Clemson Professional Athletes

Lawrence and Williams Lead Clemson's NFL Week 1

The Tigers sent a message in NFL Week 1: Clemson alumni aren't just participating — they're headlining.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars QB

Four touchdown passes, 245 yards, and a 34-10 demolition of the Cleveland Browns. That's the kind of opening statement that gets MVP conversations started in September, and Lawrence delivered exactly that. Sports Illustrated called it a performance where he "plays like an MVP," and Fox Sports placed him among the early MVP candidates on their awards ballot.

Whether the hype is sustainable through 17 weeks is the fair question — Jacksonville's own coverage noted the MVP talk is an "overreaction" worth examining — but the floor Lawrence showed Sunday was undeniably high. He commanded the offense, spread the ball efficiently, and made the kind of plays that justify the franchise quarterback label he's carried since arriving in 2021.

Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders WR

If Lawrence was the veteran statement, Williams was the rookie arrival. The third-round wideout out of Clemson wasted no time making his mark: four catches, 64 yards, and a touchdown in Washington's Week 1 tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles. The performance was good enough to earn Pepsi Zero Sugar NFL Rookie of the Week honors, a formal recognition to go with what was already a memorable pro debut.

Williams' 22-24 loss to Philly stings from a team perspective, but his individual audition — scoring in a game against a contender's secondary — was exactly the kind of debut that builds a career.

The Flip Side: Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns QB

One Clemson QB flourished on Sunday; the other struggled. Watson, facing Lawrence and the Jaguars, finished with 205 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 38 rushing yards in Cleveland's blowout loss. It was his first start since 2024, and the rust showed. The aftermath has been loud — calls to bench him, pointed commentary from media figures, and a head coach navigating a quarterback controversy heading into Week 2.

Other Tigers Around the League

Travis Etienne Jr., now with the Saints, had a workmanlike debut: 46 rushing yards and seven catches for 32 yards in a tight 30-31 loss to the Lions. With Alvin Kamara back in New Orleans, Etienne's role will bear watching. Tee Higgins caught three balls for 59 yards in Cincinnati's 33-27 win over Tampa Bay. Will Shipley (Eagles), Jake Briningstool (Chiefs), and TJ Parker (Bills) also saw action, with Parker's Bills going 2-0 after Thursday's win over Detroit.

The Lawrence-Watson matchup in Jacksonville was, in microcosm, a snapshot of where Clemson's NFL legacy stands right now: one signal-caller ascending toward the award conversation, another fighting to hold his starting job. Williams' rookie arrival adds a new chapter to a Tiger alumni network that remains one of the most active in the NFL.

Three Clemson alumni are generating some of the loudest pre-Week 1 noise in the NFL — for vastly different reasons.

Lawrence Is Locked In

The Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator didn't need a press conference's worth of words to sum up Trevor Lawrence's offseason. According to Heavy Sports, Grant Udinski needed just two. That kind of understated confidence from the coaching staff signals that Lawrence — coming off a season in which Liam Coen's offense shattered internal expectations — has spent the summer trying to clear an even higher bar in Year 2 of that system.

Reports out of Jaguars training camp and joint practice sessions have consistently praised Lawrence's command and connection with his receivers. Jacksonville's season-opener looms, and the buzz around their quarterback feels different from prior years — quieter, more earned.

Etienne's $52M Moment

Travis Etienne landed in New Orleans this spring with a four-year, $52 million deal and an immediately complicated situation: the Saints still had Alvin Kamara on the roster. The plan was always a complementary backfield. But with Kamara nursing an injury that has raised serious Week 1 availability questions, Etienne finds himself as the unambiguous focal point of the Saints' ground game before the season even kicks off.

ESPN's Ben Solak named Etienne the Saints' X-factor for 2026 — and for good reason. Head coach Kellen Moore has made his stance plain: the Saints didn't invest $52 million in Etienne to manage a committee. Moore has been publicly bullish on his new back, and with the Kamara situation still unresolved, Etienne's role could be even larger than the franchise envisioned when they signed him.

