NFL Schedule Release: Matchups of Georgia rookies in 2024, more

The NFL released its schedule for the 2024 season on Wednesday night, and with as many Georgia players as there are in the league, there’s more than a few matchups of Dawgs in the NFL. Below, DawgsHQ highlights for you a few to keep an eye on including games between Georgia rookies in their first season, the Bulldog running backs against some of Kirby Smart’s finest defensive players and more.

Rookie Matchups

A couple of marquee Georgia rookies match up in their first-ever NFL outing as Brock Bowers and the Las Vegas Raiders take on Ladd McConkey and the Los Angeles Chargers September 8th. That’ll take place at the site of their second National Championship victory together: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. It’s the first of two meetings between the now division rivals with the second coming during the final week of the regular season.

Bowers is part of a few matchups with Georgia rookies, seeing four of his former teammates in total. He’ll also face off against UGA’s other first round pick, Amarius Mims. He’ll play the Falcons on Monday Night Football – albeit in Las Vegas – while McConkey will make a trip back to the Peach State to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against the Falcons on the 1st of December.

As for the Georgia defensive players that were taken, a Week 7 matchup of the Texans and Packers features two of the three defensive backs that were drafted – Kamari Lassiter and Javon Bullard. Meanwhile, we’ll see Tykee Smith challenged with being opposite of Bowers and McConkey in back to back weeks taking on the Raiders Week 14 and the Chargers Week 15.

Raiders (Bowers) @ Chargers (McConkey) – Week 1 (Sept. 8)
Buccaneers (Smith) @ Falcons (Logue) – Week 5 (Oct. 3, TNF)
Bills (Van Pran) @ Texans (Lassiter) – Week 5 (Oct. 6)
Texans (Lassiter) @ Packers (Bullard) – Week 7 (Oct. 20)
Falcons (Logue) @ Buccaneers (Smith) – Week 8 (Oct. 27)
Raiders (Bowers) @ Bengals (Mims) – Week 9 (Nov. 3)
Bengals (Mims) @ Chargers (McConkey) – Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Chargers (McConkey) @ Falcons (Logue) – Week 13 (Dec. 1)
Raiders (Bowers) @ Buccaneers (Smith) – Week 14 (Dec. 8)
Buccaneers (Smith) @ Chargers (McConkey) – Week 15 (Dec. 15)
Falcons (Logue) @ Raiders (Bowers) – Week 15 (Dec. 16, MNF)
Chargers (McConkey) @ Raiders (Bowers) – Week 18

*** NOTE: A few Georgia players signed as undrafted free agents: Kendall Milton (Philadelphia Eagles), Daijun Edwards (Pittsburgh Steelers), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Washington Commanders), Tramel Walthour (Baltimore Ravens). Should they make their respective rosters, a few more matchups of Bulldog rookies would be on the schedule ***

Philly Dawgs

When a team features as many former Georgia players as the Philadelphia Eagles do, it’s worth seeing who they’ll match up with during the season. D’Andre Swift is gone after just a single season in the City of Brotherly Love – now with the Chicago Bears – leaving the five Dawgs in Philly all on the defensive side of the ball (Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo).

The Eagles will see a few former teammates in the season-opener against Green Bay, a stand-alone Friday night game in Brazil. The Packers have feature four Dawgs on defense: Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Javon Bullard – all four of whom each of the Eagles spent at least one season with in Athens. Kicker Jack Podlesny is also currently on the roster of the Packers.

RBU

Five different drafted Georgia running backs remain in the NFL. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns) was taken in 2018 followed by D’Andre Swift (Chicago Bears) in 2020, James Cook (Buffalo Bills) and Zamir White (Las Vegas Raiders) in 2022 and Kenny McIntosh (Seattle Seahawks) in 2023. They’ll be the target of some former teammates throughout the season including twice Chubb and the Browns take on Roquan Smith and the Baltimore Ravens in both Week 8 and Week 18. A few of the remaining matchups of these running backs against defensive players they practiced against during their time in Athens can be found below.

Bills (Cook) @ Dolphins (Tindall) – Week 2 (Sept. 12, TNF)
Jaguars (Campbell, Walker) @ Bills (Cook) – Week 3 (Sept. 23, MNF)
Jaguars (Campbell, Walker) vs. Bears (Swift) – Week 6 (Oct. 13)
Seahawks (McIntosh) @ Falcons (Logue) – Week 7 (Oct. 20)
Ravens (Smith) @ Browns (Chubb) – Week 8 (Oct. 27)
Rams (Kendrick) @ Seahawks (McIntosh) – Week 9 (Nov. 3)
Packers (Stokes, Wyatt, Walker) @ Bears (Swift) – Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Raiders (White) @ Dolphins (Tindall) – Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Chiefs (Herring) @ Bills (Cook) – Week 11 (Nov. 17)
Raiders (White) @ Chiefs (Herring) – Week 13 (Nov. 29, Black Friday)
Packers (Stokes, Wyatt, Walker, Bullard) @ Seahawks (McIntosh) – Week 15
Falcons (Logue) @ Raiders (White) – Week 15 (Dec. 16, MNF)
Bears (Swift) @ Vikings (Cine) – Week 15 (Dec. 16, MNF)
Jaguars (Campbell, Walker) @ Raiders (White) – Week 16