DeShon Elliott, Miami Dolphins

After signing a one-year, $1.77 million deal with the Miami Dolphins, DeShon Elliott looked to get a contract extension and compete for a starting spot at safety. The player he had to compete against? Former Longhorn teammate and good friend, Brandon Jones. Elliott and Jones met riding the bench at DKR in 2016 and remained friends throughout the years; they did a segment together for the Dolphins called ‘Best Fins Forever,’ riding horses together to take them back to their Texas roots. Elliott showed a lot of potential in his college years, getting drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019. After spending three seasons with the Ravens, Elliott moved to play for the Detroit Lions, where he had 13 starts in 2022. So far in the season, Jones, Elliott and starter Jevon Holland have both played in approximately the same number of games. Holland was out for several weeks due to concussion protocol, and now Jones is out with a concussion, giving Elliott lots of playing time and the opportunity to shine on a team that has the potential to make it to the Super Bowl. 

Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens

Devin Duvernay, Elliott’s former teammate at Texas and Baltimore, is entering his contract year this season. Before a foot injury sidelined him in 2022, he became the only player in Ravens franchise history with rushing, receiving and kickoff return touchdowns. As a two-time Pro Bowler at the returner position, Duvernay’s contribution to the team has been felt mostly on special teams. In a win against the Titans, Duvernay received three punts for a total of 91 yards. But Duvernay is struggling at wide receiver. Even with Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman sidelined due to injury, Duvernay was only targeted for two snaps in a win against the Browns at the beginning of October.

D’Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears

In his sixth season in the NFL, veteran running back D’Onta Foreman has been excelling as a starter for the Bears. In a game against the Raiders, Foreman had a fantastic performance, rushing for two touchdowns and 89 yards overall and catching a short pass to run for a 31-yard touchdown. In his time at Texas, Foreman won the 2016 Doak Walker Award and rushed for 2,782 yards throughout his career, which is the ninth-most in the school’s history. Drafted by the Texans in 2017, he spent two seasons with them before bouncing around several different teams: the Titans, Falcons, Panthers and then finally settled down with the Bears. 

Keondre Coburn, Denver Broncos

Fairly new to the NFL, 2023 Kansas City sixth-round draft pick nose tackle Keondre Coburn has moved around quite a bit. In order to make room for the returning defensive end Charles Omenihu, the Chiefs placed Coburn on waivers, hoping to keep him on their practice squad. However, the Chiefs’ AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos, stepped in to take Coburn off of waivers, releasing wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Coburn will most likely get more opportunities to play on the Broncos roster; with the Chiefs, Coburn only played in Week 1, recording one tackle for a loss of yardage. The Broncos need help with their run defense, which ranks last in the NFL, and the 6-foot-2-inch, 332 lb Coburn will most likely be able to help them.