Former WVU football defenders prove worthy of roster spots in NFL preseason opener

The West Virginia Mountaineers are well into fall camp, and there is plenty of buzz in Morgantown about what is to come this fall for the program on the gridiron. But the NFL recently got their preseason slate underway, and a couple of former WVU stars combined to dominate on the defensive side of the ball in one game.

The Cleveland Browns and the Chicago Bears met to open the preseason this weekend, with former West Virginia players representing the old-gold-and-blue on each sideline – with Beanie Bishop Jr. starring for the Bears, while Michael Coats Jr. taking the field for the Browns. And once the dust settled on Saturday's showdown between the two teams, they both had emerged as bright spots for their team.

Beanie Bishop, Michael Coats excel in preseason action

There were three interceptions between the two teams in the game on Saturday, and the aforementioned former West Virginia players on the fieldwere responsible for all of them.

Coats picked off Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent, who is a West Virginia native who played Division 2 football in-state, and also recorded two tackles. On the other side of the field, Bishop intercepted two different quarterbacks, securing picks off Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in what ended up being a 34-10 win for his team. He also record two tackles during his time on the field.

Unfortunately for Coats, he ended up leaving the game early due to an ankle injury – but it was only a minor scare, as head coach Todd Monkenreported on Mondaythat the rising rookie cornerback shuld be back in action this week.

Bishop is a player who has had flashes of success in the NFL before, making Pittsburgh's 53-man roster after going undrafted andrecording multiple interceptionsduring his rookie year. Coats, meanwhile, went undrafted this past spring after his sole season at West Virginia, but earned an opportunity on Cleveland's roster and has survived into the preseason bystepping upduring offseason workouts and in training camp.

And while each team has a couple of preseason games to play before they have to decide who will make the final 53-man roster for this year, performances like these will go a long way in helping each man earn one of those coveted spots. Because what Bishop and Coats showcased on Saturday proves they're worthy of making the final roster.

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