Coming out of Stanford, Josh Mauro had his eyes on hearing his name called in the 2014 NFL Draft. Only that moment never came. He went undrafted, but the door to the NFL didn’t stay shut for too long. The Pittsburgh Steelers brought him in as an undrafted free agent, and he showed up to training camp with one goal: earn a spot the hard way. The player fought his way deep into camp, hanging on until the final round of cuts, but when the Steelers trimmed down to 53, his name didn’t make the list. The setback didn’t last long.

Soon, he got another shot, landing with the Arizona Cardinals. A big reason Mauro could earn a starting role in James Bettcher’s defensive scheme was his versatility. He was capable of lining up and contributing at multiple spots along the front, becoming a great belly-of-the-roster player. Unfortunately, on April 28, the community came together to mourn the passing of the defensive end, aged only 35.

His father, Greg Mauro, broke the news in a Facebook post, announcing that the DE had breathed his last on April 23: “With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new—living in the presence of the Lord. We humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson, and friend.”

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No cause of death was shared. However, there have been unverified claims suggesting that Mauro may have been dealing with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a neurodegenerative disorder that impacts motor neurons in both the brain and spinal cord.

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Throughout his career, the player experienced issues like ankle and hamstring injuries.

During college, he played for Stanford, and in the NFL, he played for the Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Oakland Raiders before once again making his way to Arizona. He played a total of 80 games in the league, starting 40 of them, and he had recorded five career sacks.

It goes without saying that his stats were barely eye-popping, but Mauro believed his team would always come first.

“It’s bigger than you making plays, it’s bigger than getting your name called, it’s bigger than the newspaper having your numbers,” he once said. That made him extremely dependable.

In fact, in 2020, when Zach Allen was on the IR, then-defensive coordinator of the Cardinals, Vance Joseph, depended on Mauro. “We replaced Zach with an older Zach,” the coach said.

While Mauro never climbed to the same level as Allen, he carved out real value as a dependable depth piece by handling the unglamorous work and doing whatever the team needed. And that is something Adrian Wilson, who occupied a spot on the Cardinals’ front office during Mauro’s stint in Arizona, confirmed.

“Prayers go out to Josh Mauro and his family,” he wrote on X. “Had the opportunity to be around Josh for several years with BA. Always in shape, always was ready to go wherever he got that call. One of the things I respected most about him. You could depend on him.”

Similarly, many fans took to social media to mourn Josh Mauro’s passing.

Prayers poured after Josh Mauro’s death

Mauro had grown into a solid player for the Cardinals in the few years he spent with the team. The 2016 season was the peak of his NFL career, in which he started 13 of the 15 games and recorded 32 tackles. So, a fan wrote:

“One of my favorites. Gone way too soon. Prayers for his family and friends.”

Mauro’s return to the Cardinals showed that he still had some game left in him, but he was restricted to the practice squad. He never got to play again after 2021.

“Rest in peace, big guy. Loved ya when you were with the Cardinals. You were a solid rotational player who gave your all. Prayers for his family. Heartbreaking to lose someone who should have had a lot of life left to live.”

However, it wasn’t in the NFL when people began noticing him. After a standout high school career in Texas, Josh Mauro attended Stanford. During his collegiate career, the DE had made a name for himself. He was on the Bedarnik and Ted Hendricks mid-season award watchlists. He was also invited to the East-West Shrine Game in 2013 and received an All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

That same year, he was also Stanford’s Defensive Player of the Game at Army and Stanford’s Defensive Player of the Game vs. California. He was a fifth-year senior when he recorded 51 tackles (33 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. Looking back at those days, fans mentioned:

“#GoStanford always a Cardinal forever. Too soon.”

“RIP. Gone way too early,” wrote another user.

Mauro’s family has not reported an official cause for his death as of now. But his death at such a young age comes as a shock to fans who had taken note of him.

Some Raiders fans also shared their thoughts on the departed DE. “Once a Raider, always a Raider. Condolences to his family,” one fan commented. Josh Mauro’s career might not have been as eye-catching, but he did cause some ripples in the league with his game.