Alabama alums in the AFC south
All 32 teams in the NFL are well under way in preparations for the 2022 season. There are legions of former Tide players in that League. There are so many, this short eight-part series will be a helpful guide.
The preseason games begin Thursday night. The Las Vegas Raiders will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. So today we will focus on the AFC south, home to the Jaguars. A full slate of pre-season games will kick off one week from tomorrow.
Houston Texans
We will start with sending up prayers for John Metchie, recently diagnosed with Leukemia. He will miss the season fighting that battle but his prognosis is excellent. The other former Alabama player with the Texans is also a rookie, Christian Harris. I don’t think any of us should be surprised if Harris secures a starting role in the Texans’ training camp. His athleticism and physicality will suit him well in this League.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts feature Ryan Kelly and Tony Brown. I know we are all thrilled for Tony that his NFL opportunity continues. He has bounced around quite a bit. Meanwhile, Kelly has been an NFL rock. This is Ryan’s seventh year in the NFL, all through which he has served as the Colts’ starting center. That’s simply an incredible career.
Jacksonville Jaguars
We will see the Jags in action on Thursday evening. It’s a new era in Jacksonville, now led by the former (and successful) head coach of the Eagles, Doug Pederson. The new coach will have the joy of coaching former Crimson Tide star tackle, Cam Robinson. Almost quietly, Cam has built a highly successful career in Jacksonville. Check this out … Cam this summer signed a 3-year $54 million contract. He did this after playing the last two seasons under the franchise tag ($18 million per season) and played his initial seasons under the terms of a typical second round pick. The point — Cam has made a wagon full of money in this game. Maybe it’s yucky but isn’t that how you really measure a career in the NFL? Cam has been wildly successful.
Tennessee Titans
Speaking of wildly successful, former Crimson Tide legend Derrick Henry plays for the Titans. He is close to securing the title of Titans Legend. He showed up in Tuscaloosa a Yulee (Fla) Legend. What a freaking career.
Derrick is one of the very best players in the NFL. Heck, he is a legit MVP candidate. He is going to spend his retirement years at various halls of fame. He will be in more than one.
The two other former Alabama players in camp with the Titans may surprise you! How about Da’Shawn Hand and Shyheim Carter? Both have bounced around a bit. Hand may have the better chance to stick. Still, kids like that are easy to root for. Not everyone can be a Derrick Henry. There are RBs with gold jackets who were not Derrick Henry.
