NFL Vols: Former Tennessee players on training camp rosters

WR JaVonta Payton (Undrafted, 2022): The Nashville native quickly signed with Arizona after the NFL Draft ended and went through the team’s full offseason schedule, starting with a rookie minicamp in May. Payton signed with Ole Miss out of Hillsboro High School before playing two seasons in junior college, and he caught 19 passes for 225 yards with one touchdown during the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Mississippi State. The speedy wideout – he ran a 4.43-second 40 at Tennessee’s Pro Day – made a big splash for the Vols during his final season of eligibility, averaging nearly 23 yards per catch and hauling in six touchdowns on his 18 receptions in 2021.

RB Cordarrelle Patterson (First-round pick, 2013): After a renaissance season in Atlanta in 2021, Patterson signed a two-year, $10.5 million deal to return to the Falcons, who finally figured out how to use his unique skill set on offense. Playing primarily as a running back, Patterson rushed 153 times for 618 yards and six touchdowns and caught 52 passes for 548 yards and five more touchdowns in 16 games. It’s been quite an NFL career for the 31-year-old, who was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection twice with the Vikings (his rookie season in 2013 and 2016) and in both his seasons with the Bears (2019 and 2020), won a Super Bowl with the Patriots (2018) and remains the joint-holder of the NFL record with eight career kickoff return touchdowns. Offensively Patterson has 1,635 rushing yards and 268 catches for 2,635 yards with 29 touchdowns (14 rushing, 15 receiving) entering his 10th NFL season.

DT Kahlil McKenzie (Sixth-round pick, 2018): The former five-star prospect, back on the defensive line, recorded four tackles in five appearances for the Ravens in 2021 after he totaled eight tackles in seven games for the Bengals in 2020. McKenzie was drafted as an offensive lineman by the Chiefs, but was waived on the eve of his second season without having played a game for the team. He had two practice squad/offseason stints with the Seahawks either side of a brief time on injured reserve in the pandemic-ended XFL before signing with Cincinnati following a tryout.

OL Ja’Wuan James (First-round pick, 2014): The former No. 19 overall pick is on his third NFL team but is yet to make his debut with the Ravens after sitting out the entire 2021 season following his offseason Achilles injury. James was released by the Broncos last May following the injury, but inked a two-year $9 million deal with Baltimore, which gave him a chance for a fresh start after his time in Denver was a disaster – he played in just three games due to knee injuries in 2019 and opted out of the 2020 season due to Covid-19 concerns after signing a huge contract (four years, $51 million with $32 million guaranteed) in March 2019. James spent his first five seasons with the Dolphins and started all 62 games he played for them.

OL Cade Mays (Sixth-round pick, 2022): The versatile former five-star prospect split his college career between two SEC East rivals, playing two seasons at Georgia before transferring to Tennessee in 2020 to play a couple of seasons with his younger brother Cooper with the Vols. Mays started 35 career games at four different positions – right guard (18), right tackle (13), left guard (two) and left tackle (two). A Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2018 and 11-game starter in 2019 at Georgia, Mays started 17 games in two seasons for the Vols, earning All-SEC honors in 2021 after starting 10 games at right tackle. The Panthers have him listed as a third-team right guard on their depth chart.

WR Velus Jones Jr. (Third-round pick, 2022): Chicago injected speed and playmaking in its offense by drafting the versatile Jones 71st overall, and he could make an instant impact for an offense needing what he can bring. The Mobile, Ala.-area native, who played his first four years at Southern California, boosted his NFL stock with a strong showing at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and his blazing 4.31-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine after a career year as a super senior in 2021. Jones was Tennessee’s second-leading receiver and ranked in the top 10 in the SEC with 62 catches for 807 yards and seven touchdowns, and he was the SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year after ranking second in the league in kickoff-return average and second nationally in punt-return average – his 1,722 all-purpose yards were the second-most in a single season in Tennessee history.

QB Joshua Dobbs (Fourth-round pick, 2017): The long-time backup quarterback will play for his third NFL team after signing a one-year, $1.035 million deal with the Browns in the offseason. Dobbs swaps AFC North rivals after spending most of his career with the Steelers, including his first two seasons and most of the past two seasons – he spent most of 2021 on injured reserve after getting hurt in the preseason – either side of a trade to the Jaguars in 2019. Dobbs’s NFL career currently consists of six games (five in 2018), 17 pass attempts and plenty of game-day inactives as Pittsburgh's No. 3 quarterback, so maybe a change of scenery will give him a better opportunity to play, particularly given the uncertainty of the quarterback situation in Cleveland.

