Polynesian player numbers in the NFL remain steady.
41 Polys confirmed to play in 2016.

PictureDomata Peko of the Cincinnati Bengals
​Polynesians in the NFL number 41 of the 1969 total NFL players for the 2016 season. There are 27 Samoan professional football players, 10 Tongans and 4 Hawaiians. There are 4 who are on the squad but are injured and out for the rest of the season.  In all there are 37 Polynesians actively playing for NFL teams all over the country.

Polynesians seem to be popular among teams with bird mascots. The Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles have 3 Polynesians each. The only other team with 3 Polynesians is the New Orlean Saints.

Most of the Polynesians in the league are on either the Defensive or Offensive line. The big bodies that work in the trenches are where  our young men seem to excel. Many are big and quick for their size. Domata Peko of the Cincinnatti Bengals and Haloti Ngata of the Detroit Lions seem to have lasted more than is normal for the players at this position. The wear and tear on the bodies of these large men makes this a difficult position to last for more than 5 years but both Domata and Haloti have lasted 10 years already and are still contributing to their teams.    

25 of the Polynesians in the NFL play on the Defensive side of the ball while 16 play on the Offensive side of the ball. The Offensive players are led by Marcus Mariota, the starting Quarterback of the Tennessee Titans. This is his 2nd year of running the Titan Offense. This year has been a tough year so far as Mariota has been sacked quite a lot in this young season. But the promise is there and he seems to be picking up the nuances of the professional game which should eventually turn around the fortunes of the Tennessee Titans.

Also on Offense is Matt Asiata the running back for the Minnesota Vikings. As the replacement for the injured NFL superstar Adrian Petersen, Matt has provided Viking fans with a solid backup game that has propelled the Vikings to an unexpected 5-0 start and 1st place in their division.
PictureRey Maualuga, Cincinnati Bengals Linebacker

Polynesians are becoming a critical part of the growth of this league. The NFL has become one of the richest professional leagues in the world. Contracts for the top players are now over 100 million dollars. But there is also more awareness of the injuries that players in this league suffer. One of the changes being implemented includes tackling rugby style. This has been adopted by such teams as the Seattle Seahawks and is drawing rave reviews from players and coaches alike.

As the 2016 season completes the first quarter, there is alot of football still to be played but one thing we can be assured of, our Polynesian athletes have become a fixture on many teams and are becoming more and more prevalent in the ranks of professional football. This year we see the rise of some new exciting players such as Su'a Cravens the Defensive back for the Redskins, Deforest Buckner the defensive end of the 49ers and Ronnie Stanley the Offensive tackle of the Baltimore Ravens. The future of the NFL and Polynesian players will remain entwined as more Polynesians rise through the ranks of college ball. We wish them all well and may the best team win.

Below is a list of all the current NFL players as compiled by the research of Le Malae. 
 
 
Name             Team      Position    Status      Island
Bronson Kaufusi   Ravens  DE       Inj Res     Tonga
Kamalei Correa     Ravens  LB        Active     Hawaii
Ronnie Stanley     Ravens  OT        Active      Tonga
Rey Maualuga      Bengals MLB      Active      Samoa
Domata Peko       Bengals  DT       Active       Samoa
Stephen Paea      Browns    DT      Active        Tonga
Danny Shelton      Browns    NT      Active        Samoa
Koa Misi               Dolphins   LB      Active        Tonga
Jordan Cameron    Dolphins    TE     Active       Samoa
Haloti Ngata            Lions      NT       Active       Tonga
Larry Warford           Lions     OG       Active      Samoa
Tony Moeaki            Bears     TE        Active      Tonga
John Timu                Bears     LB        Active      Samoa
Matt Asiata             Vikings    RB        Active      Samoa
Halapoulivaati Vaitai  Eagles    OT       Active       Tonga
Isaac Seumalo          Eagles    OG       Active      Samoa
Destiny Vaeao           Eagles     DT       Active      Samoa
Su’a Cravens            Redskins  DB       Active      Samoa
Shawn Lauvao          Redskins   G         Active      Samoa
Xavier Su’a-Filo         Texans      G        Active      Samoa
Tyson Alualu             Jaguars     DE      Active      Samoa
Roy MIller                 Jaguars     DT       InjRes     Samoa
Marcus Mariota          Titans      QB       Active      Samoa
Brian Schwenke         Titans        C        Active      Samoa
Shiloh Keo                 Broncos    DB      Active       Hawaii
Josh Mauga                Chiefs     ILB      Active       Samoa
Tenny Palepoi           Chargers    DE      Active       Samoa
Manti Te’o                Chargers     ILB    Injur Res   Samoa
Levine Toilolo            Falcons      TE     Active       Samoa
Louis Murphy            Buccaneers WR    Active       Samoa
Star Lotulelei             Panthers      DT    Active       Tonga
Paul Soliai                 Panthers      DT   Active       Samoa
Michael Hoomanawanui  Saints      TE   Active       Hawaii
Senio Kelemete             Saints       G   Active        Samoa
Hauoli Kikaha                Saints     OLB  Active        Hawaii
Will Tukuafu               Seahawks   FB    Active       Tonga
Alani Fua                   Cardinals    OLB  Inj RES      Tonga
Mike Iupati                 Cardinals     G     Active       Samoa
Deforest Buckner         49ers         DE    Active       Samoa
Mike Purcell                 49ers         NT    Active      Samoa