PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s Super Bowl week and as usual there are a few players with ties to Oregon and Washington playing in Sunday's championship matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
Of the 11 players connected to the Pacific Northwest, seven of them play for the Eagles and four of them play for the Chiefs. Here’s a look at the 11 players who will be on the sidelines Sunday:
Philadelphia Eagles
Devon Allen, wide receiver (University of Oregon)
A member of the Eagles practice squad, the 28-year-old former Ducks receiver and two-time Olympian is a rookie this season in the NFL. He hasn't played in a regular-season or playoff game this season for the Eagles — but if the team wins the Super Bowl, as a member of the practice squad, he'll get a ring. He had some nice moments in the preseason, including a 55-yard touchdown catch against the Browns in Philadelphia's second preseason game.
Andre Dillard, tackle (Washington State)
Dillard, 27, a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2019, is in his fourth season with Philadelphia. Dillard is the backup at left tackle this season for the Eagles, and he's played 58 snaps in 12 games. At Washington State, Dillard started all 26 games his junior and senior season at left tackle and was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 team as a senior. He started four games as a rookie and was the projected starting left tackle heading into the 2020 season but was injured and missed the entire season. He started four games in 2021. He'll be a free agent after this season.
Gardner Minshew, quarterback (Washington State)
Minshew, 26, the backup quarterback for the Eagles, is known as much for his mustache as his play on the field. He played in five games this season, including two starts, and threw for 663 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Minshew was a starter his first two seasons in Jacksonville, throwing for 5,530 yards, 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 23 games (20 starts). He's been the backup in Philadelphia the past two seasons. Minshew played one season at Washington State, transferring to the school as a senior after two seasons at East Carolina. At Washington State in 2018, Minshew threw for 4,779 yards, 38 touchdowns and nine interceptions, setting Pac-12 season records for passing yards and completions. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award.
Isaac Seumalo, guard (Oregon State)
Seumalo, 29, is the starting right guard for the Eagles. He was born in Corvallis and was a 5A first-team all-state offensive and defensive lineman as a junior and senior. He played at Oregon State and was the first true freshman to start at center for the Beavers since 1978. He was a freshman All-American. A third-round pick of the Eagles in the 2015 NFL Draft, he won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia in 2018. He's started 17 games for the Eagles this season.
Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle (Grant High School)
Suh, 36, was a standout at Grant High School in Portland before he made a national name for himself in college at Nebraska and through his 13 seasons in the NFL. The Eagles signed Suh to a one-year deal in November. A third-string defensive tackle this season, he has registered one sack, 10 tackles and two quarterback hits in eight games. This is his third Super Bowl appearance in the past four years. Suh was on the Rams team that lost to the New England Patriots in 2019 and the Buccaneers team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
Noah Togiai, tight end (Oregon State)
Togiai, 25, played in two games for the Eagles this season, both in September, and is now on the team's practice squad. As reported already throughout this article, a practice-squad player will still get a ring if the Eagles win the Super Bowl. During his senior season at Oregon State, Togiai was named honorable-mention All-Pac-12 after catching 44 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns. He had 102 catches for 1,048 yards and 10 touchdowns in his college career. Togiai signed as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles in 2020. He's spent time with both the Colts and Eagles over the past three seasons, playing in six total games.
Marlon Tuipulotu, defensive tackle (born in Oregon)
Tuipulotu, 23, has been on injured reserve for the Eagles since Nov. 16 of last year. Even though he's not on the active roster, if Philadelphia wins the Super Bowl, he'll get a ring. Tuipulotu was born in Independence, Oregon and attended Central High School. He originally committed to play college football at Washington before switching to USC. A sixth-round pick by the Eagles in 2021, he has 21 tackles in 14 games over his first two seasons in the NFL.
Kansas City Chiefs
Ugo Amadi, safety (University of Oregon)
Amadi, 25, played college football at Oregon. He won the Lombardi Award his senior year in 2018. He played 51 games at Oregon from 2015 to 2018 and had 165 total tackles, eight interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. A fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2019 NFL Draft, he was traded to the Eagles and then the Titans before the start of the 2022 season. The Chiefs signed him to their practice squad in November 2022. He played in one game for the Chiefs this season and has one tackle. If the Chiefs wins the Super Bowl, as a member of the practice squad, he'll get a ring.
Trent McDuffie, cornerback (University of Washington)
McDuffie, 22, is a starting cornerback for the Chiefs. He was a first-round selection (21st overall) by the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft after three seasons at the University of Washington. He was a second-team All-Pac-12 player in 2020 and a first-team All-Pac-12 player and third-team All-American in 2021. He's started 11 games for the Chiefs this season and has 44 tackles, seven pass deflections and a sack.
Danny Shelton, defensive tackle (University of Washington)
Shelton, 29, attended Auburn Senior High School in Auburn, Washington and played four seasons at the University of Washington. He was first-team All-Pac-12 and a first-team All-American in 2014 as a senior, finishing the season with nine sacks. He won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2019. He signed with the Chiefs before the start of the season, was released and then signed to the practice squad. If the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, as a member of the practice squad, he'll get a ring.
Jaylen Watson, cornerback (Washington State)
Watson, 24, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft. He transferred to Washington State after starting his college career at Ventura College. He was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2020 and 2021. During his rookie season with the Chiefs, he has played in 16 games and has 49 tackles and one interception, which he returned 99 yards for a touchdown in Week 2 against the Chargers. He also has six pass deflections.
If you know of any players with ties to Oregon or Washington who are playing for the Eagles or Chiefs this year who were left of this list, please email jcowley@kgw.com.