RB John Kelly Jr. (Sixth-round pick, 2018): In his first action since 2019, Kelly got two carries for 13 during his Browns debut in Week 7 and played on special teams in all four of his appearances last season, spending most of the season on the practice squad. He was on the losing side when the Rams made the Super Bowl during his rookie season in 2018, when he rushed for 74 yards on 27 carries and caught two passes for 27 yards in four games. After getting three carries in four appearances for L.A. in 2019, Kelly was released by the Rams at the end of the preseason in 2020 and picked up by the Browns and signed to their practice squad. He rushed for 1,573 yards with 15 touchdowns in three seasons with the Vols.

DE Jonathan Kongbo (Undrafted, 2019): Denver inked Kongbo to a futures contract back in January, giving the defensive end his second NFL shot after he also spent part of the 2020 offseason with the 49ers before he was placed on injured reserve and then waived with an injury settlement. Kongbo, whose final season at Tennessee in 2018 was cut short by injury, has been playing and experiencing success in his native Canada with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 CFL Draft has been part of two Grey Cup triumphs with the Blue Bombers in 2019, when he had 12 tackles and a sack, and 2021, when he had 16 tackles and three sacks.

DB Micah Abernathy (Undrafted, 2019): The Packers signed the safety on Wednesday, giving him his third NFL chance following a successful season in the USFL. Abernathy signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and also had stints with the Bucs and Colts, but he earned another shot at the top level after impressing for the Houston Gamblers this spring. He ranked ninth in the USFL with 68 tackles and also had two tackles for loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Abernathy also played for the Houston Renegades in the XFL in 2020. He played 44 career games for the Vols, totaling 197 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five fumble recovers, nine pass breakups and two interceptions as a three-year starter.

LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Fourth-round pick, 2017): After playing all five of his NFL seasons with the Lions, Reeves-Maybin changed teams this offseason, joining the Texans on a reported two-year, $7.5 million ($5 million guaranteed). He earned a second contract with the Lions after his four-year rookie deal ran out and had perhaps his best season in Detroit in 2021, when he was a team captain, saw an increased role on defense and racked up 82 tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles while starting 11 games – he’d started just three games in his career prior to last season, and his defensive snap percentage was 62% (it was just 3% in 2020 and had never surpassed 26%). Reeves-Maybin totaled 172 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 70 games for the Lions.

OL Trey Smith (Sixth-round pick, 2021): It felt like the Chiefs committed highway robbery at the time and it turned out that way, as Kansas City made the rest of the NFL look foolish for ignoring Smith in the 2021 NFL Draft due to his history of blood clots in his lungs at Tennessee. The Jackson, Tenn., native quickly won the right guard job on the revamped offensive line for the Chiefs and started all 17 regular-season games and all three postseason contests – he played each and every one of the Chiefs’ 1,405 snaps on offense – and earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors. Smith ended the regular season as the No. 18-ranked guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (72.1 overall grade) – he allowed five sacks and 55 pressures and committed 10 penalties, but his run-blocking grade (78.2) led all NFL rookies, per PFF.

DL Matthew Butler (Fifth-round pick, 2022): Believe it or not, Butler will be reuniting with two former Vols he played with during his freshman season at Tennessee back in 2017 – yes, he was in the program that long, persevering through multiple head-coach, defensive-coordinator and position-coach changes to play his best football as a super senior in 2021. Butler racked up 47 tackles and career-bests of 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and seven quarterback hurries while ranking in the top 10 in the SEC in run defense (per Pro Football Focus) and playing a ridiculous 726 snaps. He solidified himself as a mid-round draft pick with an impressive showing at the East-West Shrine Game in the same stadium he’ll now call home with the Raiders followed by solid outings at the NFL Scouting Combine and Tennessee’s Pro Day.

DT Kendal Vickers (Undrafted, 2018): Vickers spent most of 2021 on the Raiders’ practice squad, appearing in just two games after he enjoyed a solid rookie season for Vegas in 2020. The three-year starter on the defensive line for the Vols had brief stints with the Steelers and Titans in 2018 before playing for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League in 2019, and he got his shot in the NFL in 2020, earning an unlikely roster spot with the Raiders during the preseason. Vickers proved it was no fluke, notching 10 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in 15 games (two starts) during his rookie season, which included sacks in back-to-back late-season games against the Dolphins and Chargers. Vickers had a sack in the Hall of Fame Game against the Jaguars last week.

FB Jakob Johnson (Undrafted, 2018): A linebacker and tight end at Tennessee, the German has found a home in the NFL as a fullback and will be changing teams after signing a reported one-year deal in Vegas, where he reunites with former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (the new head coach of the Raiders). Johnson's path to the NFL is an impressive one as he got his shot through the NFL International Player Pathway Program and made the most of it by earning a roster spot and eventually a starting role in New England after playing with the Stuttgart Scorpions in his homeland in 2018. During the past three seasons with the Patriots, Johnson played in 37 games with 20 starts and caught 13 passes for 83 yards with a touchdown against the Seahawks in 2020, and he started six times last season and caught four passes while helping the Patriots rank eighth in the NFL in rushing.

