The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorns in the NFL: Opening Week
09.05.2017 | Football
Twenty-four Longhorns will begin the 2017 season on active NFL rosters.
The University of Texas Football program has a long and storied history with sending players to the National Football League, evident with the Longhorns' 24 representatives on active rosters heading into week one. There are also three Longhorns coaching, two on injured reserve and two on the practice squad.
Orakpo Named Captain
Tennessee Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo was named one of six team captains for the Titans in 2017. He enters his third season with the franchise and is coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2016. Read the full release HERE.
Shanahan's Debut
Kyle Shanahan (2001-02) makes his debut as the San Francisco 49ers head coach on Sunday afternoon when they play host to the Carolina Panthers (3:25 p.m. CT) on FOX. Shanahan is joined by Longhorn Richard Hightower, who is the 49ers special teams' coordinator and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. That game will also feature Panthers' RB Fozzy Whitaker.
Longest Tenured Longhorns
Longhorn kicker Phil Dawson enters his 20th season in the league, having been active for the past 19 seasons. He is in his first season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. Dawson's 20-year career marks the longest by a Longhorn in school history. Prior to the start of Dawson's career, offensive lineman Adam Schrieber owned that mark for UT, having played 16 years in the league. Steve McMichael, Raymond Clayborn and Bobby Layne all played 15 years. Derrick Johnson enters his 13th season in the league in 2017.
Primetime Longhorns
Several Longhorns will be featured in primetime games during week one of the season.
- Thursday Night Football (7:30 p.m. CT) on NBC will feature Derrick Johnson's Kansas City Chiefs against Malcom Brown's New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
- Sunday Night Football (7:30 p.m. CT) on NBC will pit Keenan Robinson's New York Giants against Geoff Swaim's Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. Duke Thomas is on injured reserve for the Cowboys.
- Monday Night Football (6:10 p.m. CT) on ESPN has four Longhorns in the first game. Alex Okafor and Kenny Vaccaro's New Orleans Saints take to the road to play Brian Robison's Minnesota Vikings. Longhorn Jerry Gray coaches for the Vikings.
- Monday Night Football (9:20 p.m. CT) on ESPN features two more Longhorns in the nightcap as Adrian Phillips and the Los Angeles Chargers will take on Jamaal Charles and the Denver Broncos.
| Active | Team | Year in NFL | Week 1 Opponent |
| Sam Acho | Chicago Bears | 7th | vs. Atlanta Falcons (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Malcolm Brown | Los Angeles Rams | 3rd | vs. Indianapolis Colts (Sunday, 3:05 p.m. CT, CBS) |
| Malcom Brown | New England Patriots | 3rd | vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. CT, NBC) |
| Jamaal Charles | Denver Broncos | 10th | vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Monday, 9:20 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Phil Dawson | Arizona Cardinals | 20th | at Detroit Lions (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Quandre Diggs | Detroit Lions | 3rd | vs. Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| D'Onta Foreman | Houston Texans | 1st | vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, CBS) |
| Marquise Goodwin | San Francisco 49ers | 5th | vs. Carolina Panthers (Sunday, 3:25 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Jordan Hicks | Philadelphia Eagles | 3rd | at Washington Redskins (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Trey Hopkins | Cincinnati Bengals | 3rd | vs. Baltimore Ravens (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, CBS) |
| Derrick Johnson | Kansas City Chiefs | 13th | at New England Patriots (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. CT, NBC) |
| Marcus Johnson | Philadelphia Eagles | 2nd | at Washington Redskins (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Colt McCoy | Washington Redskins | 8th | vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Alex Okafor | New Orleans Saints | 5th | at Minnesota Vikings (Monday, 6:10 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Brian Orakpo | Tennessee Titans | 9th | vs. Oakland Raiders (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, CBS) |
| Adrian Phillips | Los Angeles Chargers | 3rd | at Denver Broncos (Monday, 9:20 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Hassan Ridgeway | Indianapolis Colts | 2nd | at Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, 3:05 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Keenan Robinson | New York Giants | 5th | at Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. CT, NBC) |
| Brian Robison | Minnesota Vikings | 11th | vs. New Orleans Saints (Monday, 6:10 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Geoff Swaim | Dallas Cowboys | 3rd | vs. New York Giants (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. CT, NBC) |
| Earl Thomas | Seattle Seahawks | 8th | at Green Bay Packers (Sunday, 3:25 p.m. CT, FOX) |
| Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens | 6th | at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, 12 p.m. CT, CBS) |
| Kenny Vaccaro | New Orleans Saints | 5th | at Minnesota Vikings (Monday, 6:10 p.m. CT, ESPN) |
| Fozzy Whittaker | Carolina Panthers | 5th | at San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 3:25 p.m. CT, FOX) |
Longest Tenured Longhorns' Bios
Phil Dawson (K) 20* (practice squad for NE in 1998)
Phil Dawson is set to begin his 20th season as a place kicker in the NFL and first season with the Arizona Cardinals after spending the previous four with the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to his time with the 49ers, Dawson spent 14 seasons (1999-2012) with the Cleveland Browns, where he is the franchise leader in career field goal percentage (305-for-363 – 84%) and set the Browns' single-season field goal percentage record in 2012 (29-for-31 – 93.5%). A 2012 Pro Bowl selection with the Browns, Dawson also holds franchise records for consecutive field goals made (29), consecutive games with a field goal (23), most field goals in a game (6), field goals in a season (30 in 2008), career field goals (305) and most 100+ points seasons (6). Dawson was also the first points for the expansion Browns on their return to Cleveland in 1999. Dawson holds the 49ers franchise record for most consecutive field goals made (27) and is a two-time second-team All-Pro selection (2007, 2012). Dawson spent his first season in the NFL on the practice squad for the New England Patriots.