ESPN's own analysts have offered a counterpoint, warning the Saints about the inherent risk of paying top dollar at the running back position. Whether that skepticism proves prescient or misplaced may define New Orleans' playoff push — the franchise hasn't been to the postseason since 2020.

Higgins Watching the Clock

The news out of Cincinnati is less encouraging. Tee Higgins missed practice this week with a foot issue, adding another layer of anxiety to a Bengals fanbase that has watched injury trouble derail promising seasons before. With Cincinnati opening against Tampa Bay, the timeline is tight. Higgins' status bears watching closely over the next several days as the Bengals finalize their Week 1 roster picture.

Beyond the Headlines

Clemson's NFL footprint extends well beyond these three. Phil Mafah, who had been in the mix for the Cowboys' backfield, was released during Dallas's final roster cuts. Elsewhere, Barrett Carter (Bengals), Myles Murphy (Bengals), Ruke Orhorhoro (Jaguars), and Bryan Bresee (Saints) are all positioned for meaningful roles in 2026 — quietly carrying the Tiger standard into a new season while their more celebrated former teammates absorb the spotlight.

Week 1 arrives with Lawrence poised, Etienne under pressure to deliver, and Higgins racing against the clock. Clemson has always produced NFL contributors — this week, three of them are front and center in the league's opening narrative.

Jacksonville Goes All-In Behind Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence isn't just the face of the Jacksonville Jaguars — he's the centerpiece of a franchise that's betting its future on sustaining last season's momentum. With a breakout year in the rearview mirror, the Jaguars are making deliberate moves to ensure 2026 isn't a one-year wonder, and that effort started with a preseason roster decision at quarterback.

Jacksonville swung a trade with the Miami Dolphins this week to acquire Quinn Ewers, the former University of Texas standout, as Lawrence's new backup. The deal, completed just ahead of the pre-cut deadline, reshapes the Jaguars' QB depth chart and gives the team a higher-profile insurance policy behind their franchise signal-caller. Terms of the trade were reported across multiple outlets, and Ewers is expected to slot in immediately as QB2 in Jacksonville.

The move is a calculated one. The Jaguars aren't suggesting Lawrence is anything but their unquestioned starter — he is, and by a wide margin — but adding a name-brand backup signals organizational confidence. Teams that expect to compete don't invest in depth for positions they're unsure about at the top.

According to Fox Sports, Jacksonville is taking specific steps to build on what became a defining season for Lawrence, who has worked to shed the "unfulfilled potential" label that followed him out of Clemson and into his early NFL years. The narrative entering 2026 is different: Lawrence is no longer a prospect being developed — he's a proven commodity being optimized.

Fellow Clemson alum Tanner Muse, Ruke Orhorhoro, Baylon Spector, and Tyler Shatley also remain on the Jacksonville roster, giving the Jaguars a notable Tiger contingent beyond their QB1.

Watson's Cleveland Chaos, and a Hopkins Side Note

Elsewhere in the league, fellow Clemson alum Deshaun Watson is generating headlines for far less enviable reasons. The Cleveland Browns named Watson their Week 1 starter over second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders — a decision that immediately drew scrutiny. Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III publicly suggested the call wasn't actually made by head coach Todd Monken, and fan backlash was severe enough that Jim Brown's statue outside the stadium was vandalized in protest.

Watson's contract situation compounds the noise: the Browns face significant dead-cap consequences if they move on from him, making the commitment feel more like a sunk-cost trap than a genuine vote of confidence. Watson's path to proving doubters wrong — including a notably blunt Ryan Fitzpatrick — runs directly through regular-season performance, and the margin for error is essentially zero.

On a lighter note in Baltimore, DeAndre Hopkins continues to draw mentions even when he isn't the subject. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, when asked about touted rookie receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, reached for the highest praise he could muster — comparing Lane's hands to those of Odell Beckham Jr. and Hopkins. For a Clemson alumnus who has spent years cementing a Hall of Fame-caliber resume, being the benchmark for the next generation is its own kind of accolade.