VALDOSTA — Valdosta State fans watched this NFL preseason with increased intrigue this past month as two of the program’s alumni competed for a roster spot.

Former Blazer defensive backs Kenny Moore and Donatello Brown were brought into camp by the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers, respectively, and despite impressive camps, both were cut Saturday as NFL teams made the final cuts necessary to trim rosters to 53 by the 4 p.m. deadline.

That doesn’t mean the end of either player’s NFL dreams though.

As a matter of fact, Moore was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, and as a result, must be added to the team’s roster ahead of the opening week of the NFL season Sunday.

Brown cleared waivers and signed to the Packers practice squad.

Both former VSU defensive backs had tough roads to reach the active rosters of some of the most talented teams in the NFL.

Moore was consistently regarded as a standout at the Patriots’ camp, and he recorded nine tackles and a pass break up during the preseason, but New England ultimately completed a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Johnson Bademosi, making Moore expendable.

The Colts clearly saw something they liked in Moore, and made room on their active roster to bring him aboard.

Brown also had a strong camp, even intercepting a pass during the Packers’ preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.