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Top 5 Former Alabama Players in the NFL: Defense Tops Week 5

A look at the top five performances by former Crimson Tide football players during Week 5 of the 2020 NFL Season
Christopher Walsh|
Top 5 Former Alabama Players in the NFL: Defense Tops Week 5
Top 5 Former Alabama Players in the NFL: Defense Tops Week 5

Like usual, there were a lot of outstanding players and plays made by former members of the Alabama football program during Week 5 of the NFL season. 

But what might have stood out most of all was the high number of former Crimson Tide players who didn't play this past weekend for a variety of reasons. 

Checking the BamaCentral Alabama Players in the NFL Database and tracker, compiled and continually updated by Kristi Patrick, there were 20 former Crimson Tide players who weren't eligible to play for a variety of reasons. They include those who opted out of the season, injured reserved and those listed on practice squads. 

On top of that, four players had their game rescheduled, with the Broncos vs. the Patriots, so they didn't have a Week 5. 

Three had a bye week.

Two, including Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, were inactive.

And two more didn't play as they were backup quarterbacks.

Tuesday night, Derrick Henry and Rashaan Evans will suit up for the Titans against the Bills with T.J. Yeldon, rounding out the week (and we will update if necessary).

Maybe one of them will have a performance worthy of cracking our weekly top-five list, but in the meantime some items of note and some honorable mentions: 

• Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis made his NFL debut.

• Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had his first completion. 

• Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught eight passes for 136 yards after being shut out the previous week. 

• Safety Landon Collins led Washington with 10 tackles, including one for a loss, to edge defensive lineman Jonathan Allen with eight. 

Here's our top five for the week:

5] Dalvin Tomlinson, DL, Giants

Against the Cowboys he was credited with six tackles, including two for a loss and a sack. 

4] Josh Jacobs, RB, Raiders

Scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and finished with 77 rushing yards to help lead the Raiders over the Chiefs, 40-32  

3] Henry Ruggs III, WR, Raiders 

After missing the two previous games with an injury, the wide receiver showed why the Raiders took him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He caught only two passes, but they were backbreaker-type for 118 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown. It prompted his quarterback to give him a "Roll Tide."

2] Marlon Humphrey, CB, Ravens

In addition to having five tackles, including a sack, Humphrey gave his dad a birthday present with a forced fumble that teammate Patrick Queen picked up and returned 53 yards for a touchdown as the Ravens dominated the Bengals.  

1] Ronnie Harrison, S, Browns 

In his first start for the Browns since being acquired in a preseason trade with the Jaguars, the safety scored his first NFL touchdown on a 47-yard interception return early in the third quarter. It put Cleveland up 27-10, en route to a 32-23 victory. Harrison also broke up a big third-down pass attempt in the first half, but didn't finish the game due to a concussion.  

The week's best move, though, was Browns tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. surprising his mother with a Lexus.

This story will be updated if necessary after Tuesday night's game. 

Top 5 Alabama Players in the NFL will appear every Tuesday on BamaCentral, and as part of The Jay Barker Show.

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 26 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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