Two players who honed their football skills at the University of Maine have stuck with National Football League teams to start the 2020-2021 season.
Veteran Pat Ricard is going into his fourth season with the Baltimore Ravens, while former Football Championship Subdivision All-American Jamil Demby has landed on the practice squad with the Los Angeles Rams.
All-American kick returner and wide receiver Earnest Edwards was cut by the Rams and is looking to hook on with another team.
Ricard earned a spot in the Pro Bowl last season. He is a rare two-way performer who plays fullback on offense and on the defensive line.
However, according to published reports, during training camp he took a lot of repetitions at tight end, so he could be used exclusively this season on offense as a fullback and tight end.
Ricard signed a two-year contract extension in December worth $7.3 million.
Last season, he made a career-high eight catches for 47 yards and a touchdown out of his fullback slot. He took 342 snaps on offense and 140 on defense. He also turned in a single-season best nine tackles and made his first sack.
NFL teams had to trim their rosters to 53 players over the weekend but practice squads have been expanded from 10 players to 16 this season due to changes caused by COVID-19. That includes the fact NFL teams did not play any preseason games.
Demby, an offensive guard, is in his third season with the Rams, who drafted him in the sixth round in 2018. He made his NFL debut last season and played in six games, including one start. He played 146 snaps.
Demby had been with the Rams and the Detroit Lions or on their practice squads during 2018-2019 but didn’t appear in a game.
The speedy Edwards was trying to make the Rams roster as an undrafted free agent.