Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season is here, and a former Northwestern Wildcats star defensive lineman is getting his chance to make an impact in the NFL. On Sunday, former Northwestern defensive lineman Joe Gaziano was promoted to the active roster for the Los Angeles Chargers. Los Angeles (1-0) will host the Dallas Cowboys (0-1) in week two.

At Northwestern from 2015 to 2019, Gaziano accumulated 152 total tackles, 99 solo tackles, 49 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, 15 pass deflections, eight forced fumbles, and four forced fumbles.

In his senior season in 2019, Gaziano accounted for 49 total tackles, 34 solo tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, five pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. Gaziano was named a second-team All-B1G player in 2017 and 2018 a first-team All-B1G player in 2019.

Gaziano went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft but was picked up by the Chargers as an undrafted free agent. This is the fourth time in his professional career that Gaziano has been elevated to the active roster.