Former Ohio State Buckeyes running back CJ Donaldson is getting his first NFL shot.
The New Orleans Saints elevated the undrafted rookie from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s Week 1 game at Detroit, giving the former Buckeye a chance to make his professional debut, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Donaldson signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 draft, following one season in Columbus. The Saints waived him at final cuts, then brought him back to the practice squad.
With running back Audric Estimé placed on injured reserve and Alvin Kamara listed as questionable, New Orleans used one of its standard game-day elevations on the 6-foot-1, 230-pound back.
For Buckeye fans, this is the kind of quiet next-chapter story that has become familiar. Donaldson arrived at Ohio State as a transfer from West Virginia after the 2024 season.
In 2025, he was not the featured back, but he was efficient and physical near the goal line: 96 carries for 361 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, plus 15 catches for 96 yards and another score. Those 10 rushing TDs led the team.
That short-yardage, north-south style is exactly what the Saints have been evaluating him for, including some work as a lead blocker and hybrid fullback in camp and the preseason.
In three preseason games he ran 16 times for 48 yards and caught seven passes for 76 yards. If he sees the field Sunday, it will be his NFL debut. Practice-squad elevations are limited; this is one of three the Saints can use on him before they would have to sign him to the 53-man roster.
That makes the opportunity meaningful even if his snap count is modest behind Travis Etienne Jr. and Kendre Miller.
Ohio State’s NFL pipeline remains deep. Dozens of former Buckeyes opened the 2026 season on 53-man rosters. Donaldson’s path is the other common one: undrafted, cut, practice squad, then a call when injuries open a door.
He is another reminder that a single productive year in scarlet and gray, plus the right body type and special-teams or situational value, can still get a player into an NFL locker room on opening weekend.
Buckeye Nation will be watching Ford Field to see whether the bruising back who punched in scores in Columbus can carve out a role in New Orleans.
For now, he is on the 53-man roster for Week 1 — and that is how a lot of these stories begin.
