Waiting game: Local products McGowan, Mack await decisions Tuesday on final NFL rosters
Aug. 30—For Isaiah Mack and Kyric McGowan, it's now a waiting game.
The two former local high school football stars, Mack at Northwest Whitfield, McGowan at Dalton, have survived two rounds of roster cuts with their respective NFL teams.
Mack has spent this preseason with the Baltimore Ravens, McGowan with the Washington Commanders.
Today, they'll learn whether they've made a regular season NFL roster.
The league's teams must cut preseason rosters to 53 players, the total allowed during the regular season, by today at 4 p.m. Teams typically carry about 90 players on the roster into the preseason. Teams had to cut to 85 players on Aug. 16, then 80 last week.
It's the first time McGowan, a wide receiver, has gone through this process. The former Catamount spent four seasons playing at Northwestern before spending a season at Georgia Tech last year.
At Tech, McGowan had his best collegiate season, with 37 receptions for 467 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns.
McGowan signed as an undrafted free agent with the Commanders after going unselected in May's NFL draft.
Mack, meanwhile, has had to sweat out roster decisions for a few years now.
A defensive tackle who starred for the Northwest Bruins before playing at Tennessee-Chattanooga, Mack signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2019.
Mack made the Titans' opening day roster that year, played in 13 games and earned a spot on the team's 2020 roster before being waived midway through the year. Mack appeared later that season for the New England Patriots.
Mack was on the roster for the Denver Broncos in the preseason a year ago, but was cut as the team trimmed to its 53-man roster.
After spending time on the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mack finally signed a deal with the Ravens late last season. He appeared in the team's final two games, then signed a contract for the upcoming season in January.
McGowan's hoping to make his NFL dream come true by sticking around in Washington.
McGowan appeared in two of Washington's three preseason games, sitting out the final game due to injury.
McGowan spent time at receiver and as a returner, catching one pass for 27 yards in the exhibition games.
Mack has totaled four tackles and one sack in the preseason.
