Former Wyoming Cowboy Andrew Wingard Shines In First NFL Start

After making the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted rookie free agent and earning Pro-Bowl consideration for his play on special teams, former Wyoming safety Andrew Wingard got his first NFL start on Sunday.

Dewey didn't waste time, leading the team with seven tackles, along with a sack and a forced fumble against Tampa Bay. Wingard also leads Jacksonville with eight special teams tackles this season, bringing his total to 20 tackles for the year.

The former Poke described his journey from Laramie to the NFL in a recent interview.

"When I came out of high school, I only had one division one offer. So I kinda went into Wyoming like ‘okay, no one really respects me’. I kinda went beast mode -- a different kind of beast mode. Just pure instinct, no thought, just pure instinct,” Wingard told Big Cat Country last week.

While Wingard's underdog mentality has endeared him to teammates and fans, Dewey also credited his success to Scottie Hazelton, his former defensive coordinator at Wyoming and former Jacksonville linebackers coach, who helped him learn the Jaguars defense in the offseason.

"I remember being in the hotel in May just reading that playbook, reading that playbook, trying to get things right so I could go out there and execute and show the coaches that I am smart,” Wingard said.

12 weeks into his NFL career, the undrafted rookie from Wyoming has proved his both his intelligence and toughness.