Tennessee football: 22 Vols on NFL rosters, others on practice squads

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 01: Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles in action against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 01: Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles in action against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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At least 30 former Tennessee football Volunteers are somewhere in the pros.

The NFL 53-man rosters are set, and the 16-member practice squads have largely been filled out. This year, Tennessee football has 22 players who made rosters, and at this moment, at least eight more have made practice squads.

Ahead of the season-opener Thursday, this post will be a continuing thread tracking former Vols who find their way onto rosters. Of course, as of right now, the only changes that can be made before the season are practice squad updates.

However, those practice squads are relevant. So in this post, we’ll do a full breakdown of Tennessee football players in the pros, from players who had no change to new players to new contracts. It’s all on the table. Let’s start with returning players on NFL rosters.

Returning players

Players in the midst of contracts

  • Derek Barnett – Philadelphia Eagles (Fourth year of five-year deal)
  • Justin Coleman – Detroit Lions (Second year of four-year deal)
  • Morgan Cox – Baltimore Ravens (Fifth year of five-year deal)
  • Zach Fulton – Houston Texans (Third year of four-year deal)
  • Malik Jackson – Philadelphia Eagles (Second year of three-year deal)
  • A.J. Johnson – Denver Broncos (Second year of two-year deal)
  • Jakob Johnson – New England Patriots (Second year of two-year deal)
  • Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints (Fourth year of four-year deal)
  • Cordarrelle Patterson – Chicago Bears (Second year of two-year deal)
  • Kyle Phillips – New York Jets (Second year of three-year deal)
  • Jalen Reeves-Maybin – Detroit Lions (Fourth year of four-year deal)
  • Cameron Sutton – Pittsburgh Steelers (Fourth year of four-year deal)
  • Shy Tuttle – New Orleans Saints (Second year of three-year deal)

Players with new contracts returning to same NFL rosters

  • Britton Colquitt – Minnesota Vikings (Three years)
  • Emmanuel Moseley – San Francisco 49ers (One year)
  • Luke Stocker – Atlanta Falcons (One year)

Players on new teams

Claimed off waivers

  • Joshua Dobbs – Pittsburgh Steelers (Fourth year of four-year deal)

New deals with new teams

  • Dustin Colquitt – Pittsburgh Steelers (One year)
  • Jason Witten – Las Vegas Raiders (One year)

First contract

  • Kendal Vickers – Las Vegas Raiders (One year)

Rookies who signed NFL deals

  • Marquez Callaway – New Orleans Saints (Three years)
  • Darrell Taylor – Seattle Seahawks (Four years)

Practice squad players

  • Daniel Bituli – Los Angeles Rams
  • Tyler Bray – Chicago Bears
  • Jason Croom – Buffalo Bills
  • Jauan Jennings – San Francisco 49ers
  • John Kelly – Cleveland Browns
  • Josh Malone – New York Jets
  • Kahlil McKenzie – Cincinnati Bengals
  • Nigel Warrior – Baltimore Ravens

Obviously, lots of things about this stand out. Alvin Kamara is reportedly negotiating a new deal. Kendal Vickers is a surprise signing. He came out in 2017 and has been working his way towards an NFL roster since.

Next. All-time NFL Vols at each position. dark

On the other hand, Tennessee football rookies like Jauan Jennings and Daniel Bituli, who stand out more in games, didn’t get the chance to showcase their talents due to no preseason. As a result, this is a bit of a transition year for them, but Jennings will likely hang on to a spot.