnar played five seasons with the Chargers before signing a one-year $1.047 million contract as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans in March 2020. Last week, Dzubnar worked out with the New England Patriots.
Titans linebacker B.J. Bello suffered an injury during the club's first preseason game and has been placed on injured reserve. Dzubnar will now compete against Jan Johnson and Justin March-Lillard for a spot on the roster.
In Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay, Dzubnar made one tackle and was in on 14 defensive plays (22 percent) for the Titans.
Dzubnar, who turned 30 on August 15, has become a core special teams player. He played 364 special teams snaps and 13 defensive snaps for the Titans last season.
In his career, Dzubnar has played 78 defensive snaps and 1,598 on special teams.
Dzubnar, 6-1 and 240 pounds, has 74 tackles in 81 career regular season games.
In five years with the Chargers, he appeared in a combined 67 regular season and playoff contests. He registered a total of 52 tackles in the game's third phase and led the Chargers in kicking game tackles twice (2015, 2017).
Dzubnar played all 17 of the Titans' games last year and recorded 13 special teams tackles — once again the most on his team.
Dzubnar, a Mission Viejo High School graduate, was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a senior at Cal Poly in 2014 and also earned All-America honors from five media organizations after shattering the school record for tackles in a single season with 167.
An outside linebacker as a freshman and sophomore before moving to the middle in 2013, Dzubnar also led the Mustangs in tackles as a sophomore (107) and junior (112), becoming the second Mustang in the school's 21-year Division I history to record over 100 tackles three times. Jordan Beck was the other. Dzubnar played in all 47 games following his redshirt year in 2010, including 38 consecutive starts.
Dzubnar notched 18 career games with double-digit tackles, including a career-high 19 against South Dakota State in 2013, and finished with 414 career tackles, No. 2 all-time at the university. Dzubnar's career totals also include 24.0 tackles for lost yardage, 4.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, five interceptions and 15 pass breakups.
Photo of Nick Dzubnar courtesy of Donald Page | Tennessee Titans
Photo of J.J. Koski courtesy of Brevin Townsell | Los Angeles Rams
One week after making three catches for 36 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers, Koski gained 61 yards on his eight catches and was the target of 10 throws. The remaining targets also were catches, but were wiped out by penalties.
Koski, who was on the practice team with the Rams last year and did not play in any regular season games, has to survive two more roster cuts in the next nine days. NFL teams cut from 90 to 85 players last week and must trim to 80 players by 1 p.m. Tuesday. The final cut from 80 to 53 players will be made August 31.
Koski was in on 75 of the Rams' 76 plays Saturday as well as two special teams plays. He made one catch in the first quarter, three in the second and four more in the fourth.
The Rams (0-2) play their final preseason game Saturday at the Denver Broncos.
Koski spent the entire 2020 NFL season on the Rams' practice squad and did not play in any regular season games. He is listed second on the Rams' 2021 preseason depth chart behind Cooper Kupp.
Koski also changed jersey numbers this season, switching from 15 to 17 to make room for Tutu Atwell, another wide receiver and a second-round draft pick from Louisville.
Selected as Cal Poly's male athlete of the year for the 2019-20 academic year, Koski signed a high priority free agent contract with the Rams hours after the 2020 NFL Draft. He earned Cal Poly's most valuable player and most valuable offensive player awards following the 2019 season.
Koski was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection and also was named to Phil Steele's Big Sky Conference Team.
The 6-1, 195-pound fifth-year senior caught 42 passes for 868 yards and eight touchdowns in his final season as a Mustang in 2019. With 121 receptions, 2,311 yards and 18 touchdowns in his Mustang career, the San Ramon Valley High School graduate is tied for fifth in touchdowns, No. 5 alone in receiving yards and No. 6 by himself in receptions.
His career highs were established in the UC Davis game when Koski caught eight passes for 163 yards. Another career high was set in the Eastern Washington contest in November as Koski scored three touchdowns.
Koski, Cal Poly's leading receiver for three consecutive seasons, was an all-Big Sky third-team selection in 2018 and finished his career with a 19.1-yard average per reception, ninth in Cal Poly's Division I record book. He graduated in the fall of 2019 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.
Koski made one catch and one tackle in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., becoming the first Cal Poly football player in six years to compete in an all-star game.
Meanwhile, inside linebacker and special teams ace Nick Dzubnar, who became a free agent for the second time last March, has agreed on terms of a new contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Dzubnar played five seasons with the Chargers before signing a one-year $1.047 million contract as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans in March 2020. Last week, Dzubnar worked out with the New England Patriots.
Titans linebacker B.J. Bello suffered an injury during the club's first preseason game and has been placed on injured reserve. Dzubnar will now compete against Jan Johnson and Justin March-Lillard for a spot on the roster.
In Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay, Dzubnar made one tackle and was in on 14 defensive plays (22 percent) for the Titans.
Dzubnar, who turned 30 on August 15, has become a core special teams player. He played 364 special teams snaps and 13 defensive snaps for the Titans last season.
In his career, Dzubnar has played 78 defensive snaps and 1,598 on special teams.
Dzubnar, 6-1 and 240 pounds, has 74 tackles in 81 career regular season games.
In five years with the Chargers, he appeared in a combined 67 regular season and playoff contests. He registered a total of 52 tackles in the game's third phase and led the Chargers in kicking game tackles twice (2015, 2017).
Dzubnar played all 17 of the Titans' games last year and recorded 13 special teams tackles — once again the most on his team.
Dzubnar, a Mission Viejo High School graduate, was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a senior at Cal Poly in 2014 and also earned All-America honors from five media organizations after shattering the school record for tackles in a single season with 167.
An outside linebacker as a freshman and sophomore before moving to the middle in 2013, Dzubnar also led the Mustangs in tackles as a sophomore (107) and junior (112), becoming the second Mustang in the school's 21-year Division I history to record over 100 tackles three times. Jordan Beck was the other. Dzubnar played in all 47 games following his redshirt year in 2010, including 38 consecutive starts.
Dzubnar notched 18 career games with double-digit tackles, including a career-high 19 against South Dakota State in 2013, and finished with 414 career tackles, No. 2 all-time at the university. Dzubnar's career totals also include 24.0 tackles for lost yardage, 4.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, five interceptions and 15 pass breakups.
Photo of Nick Dzubnar courtesy of Donald Page | Tennessee Titans
Photo of J.J. Koski courtesy of Brevin Townsell | Los Angeles Rams
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