Clemson football: Spector, Skalski doing their thing in NFL preseason debuts

After five or six years in a Clemson football uniform you get used to the way a player looks in the orange and white with a Tiger paw on their helmet.

That all changes when players make it to the NFL and it can be jarring to see Trevor Lawrence in the teal of the Jacksonville Jaguars or Mike Williams in a Chargers unform, for example.

Such was the case Saturday when I first spied Baylon Spector in a Buffalo Bills uniform. Different. Weird.  You name the adjective. But Spector came to play.

A long shot, seventh rounder, the 231st overall pick, Spector came out of the blocks on fire, leading the Bills with 10 tackles, five of which were solo and a pass defensed.  He also had a sack negated by penalty.

Early in the preseason, you’re not generally going against the best the other team has to offer, but still it was a notable performance for a rookie in his first NFL game, even a preseason one.

Spector was the Tigers’ second-leading tackler with 85 as a senior last season and finished his Clemson career with 210 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and an interception while playing in 53 games, including 21 starts.

On the other side of the field, James Skalski accumulated 4 tackles (3 solo) for the Indianapolis Colts in the 27-24 Bills win.

Clemson football alumni Baylon Spector and James Skalski face long odds to making an NFL roster, but both showed potential in preseason openers

Skalski signed with the Colts as a free agent on May 13 after not being drafted.  A fan favorite at Clemson, he was a First-team All-ACC selection and was named to the ACC All-Academic Team.  Sklaski finished the 2021 season leading the team with 100 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and six pass breakups over 698 snaps.

Both players face long odds of making a regular season NFL roster, but the early play may at least turn some heads and if they fail to stick with their current team it may open other opportunities for the pair.

Next Saturday the Bills host the Broncos and the Colts host the Lions in the second week of preseason games, so Spector and Skalski will hopefully get another opportunity to impress.