Weber State in the pros: Jones makes NBA preseason debut; Reid and Shaheed shine in the NFL | News, sports, jobs

While current Weber State football quarterback Richie Muñoz generated a lot of interest in the Wildcats over the weekend, three WSU graduates had big days in the pro ranks.

Men's basketball great Dillon Jones (WSU Class of 2024) made his NBA preseason debut Monday night in San Antonio, making a splash in the third quarter for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jones peppered the Spurs with several midfielders, including a baseline fadeaway. He converted a tough attack and made a 3-pointer from the wing, shooting 6 of 7 for 13 points in the third quarter alone.

Jones finished the game with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in a team-high 26 minutes, shooting 8 of 11 from the field. The Thunder won 112-107 with Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein making their team debuts while not playing against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort or Jaylin Williams.

The Thunder's next game is Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. MDT when they host Houston in a game that will be televised on NBA television.

According to reports, All-NBA star Damian Lillard (2012) is feeling comfortable as he enters his 13th professional season and is aiming for a return to form after settling in in Milwaukee. He was a scorcher in his preseason game on Sunday, scoring 15 points in 17 minutes, shooting 4 of 6 from the 3-point line and dishing out four assists.

Winston Reid had his first big day in the NFL. The former Weber State linebacker (2024) started the season on the Cleveland Browns practice squad but was promoted to the active roster a few weeks ago.

On Sunday in Washington, Reid totaled eight tackles, second-most on the team, in Cleveland's loss to the Commanders. He managed half a sack, two passes defended and a quarterback hit.

Pro Football Focus, which specializes in advanced player performance data, rated Reid the fourth-best performance of any linebacker in Week 5 in the NFL and the second-best of any Browns defensive player.

Speedster Rashid Shaheed (2022) continued his long-distance successes on Monday evening in Kansas City. The New Orleans Saints receiver scored another touchdown of 40 or more yards and added a 43-yard score on a deep ball from Derek Carr in the second quarter.

Shaheed finished the game with four catches for a team-high 86 yards, along with a 38-yard kickoff return and a 10-yard punt return.

Aside from a Week 3 game against Philadelphia in which Shaheed didn't catch a pass, the third-year pro has caught 19 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns in the other four games.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills' Taron Johnson (2018) was sidelined with an arm injury sustained in the first game of the season. It was reported that he was close to returning on Sunday but did not play; Johnson could return next week.

Longtime Rams player and defensive end Jonah Williams (2020) signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in the spring, but Minnesota terminated his contract at the end of August. In that contract he was guaranteed $350,000. After 41 games in Los Angeles, the Rams brought Williams back and signed him on Friday, but he did not play in Sunday's game.

After four years with the Eagles, offensive lineman Sua Opeta (2019) signed a one-year contract with Tampa Bay through the 2024 season worth a total of $1.375 million and $650,000 guaranteed. But Opeta tore his ACL in camp and was on the injured reserve list.