WR Josh Palmer (Third-round pick, 2021): The No. 77 overall pick had a productive rookie season in L.A., emerging as a reliable target alongside Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Palmer, who led Tennessee in receiving in 2020 and had three productive seasons with the Vols ahead of his impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, caught 33 of his 49 targets for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Three of his touchdown catches came in the final six games of the season – a stretch in which he had two games with five catches, set his career-high (66 yards against the Giants in Week 14). He started five games and played 38% of the team’s snaps on offense and more than half (18) of his receptions went for first downs.

DB Alontae Taylor (Second-round pick, 2022): The No. 49 overall pick in the Draft will reunite with Bryce Thompson, his former cornerback running mate for three seasons with the Vols. Taylor used his strong senior season (60 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, top-three Pro Football Focus grade among SEC cornerbacks), solid showing at the Senior Bowl and 4.36-second 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine to become a top-50 draft pick. The Saints expect him to add depth and competition at cornerback, provide the flexibility to play elsewhere in the secondary and be hell on wheels on special teams.

DB Bryce Thompson (Undrafted, 2021): After three seasons as a starting cornerback for Tennessee, Thompson opted to head to the NFL, but signed with New Orleans after he wasn’t drafted. He got hurt in a preseason game and was briefly without a team after the Saints waived him and reached an injury settlement with him. But he re-joined the team on its practice squad in October and played on special teams in Weeks 15 and 16.

RB Alvin Kamara (Third-round pick, 2017): The star running back is in a little bit of hot water heading into the 2022 season as he’s facing felony charges stemming from an incident in Las Vegas the night before the Pro Bowl – an initial hearing was pushed back from April to August then another two months. Kamara is one year into the five-year, $75 million (more than $34 million guaranteed) extension he signed ahead of his fourth NFL season (the final under his rookie deal). The 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler rushed for 898 yards with four touchdowns and caught 47 passes for 439 yards and five touchdown passes in 2021, and Kamara has totaled 8,132 scrimmage yards and 73 touchdowns (50 rushing, 21 receiving, one kickoff return) in 80 career games.

WR Marquez Callaway (Undrafted, 2020): After a solid rookie season in 2020, Callaway enjoyed a bit of a breakout year in New Orleans last season, hauling in 46 of 84 targets for a team-leading 698 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games (11 starts). Having returned kickoffs and punts for the Saints as a rookie, he didn’t handle those roles last season, but had a two-touchdown game against Washington and set a career-high with 112 yards on six catches against Tampa Bay. Of his 46 catches, 32 went for first downs and he had nine receptions of 20-plus yards. He will remain an important part of a Saints receiving corps that has star Michael Thomas back healthy and added Jarvis Landry this offseason.

DT Shy Tuttle (Undrafted, 2019): A restricted free agent this offseason, Tuttle signed his tender to return to the Saints on a $2.433 million salary for what will be his fourth NFL season. He’s gone from an undrafted success story to solid contributor for the New Orleans defense, playing in all 16 games as a rookie, appearing in 13 games in 2020 and starting 15 of 17 games last season. In 49 career NFL games, Tuttle has racked up 102 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, 11 passes defended, one interception and one famous Thanksgiving night stiff-arm of Matt Ryan into oblivion. He was listed as a starting defensive tackle on the latest depth chart from the Saints.

DE Derek Barnett (First-round pick, 2017): Back with the Eagles after signing a two-year deal worth $14 million ($7 million guaranteed) earlier this offseason, Barnett will play his sixth season in Philadelphia in 2022. The 26-year-old has been a productive player but not a star for the Eagles, who exercised their fifth-year option on him so he earned $10-plus million in 2021 after his four-year rookie deal (worth $12.85-plus million) expired. In 69 career games (47 starts), Barnett, who earned All-Rookie honors in 2017 when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, has racked up 156 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, 81 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

DB Cameron Sutton (Third-round pick, 2017): Sutton returned to the Steelers on a two-year, $9 million deal after his rookie deal expired and made it look like shrewd business as he had the best season of his NFL career. His snap percentage jumped from 53% in 2020 to 99% (he played more than 1,000 snaps) in 2021, when Sutton started all 16 games he played and recorded a career-best 52 tackles along with four tackles for loss, two interceptions (giving him five for his career), six passes defensed and one forced fumble from his cornerback position. Sutton, who has 132 tackles, 24 passes defended, eight tackles for loss and five forced fumbles in 71 career games in Pittsburgh, started the Steelers’ playoff loss to the Chiefs and had five tackles with one tackle for loss.

