Cathedral Prep grad Juice Scruggs sees first NFL action, joins Conner, Luketa as active players from Erie

A hamstring pull delayed the official start of Frederick “Juice” Scruggs’ NFL career by 10 games.

Once healthy, the former Cathedral Prep and Penn State University offensive lineman required less than one game to experience the league's next-man-up mentality.

Scruggs, chosen by the Houston Texans during the second round of April’s draft, was injured during an Aug. 28 preseason finale at New Orleans. He was finally healthy enough to join their active roster for Sunday’s game against Jacksonville at NRG Stadium.

The visiting Jaguars maintained first place in the AFC South Division with a 24-21 victory. They improved to 8-3 and left the rival Texans at 6-5.

Although Houston coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t start Scruggs on Sunday, he sent the former Rambler into action when left guard Tytus Howard was hurt late in the first quarter.

From then on, Scruggs never left the field when the Texans had the ball. The 6-foot 3-inch, 308-pounder discussed his debut in an article for the team’s official website.

“I did alright (but there’s) definitely room for improvement, for sure,” Scruggs said. “(I was) on the ground way too much. You’ll see next week I’ll be better. We’ll be better.”

Houston was inches away from tying Sunday’s game, and possibly forcing overtime, with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

However, Matt Ammendola’s 58-yard field goal attempt caromed off the crossbar.

Scruggs blocked for C.J. Stroud, the Ohio State quarterback that Houston selected with the second overall pick in this year’s draft. They helped the Texans total 352 yards on offense.

“Juice, I thought when he stepped in, did a good job of being ready to go,” Ryans said.

A second comeback

Scruggs was an all-state Class 4A offensive lineman as a senior for Prep. He helped the Ramblers reach three straight PIAA championship games during his varsity career.

Prep, thanks to wins over Imhotep Charter, was the state’s best 4A team in 2016 and 2017.

Scruggs’ college football career was considered an afterthought following a one-car automobile accident on Interstate 79 in March 2019. His car slammed into a ditch after it skidded on black ice.

Scruggs, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, was catapulted through his car’s drivers side window. Somehow, his only substantial injury was a broken vertebra.

Not only did Scruggs recover, he returned as a starter and was a team captain for the 2022 Nittany Lions. That’s why his recent recovery from his hamstring pull was tame compared to what he formerly overcame.

“When I got set back (with Houston), nothing changed,” Scruggs said. “I was still (studying) the playbook and still watching film like I was a starter.”

Houston, which seeks its first AFC playoff berth since 2019, welcomes the 6-5 Denver Broncos next Sunday. There was no word from Ryans or the Texans as of Monday if Scruggs would start for Howard at left guard.

Kind-of homecoming for Conner, Luketa

At the same time Houston hosts Denver, two other former Erie County stars could compete in their latest NFL game.

It’s one much closer to their varsity origins.

Running back James Conner (McDowell) and linebacker Jesse Luketa (Mercyhurst Prep) should see action when the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals visit the 7-4 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Kickoff at Acrisure Stadium is 1 p.m.

More: Cardinals' lopsided loss to the Rams is more proof that Arizona's rebuild won't be easy

Should Conner play, it would mark his first action against the NFL franchise that picked him in 2017. The Steelers selected the former Trojan and University of Pittsburgh back in the third round of that year’s draft.

Conner rushed for 2,302 yards and 22 touchdowns over the Steelers’ ensuing four seasons. He was a free agent when he signed with Arizona in 2021.

Conner was the Cardinals’ leading rusher that season and last season. He’s also their most productive back (526 yards and two touchdowns) going into Sunday’s reunion against the six-time Super Bowl champs.

Less sure of suiting up Sunday is Luketa, a 2018 Erie First Christian graduate who played football for Mercyhurst Prep through the schools’ co-op arrangement. The Ottawa, Ontario, native, like Scruggs with Houston, was recruited by Penn State.

The Cardinals chose Luketa with the seventh-to-last pick in the NFL’s 2022 draft. He’s toggled between their active and inactive rosters since then but did make his first career start earlier this season.

Luketa has recorded 11 tackles over 16 career games. The last of those 11 was Sunday, when the visiting Los Angeles Rams routed the Arizona 37-14.

That’s not why Luketa made notable news, though.

How he got to the game was.

A story on the Cardinals website chronicled how Luketa experience a flat tire while driving from the team’s hotel to State Farm Stadium. However, he still made a team’s curfew courtesy of a family of fans who picked up the unlikely hitchhiker.

The remainder of the brief trip was a blast for all involved, according to Luketa.

“Speaking for myself, I don’t think this has ever happened to any other professional player,” he said. “This is the type of stuff that only happens to me.”

Although Luketa didn’t reveal the name of the family, he vowed to provide them tickets for Arizona’s Dec. 17 home game against San Francisco.

More: Flat tire doesn't stop Cardinals linebacker from getting to game on time

Staley in limbo in L.A.

While Arizona is only 2-10, the current record the Los Angeles Chargers, coached by Brandon Staley, is only slightly better. The Chargers slumped to 4-7 with Sunday’s 20-10 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

It was the third straight setback for a franchise considered to have underperformed over four seasons with starting quarterback Justin Herbert and, to a shorter extent, Staley’s three-season tenure. The job status for the former Mercyhurst University quarterback has become dicey over recent weeks.

Staley’s coaching record is 23-22 going into the Chargers’ trip to 2-9 New England on Sunday.

Coincidence or not, Staley had a Bill Belichick-caliber comment in an nbcsports.com article regarding his team’s current longshot odds of qualifying for the AFC playoffs.

“We just have to hang tough,” Staley said. “We’re going to have to put (the Baltimore loss) behind us and get on to New England.”

More: Brandon Staley speaks on decision to bench Quentin Johnston vs. Ravens

Staley, 40, was Dayton (Ohio) University’s starting quarterback for its 2003-04 seasons. He still had one year of NCAA eligibility left upon graduation.

Also, with one season left of college football, was Mercyhurst’s Jason Stanley. Brandon Staley joined his twin brother and the 2005 Lakers as a graduate student.

Brandon Staley cracked the NFL coaching ranks with the staff for the 2017 Chicago Bears. The Chargers hired him as their head coach after one season as defensive coordinator for the Rams, SoFi Stadium’s other NFL tenant.

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Texans OL, Cathedral Prep graduate Juice Scruggs makes NFL debut