Gators in the NFL: Week 2
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 | Football
Notable special teams members continue to shine and familiar faces come to life in week 2 of the NFL season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Week 2 of the NFL season saw 47 former Gators on rosters across the league, with 35 of them active. Former kickers put up big numbers on Sunday, including a game winner. Austin Barber and Ventrell Miller make the board once again, while a Gator rookie shines in his first away game.
Each week of the 2026-27 season, FloridaGators.com will cover all of the best moments from the NFL stars who made a name for themselves in Gainesville.
Offense
Austin Barber - OG - Cleveland Browns
Barber continues to shine, not allowing a single pressure, as the Browns were able to pick up their first win of the season. Barber recorded a PFF pass blocking grade of 88.1 which ranked third out of all offensive linemen in week two. This brought up Barber's season-long pass blocking grade to an 88.8 which is the second highest in the NFL out of all offensive linemen.
Highest offensive grade among rookie OL through Sunday
— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2026
Austin Barber 82.6
Blake Miller 74.7
Vega Ioane 73.0
Kadyn Proctor 71.2
Keylan Rutledge 70.3 pic.twitter.com/rmHNIGthdj
Defense
Caleb Banks - DT - Minnesota Vikings
In his second career game in the NFL, the Vikings' first-round pick saw over double the snap counts from last week and was a notable piece in the team's strong defensive performance on the road. Banks racked up six tackles, including one for a loss, and recorded his first QB hurry. He will look to build on this performance as the Vikings travel south to Tampa to face the Buccaneers this Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
Defense did their thing 💪 pic.twitter.com/TjMKUZNnZg
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 21, 2026
Ventrell Miller - LB - Jacksonville Jaguars
For the second straight week to start the season, Jaguars tenured linebacker Ventrell Miller led the team in tackles with seven. In a highly anticipated AFC matchup against the Broncos, Miller played 47 of the 62 available defensive snaps, while also leading the team in defensive PFF grade with a 78.5. Next week, Jacksonville travels back home to play another key opponent in New England.
Special Teams
Trey Smack - K - Green Bay Packers
Smack has already started to put the league on notice two games into his NFL career. Smack made both PATs for Green Bay, but the fourth quarter was when Trey was really able to display his clutch gene. With just under three minutes to go, Smack hit a 34 yarder to tie the game and allow the Packers to enter overtime. In OT, Smack hit a 26 yard game winning field goal to give the Packers their first win of the season and send them back to Green Bay with momentum leading up to their home debut on Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons.
FOR THE WIN!
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 20, 2026
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/6SaV3LwqmI
Evan McPherson - K - Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals kicker has had more than a strong start to the season. Following an impressive performance against the Buccaneers, McPherson continued to showcase the leg power as he made field goals of 51 and 57 yards while making both of his PATs. McPherson is tied for the lead in field goals made with six and he is the only kicker to have more than two 50+ yard field goals as he has four, all while maintaining a 100% field goal percentage. McPherson raised his season long point total to 23 points which leads all kickers.
And it's good.#CINatHOU on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/aiF9PRTZ7I
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 20, 2026
For a complete list of Gators in the NFL, see below.
Arizona Cardinals (ARI 7-31 SEA)
90 - Zachary Carter - DT - 4 years (IR)
Atlanta Falcons (ATL 3-34 CAR)
39 - C.J. Henderson - CB - 6 years (4 TOT)
95 - Gervon Dexter Sr. - DT - 4 years (0.5 sacks, 4 pressures)
71 - Jawaan Taylor - OT - 8 years
8 - Kyle Pitts - TE - 6 years (1 REC, 15 yards)
Buffalo Bills (BUF 41-31 DET)
22 - C.J. Gardner-Johnson - S - 8 years (1 TOT)
64 - O'Cyrus Torrence - G - 4 years
39 - Tommy Doman - P - Rookie (2 punts, 83 yards, 1 IN20, Long of 43)
Carolina Panthers (CAR 34-3 ATL)
92 - Cam Jackson - DT - 2 years (2 TOT)
73 - Stone Forsythe - OT - 6 years
56 - Jeremiah Moon - LB - 3 years (4 TOT)
Cincinnati Bengals (CIN 20-6 HOU)
2 - Evan McPherson - K - 6 years (2/2 FG, Long of 57, 2/2 PATs)
98 - T. J. Slaton - DL - 6 years (2 TOT)
25 - Trikweze Bridges - CB - 2 years (Practice Squad)
Cleveland Browns (CLE 23-19 TB)
58 - Austin Barber - OT - Rookie
Dallas Cowboys (DAL 37-20 WAS)
90 - Jonathan Bullard - DE - 11 years (1 TOT, 1 QB hit)
20 - Malik Davis - RB - 3 years (IR)
50 - Shemar James - LB - 2 years (3 TOT)
29 - Devin Moore - CB - Rookie (IR)
Denver Broncos (DEN 20-13 JAX)
16 - Jeremy Crawshaw - P - 2 years (3 punts, 137 yards, Long of 48)
Green Bay Packers (GB 20-17 NYJ)
57 - Brenton Cox Jr. - DL - 4 years (2 TOT, 3 QBH)
87 - J. Michael Sturdivant - WR - Rookie
28 - Trey Smack - K - Rookie (2/2 FG, Long of 34, 2/2 PATs)
Houston Texans (HOU 6-20 CIN)
77 - Trent Brown - OT - 12 years
18 - Graham Mertz - QB - 2 years (IR)
Indianapolis Colts (IND 30-33 KC)
5 - Anthony Richardson Sr. - QB - 4 years
52 - George Gumbs Jr. - DE - Rookie
Jacksonville Jaguars (JAX 13-20 DEN)
51 - Ventrell Miller - LB - 4 years (7 TOT, 1 QBH)
Las Vegas Raiders (LV 26-14 LAC)
88 - Justin Shorter - WR - 4 years (IR)
Los Angeles Chargers (LAC 14-26 LV)
66 - Jake Slaughter - C - Rookie
29 - Kaiir Elam - CB - 5 years (Practice Squad)
Miami Dolphins (MIA 13-35 SAN)
4 - Jason Marshall Jr. - CB - 2 years (6 TOT)
Minnesota Vikings (MIN 9-3 CHI)
95 - Caleb Banks - DT - Rookie (6 TOT, 1 TFL, 1 QBH)
New York Giants (NYG 6-28 LAR)
66 - Kingsley Eguakun - OL - 2 years (Practice Squad)
Philadelphia Eagles (PHI 24-20 TEN)
74 - Fred Johnson - OT - 8 years
52 - Jonathan Greenard - OLB - 7 years (PUP List)
41 - Rocco Underwood - LS - Rookie
39 - Dameon Pierce - RB - 5 years (Practice Squad)
San Francisco 49ers (SF 35-MIA 13)
11 - Demarcus Robisnon - WR - 11 years (3 REC, 34 yards)
18 - Eddy Piñeiro - K - 9 years (5/5 PATs)
1 - Ricky Pearsall - WR - 3 years (IR)
Seattle Seahawks (SEA 31-7 ARI)
56 - Dante Fowler Jr. - DE - 12 years (2 QBH)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (TB 19-23 TB)
34 - Alex Anzalone - LB - 10 years (8 TOT)
Tennessee Titans (TEN 20-24 PHI)
78 - Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson - OT - 2 years
17 - Chimere Dike - WR - 2 years (4 KR, 101 Yards, 1 PR, 9 Yards)
3 - Tommy Townsend - P - 7 years (4 Punts, 203 Yards, 1 IN20, Long 65)
Washington Commanders (WSH 20-37 DAL)
12 - Van Jefferson - WR - 7 years
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