An NFL team can have up to 90 players in preseason camp. But more invites mean more cuts — and the final roster must stand at 53. Every part of a player’s game is meticulously critiqued but with the depth at each position, it’s just as easy for a player to be overlooked.
One of Riverhead’s own, Miguel Maysonet, who just two years ago produced a mind-boggling 7.4 yards-per-carry at Stony Brook University, was among the preseason cuts this season but it hasn’t dissuaded him from chasing what makes his blood flow.
“The NFL is a business,” Maysonet told RiverheadLOCAL this week. “There’s really nothing more to say.”
It’s all part of the journey — the Miguel Maysonet journey.
After being passed over in the NFL draft last year, he was immediately signed by the Philadelphia Eagles — only to be released a month later. From there, Maysonet was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns and spent about three months on the team before being cut at the start of the season. Keeping his relevance, he then signed a handful of practice squad contracts and traveled across the country from week to week. He was a member of the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Moving around so often undoubtedly brought its fair share of uncertainty concerning his future but that didn’t stop him from working hard to get better every day.
“I went in not knowing what to expect,” Maysonet said, labeling his first year in the NFL a learning experience. “Especially someone like me who really didn’t know anyone. Usually players know someone in the NFL to get advice from. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have anyone to ask questions to. So my first year was all about learning how to be an NFL player.”
Maysonet’s consistent improvements throughout his first season were evident as he landed a contract in January with the Pittsburg Steelers. Though he signed a contract very early in the signing period, his chances of making the roster were still slim as the Steelers had seven running backs in camp. They only planned to keep three or four. With high-profile players from well-known Division I colleges like Le’Veon Bell, LaGarrette Blount, and Dri Archer in camp, Maysonet was indeed cut before the start of the season.
Maysonet’s opportunities to showcase his abilities were limited in camp. And when the preseason rolled around, it was more of the same. He got four touches against the New York Giants for nine yards and that was it. Before he knew it, his time in Pittsburg was over. He puts part of the blame on Stony Brook’s Division 1A status but it’s nothing he can control at this point. He’s just waiting for his next opportunity.
“I don’t want to throw any dirt on any teams I’ve played on for not giving me a chance, but it’s a business and it is what it is,” Maysonet said. “Maybe if I got a few more reps at running back I would have been able to show what I could do, but it just didn’t happen.”
In the meantime, Maysonet needs to keep himself in shape. He’ll work out at Planet Fitness in Riverhead or he’ll go for a run. He runs through the streets before a Blue Waves game. He rarely misses one if he’s in town.
“I just have to keep working hard and keep doing the things that got me to this point,” Maysonet said. “That’s why I’m at the gym all the time just trying to get better because you never know when your number’s going to be called. I could be called up right now as we’re talking like ‘we need you, come out’ and I have to be in shape.”
Maysonet knows the odds are against him, being from a small school, but just having an opportunity to do what he loves is a blessing of its own.
“I’ve talked to a lot of guys in the NFL and they said ‘just keep going,'” Maysonet said. “I met a guy who was cut 12 times before making a team. You just have to keep trying until you get your shot.”
Asked whether it hurts getting cut over and over again without really getting an opportunity, Maysonet answered: “No.”
“Honestly, deep down it doesn’t hurt,” he continued. “I’m a small town kid from Riverhead. Who in Riverhead can say that they were in the NFL? I feel like I laid the foundation for kids behind me so that they could see that it can be done. I went from a no-name high school, to a small college that no one really knew about and look where I am now, I could say that I played in the NFL.”
He will always remember his first carry in an NFL preseason game.
“They put me in and I’m in the huddle with the quarterback,” Maysonet recollects. “He called a running play and I’m like ‘damn, this is really about to be my first run in the NFL ever.’ Words really can’t describe it. It’s something you need to experience. Everything just got quiet and it was just me out there getting a handoff. Nothing else mattered around me. I was finally doing what I truly loved.”
Now the waiting game begins. He will prepare like he would normally and wait for his phone to ring.
“A lot of players are always going down,” Maysonet said. “Injuries happen or some personal issues come to fruition or whatever, so you never know what can happen.”
But if the NFL doesn’t call, it’s not the end of the world — or the end of his pro football aspirations.
“There’s other leagues that I can play in,” Maysonet said. “I’ve met guys who went to the Canadian league and then came back to have great NFL careers. You just never know. It’s just a journey. You have to just keep moving forward.”
Maysonet plans to wait out this season with hopes of joining an NFL team but if it doesn’t pan out, he’ll pursue options in the CFL.
“It’s just tough knowing that you have the ability to play, yet have to be on the outside looking in,” Maysonet said.
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