WR Jauan Jennings (Seventh-round pick, 2020): It’s hard to believe Jennings was waived at the end of his first preseason in San Francisco given the impact he made on their late-season surge in 2021, but he overcame missing most of his first season due to injury while on the practice squad to play well as the slot receiver for the 49ers. Jennings caught 24 passes for 282 yards with five touchdowns in 16 regular-season games and turned six receptions into four first downs and 43 yards in three postseason games. He signed a one-year tender to return to the 49ers in April and will make $825,000 in 2022.

CB Emmanuel Moseley (Undrafted, 2018): Heading into the second year of a two-year, $10.1 million extension he signed last March, Moseley had another strong year with the 49ers in 2021, overcoming an injury to record 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed and one interception in 11 games (all starts) and allow zero touchdowns and just 5.8 yards on 55 targets during the regular season. He also started all three postseason games and recorded 23 tackles as San Francisco came with a whisker of returning to the Super Bowl. Moseley helped the team make the Super Bowl in 2019 – he had 14 tackles, nine passes defensed and an interception (of Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship Game) in three playoff games – and over the past three seasons he’s allowed 96 completions, 1,130 yards (6.6 avg) and six touchdowns on 170 targets with a 79.2 opponent passer rating in 2019 and 65.6 opponent passer rating in 2021.

DE Darrell Taylor (Second-round pick, 2020): A top-50 pick despite his pre-draft process being impacted by a stress fracture in his shin and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Taylor missed all of his first NFL season in 2020, but showed in 2021 why Seattle traded up for him. He emerged as one of the team’s top pass-rushers, totaling 37 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks with one batted pass and one forced fumble in 16 games (five starts). Taylor had a head/neck injury scare during a Sunday Night Football game at Pittsburgh, but missed just one game and still tied for second on the team in sacks and ranked second in quarterback pressures (22) – despite playing just 43% of Seattle’s defensive snaps.

CB Justin Coleman (Undrafted, 2015): Back in Seattle after signing a one-year deal earlier this offseason, Coleman will hope a return to the Seahawks will re-energize his career after a couple of challenging seasons, first with the Lions in 2020 (allowed 9.3 yards per target and 135.0 opponent passer rating) and the Dolphins in 2021 (played on just 35% of Miami’s defensive snaps, his lowest percentage since 2016 in New England). During his first stint in Seattle, Coleman scored three defensive touchdowns, intercepted three passes and racked up 98 tackles and 19 passes defended across 32 regular-season games (10 starts) as the starting nickel cornerback, and it led to him signing a big contract (four years, $36 million with nearly $18 million guaranteed) in Detroit. The 29-year-old got his first NFL chance with the Vikings before spending two seasons in New England, where he was part of a Super Bowl-winning team with the Patriots in 2016.

DB Theo Jackson (Sixth-round pick, 2022): Another hometown product, Jackson played at John Overton High School just a few miles from Nissan Stadium, where he grew up attending Titans games, before going on to play for the Vols. He wasn’t on any pre-draft mocks and didn’t get initial invites to any postseason all-star games or the NFL Scouting Combine, but still managed to get drafted No. 204 overall on the strength of his All-SEC super-senior season (fourth on the team in tackles, led SEC defensive backs in tackles for loss and ranked second in the SEC in pass breakups) in 2021. Jackson impressed the Titans at Tennessee’s Pro Day and a local Pro Day, and they like his versatility in the secondary and ability to contribute on special teams.

WR Josh Malone (Fourth-round pick, 2017): It’s a homecoming of sorts for Malone, who played at Station Camp in Gallatin (just outside of Nashville), after the Titans signed him earlier this offseason. In his five NFL seasons, he has played in just 26 games and has 11 catches for 91 yards, so he’ll be looking to jump-start his career. Released by the Bengals after the preseason in 2019, Malone spent nearly two years with the Jets, bouncing between the practice squad and active roster in 2019 and 2020 (when he caught four passes for 16 yards in four games), and had brief practice-squad stints with the Broncos and Packers.

LS Morgan Cox (Undrafted, 2010): The veteran long snapper is staying in his home state after the Titans signed him this offseason to a one-year extension (that will pay him $1.27-plus million, per Over The Cap). The Memphis native spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Ravens before Tennessee landed him in free agency a year ago. In his decade-plus in Baltimore, Cox, a walk-on for the Vols who was their long snapper for three seasons (2007-09), was part of one of the NFL’s best specialist batteries and was named to four Pro Bowls (2016, 2016, 2019, 2020), and he was a first alternate for the Pro Bowl last season after handling his duties flawlessly in 18 regular-season and playoff games for the AFC South champions.