VFLs in the NFL Playoffs

A look at former Vols who will compete in the NFL postseason

The biggest NFL regular season to date has officially come to a close, as Sunday Night's Chargers-Raiders chaotic behemoth of a game was the final one of the regular season. Now that the NFL playoffs are set to kickoff this weekend with a Super Wild Card Weekend spanning three days, let's take a look at all of the VFLs who will take part in the postseason. 

Derek Barnett, Eagles DE

Barnett's Eagles clinched a playoff spot after their Week 17 win against the Washington Football Team. Philadelphia enters the NFC Playoffs as the No. 7 seed and will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Buccaneers in the first round on Sunday. 

Season stats- Career-high 46 tackles, seven TFLs, 11 quarterback hits, two sacks. 

Tyler Bray, 49ers QB

After spending the majority of the regular season as a free agent, Bray was signed to the 49ers practice squad on December 29, 2021 and now has a chance to earn a ring if San Francisco were to win Super Bowl 56. 

Season Stats- Bray did not record a statistic in the 2021 regular season. 

Morgan Cox, Titans LS

Cox's Titans enter the playoffs in a great spot as the AFC's No. 1 seed, meaning Cox and the Titans have a first-round bye and will not play in Super Wild Card Weekend. Rather, they will take on the lowest remaining seed the following weekend in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Titans clinched the No. 1 seed with their Week 18 win over the Houston. Cox represents UT in the NFL Playoffs as the lone VFL Titan. 

Season Stats- In his first season as a Titan, Cox played all 17 games snapping kicks and punts. Cox was also responsible for one special teams tackle, the 12th of his career. 

Jason Croom, Eagles TE

Croom joins Barnett as VFL Eagles to make the playoffs, but Croom will not see any action as he was put on injured reserve after a serious knee injury in the preseason. 

Season stats- Croom did not record a statistic due to the season-ending knee injury sustained in August. 

Joshua Dobbs, Steelers QB

Dobbs' Steelers earned the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs with their overtime win against the Ravens in Week 18 and some help, as the Colts lost to the Jaguars and the Raiders-Chargers Sunday Night thriller did not end in a tie. The Steelers will travel to Kansas City to take on the No. 2 seed Chiefs on Sunday night. Dobbs has spent the entire season on injured reserve and will not participate in Pittsburgh's playoff game(s). Dobbs joins Cameron Sutton as VFL Steelers in the playoffs. 

Season stats- Dobbs did not record a statistic in his age 26 season after being placed on injured reserve in August. 

Alex Ellis, Cardinals TE

Alex Ellis' Cardinals enter the NFC Playoffs as the No. 5 seed, finishing second in the NFC West with an 11-6 record. Arizona finished the season fairly cold, as the Red Birds started the season 7-0 and have gone 4-6 since then. Ellis is the lone N]VFL Cardinal, but he will not play in the postseason as he is a member of the practice squad.

Season stats- Ellis did not record a statistic in his age 28 season. 

Jauan Jennings, 49ers WR

Jennings joins Bray as two of three VFL 49ers to make the NFL postseason. Jennings was instrumental in San Francisco's Week 18 win over the Los Angeles Rams that clinched a playoff spot. In a must win situation, Jennings was responsible for two game-tying touchdowns when the 49ers needed it most. The VFL finished the game with a career day stat line of six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers earned the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoff picture and will travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium. This year marks the first time in 26 years that the historic postseason rivalry will be played in the postseason. 

Season stats- After a career day, Jennings sophomore season (first season playing) comes to a close with the VFL having caught 24 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns. 

Jakob Johnson, Patriots FB

VFL Jakob Johnson represents UT as the lone VFL Patriot in the NFL postseason. The Patriots rebounded after a subpar 2020 to go 10-7 and make the playoffs as the sNo. 6 seed in the AFC. Johnson and the Patriots are set to travel to Buffalo to take on the No. 3 seed in the Bills for a rubber match, as both teams earned a win over the other in the regular season. 

Season stats- Johnson played every game for the Patriots at fullback for the second straight year and played frequently on special teams. Johnson caught four passes for 43 yards, his long being a 29-yard reception in week seven. 

Josh Malone, Packers WR

Josh Malone enters the NFL postseason as a member of the Green Bay Packers practice squad. The Packers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC and have a first-round bye, so Green Bay will make their first 2022 NFL Playoffs appearance in the Divisional Round. Malone has been on the Packers practice squad since December, and the VFL spent time on the Broncos practice squad earlier in the season.

Season stats- Malone did not record a statistic in his age 25 season.

Emmanuel Moseley, 49ers CB

Like Jennings, Moseley was instrumental in San Francisco's win over the Rams to clinch a playoff spot, as he intercepted Matthew Stafford one time and tallied six tackles. Moseley had missed four games prior to Week 18, as the VFL was activated off of injured reserve one day before the contest. Moseley figures to yet again serve as a starting cornerback for the red and gold against the Cowboys on Sunday in the Wild Card round. Moseley joins Jennings and Bray as the three VFL 49ers who have the opportunity to win a ring this postseason. Tennessee's representation on San Francisco is the most of any team in the playoffs and second to the Saints in the NFL. 

Season Stats- In 11 games, Moseley recorded 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, 11 pass deflections and the lone key interception in Week 18. 

Trey Smith, Chiefs OG

Trey Smith reaches the postseason in his rookie year as part of the 12-5 Kansas City Chiefs who earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC Playoff picture. Smith is lone VFL Chief and will represent UT in the NFL postseason on Super Wild Card Weekend when Kansas City hosts the Cameron Sutton and the No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. 

Season stats- Trey Smith finished his rookie year playing every offensive snap for the Chiefs at right guard and had one offensive fumble recovery.

Cameron Sutton, Steelers CB

Sutton joins Dobbs as the two VFL Steelers to reach the postseason with the black and yellow. Sutton played a big part in Pittsburgh's all but playoff clinching win over the Ravens in Week 18, as Sutton intercepted a Tyler Huntley pass when the Ravens were in the red zone to keep the game a four-point contest at 10-6. The Steelers eventually overcame that four-point deficit and won 16-13 in overtime with a game winning field goal from Chris Boswell. Sutton figures to start in the Steelers secondary when they travel to take on the No. 2 seed in the Chiefs. 

Season stats- Sutton started in 16 games and recorded a career season-high 52 tackles, four tackles for loss and two picks. Sutton also had six pass deflections and one forced fumble. 

Kendal Vickers, Raiders DE

Vickers' Raiders earned a playoff spot in chaotic fashion with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18's Sunday Night Football. Las Vegas would have made the playoffs with a tie as well, but circumstances allowed the Raiders to kick a game-winning 47-yard field goal and reach the postseason as the No. 5 seed. The Raiders are now set to travel to Cincinnati to take on the No. 4 seed in the Bengals on Saturday, the first game of Super Wild Card Weekend. Vickers is the lone VFL Raider, and Vegas will look to knock off the Bengals and achieve their first postseason victory since 2002.

Season stats- Since being elevated to the 53-man roster on November 10, Vickers has played snaps in two games. Recently, Vickers has been on the COVID-19 list and was inactive in Week 18. 

13 out of 33 VFLs who are on an NFL roster made the postseason. 

Out of the 14 NFL playoff teams, UT has at least one player on all but five (Bills, Bengals, Buccaneers, Cowboys and Rams).