Adam Schreiber (C/OL) 16
Adam Schreiber played in 202 games for seven teams during his 16-season NFL career, making the bulk of his appearances during a four-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings from 1990-1993. Schreiber was a member of the 1998 NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons. A ninth-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in the 1984 NFL Draft, Schreiber also played with the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and New York Giants.
Raymond Clayborn (CB) 15
Raymond Clayborn spent the first 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, starting for the first AFC Championship team in franchise history in 1985 and playing in Super Bowl XX. A three-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection with the team, Clayborn was selected 16th overall by the Patriots in the first round of the 1977 draft and elected to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2017. Clayborn is tied for the Patriots franchise record with 36 interceptions and is second in team history with 555 interception return yards. Not confined to the defensive side of the ball, Clayborn is also third in franchise history in kickoff return average (27.0) and 11th in kickoff return yards (1,538). In 1977, Clayborn returned two kickoffs for touchdown which were at the time the two longest in Patriots history, a 100-yarder at the New York Jets on October 2 and a 101-yarder at the Baltimore Colts on December 18. The two returns are still among the top five in the Patriot record books. Clayborn closed out his career playing two seasons for the Cleveland Browns, from 1990-1991.
Bobby Layne (QB) 15
Bobby Layne enjoyed a 15-year career in the league, quarterbacking the Detroit Lions to three NFL championships (1952, 1953, 1957) and retiring in 1962 as the NFL's career leader in passing attempts (3,700), completions (1,814), yards (26,786) and touchdowns (196). A three-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowl selection, Layne's No. 22 is retired by the Detroit Lions and he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1967. Layne was the third overall pick in the 1948 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, who had traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire the pick. After a season as a third-stringer with the Bears, Layne was traded to the New York Bulldogs for the 1949 campaign. In 1950, Layne was traded for the third time in three years, this time to Detroit where he would flourish for eight seasons. Layne stands second in Lions history in career passing yards (15,710), touchdowns (118) and completions (1,074). Layne spent the final five seasons of his career with the Steelers and was one of the last NFL players to play without a facemask.
Steve McMichael (DT) 15
Steve McMichael played defensive tackle for 15 NFL seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears, where he was a Super Bowl XX Champion and member the acclaimed 46 defense in 1985. McMichael was signed as a free agent by the Bears in 1981, seeing his first game action for the club in a Week 7 matchup with the Detroit Lions. McMichael would appear in every Bears game through 1993, setting a franchise record with 191 consecutive games played. The 191 total games was a Bears record at the time, but still stands as the most-ever for a defensive player and is tied for second-most in franchise history. McMichael holds the Bears record with three career safeties, which is tied for fourth-most in NFL history, and is second in franchise history with 92.5 sacks. A two-time first-team All-Pro selection while with the Bears, McMichael was initially drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1980 draft, McMichael wrapped up his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1994.
Diron Talbert (DT/DE) 14
Diron Talbert played 14 seasons as a defensive tackle in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. Talbert was a key member of the Redskins 1972 NFC Championship team, the first team in franchise history to reach the Super Bowl, and spent the final 10 seasons of his career with the team. A Pro Bowl selection in 1974, Talbert was named among the 70 Greatest Redskins and 80 Greatest Redskins by the franchise in commemoration of the respective 70th and 80th anniversaries of the team. Talbert was a fifth-round selection of the Rams and would spend the first four seasons of his career with the club.
Derrick Johnson (LB) 13*
Derrick Johnson is entering his 13th season in the NFL, all with the Kansas City Chiefs who selected 15th overall in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Johnson was selected a first-team All-Pro in 2011 and has been named to four Pro Bowls, earning the Defensive MVP award in the 2013 contest. He enters the 2017 campaign as the Chiefs' franchise career leader in tackles with 1,191, as well as the single-season record-holder with 179 in 2011. Johnson stands fourth in Chiefs' history in forced fumbles (22), tied for fifth in defensive and interception returns for touchdowns (4), eighth in games started (154), tied for 12th in sacks (27.5) and tied for 17th in games played (167). On January 3, 2010 against the Denver Broncos, Johnson became just the third player in NFL history to return a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in the same game.
Eric Metcalf (RB/WR/KR/PR) 13
Eric Metcalf played for seven teams during his illustrious 13-years NFL career. A first-round selection by Cleveland Browns in 1987, Metcalf lined up and running back and wide receiver during his career, but excelled in the return game, setting a then-NFL record for career punt return touchdowns with ten. He is seventh in NFL history in combined kick and punt returns (631) and 14th in combined kick and punt return yards (9,266). Metcalf was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and was named to three Pro Bowls. After spending the first six seasons of his career with the Browns, Metcalf went on to play two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and a season each with the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins, before closing out his career with the Green Bay Packers.
Cory Redding (DE) 13
Cory Redding was a third-round selection of the Detroit Lions in 2003 and went on to play 188 games on the defensive line for five teams. In his six seasons with the Lions, Redding collected 16 sacks, including eight in the 2006 season. Redding appeared in two AFC Championship games, first with the 2011 Baltimore Ravens and then with the 2014 Indianapolis Colts. Redding also played with the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
Shaun Rogers (DT) 13
Shaun Rogers was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Detroit Lions, who selected him in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Rogers played seven seasons at nose tackle and defensive tackle for the Lions, collecting 250 tackles and 29 sacks for the franchise, while also recovering nine fumbles, including four in 2007. Rogers enjoyed another Pro Bowl season while with the Cleveland Browns in 2008, registering 61 tackles while playing nose tackle. Rogers also spent time with the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.
