Florida Professional Athletes

McPherson Kicks Bengals Into the History Books

Evan McPherson didn't just make field goals in Cincinnati's Week 1 win over Tampa Bay — he made history. The former Florida Gator went a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts as the Bengals held off the Buccaneers 33-27, and the performance was good enough to earn him his fifth AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called him "the best kicker in the league" after the game, and the hardware suggests the rest of the NFL agrees. McPherson has now collected more AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors than any kicker in Bengals franchise history.

It's a clean, emphatic opening statement from a player who's made clutch kicking his calling card since arriving in Cincinnati out of Gainesville.

Anzalone's Rough Night in Tampa

The same game that cemented McPherson's legend was one to forget for fellow Gator Alex Anzalone. The veteran linebacker, now in Tampa Bay's colors after signing with the Buccaneers in the offseason, turned in the team's lowest-graded performance of the night. Per PFF, Anzalone missed two tackles and surrendered multiple chunk plays in coverage, finishing with a 32.3 overall grade. Head coach Todd Bowles publicly backed his veteran, but a 36 run-defense grade is a tough number to defend heading into Week 2.

Around the League

Elsewhere, the Gator pipeline produced a mixed Week 1 bag:

Malik Davis won't be a factor for the Cowboys the rest of the season. The running back underwent hip surgery after suffering a serious injury in practice, landing on injured reserve and forcing Dallas to scramble for backfield depth before their Week 2 matchup with the Giants.

Kaiir Elam's time with the Chargers is over before it really started. Los Angeles cut ties with the former first-round cornerback just days after the season opener, releasing him from the practice squad. Elam, selected 23rd overall in the 2022 draft, never found a foothold in the league after being traded out of Buffalo.

Austin Barber had the kind of debut that turns into a career. The rookie offensive lineman impressed Cleveland's coaching staff enough in the Browns' Week 1 loss to the Jaguars that he locked down his starting spot on the offensive line going forward — a rare bright spot in a difficult day for Cleveland.

Kyle Pitts is still searching for his 2026 footing. The Falcons tight end was targeted just once in Atlanta's 13-20 loss to Pittsburgh and failed to record a reception, leaving fantasy managers and Gator faithful alike frustrated heading into Week 2.

Jonathan Greenard was ruled out for the Eagles' Week 2 game against Tennessee, continuing an injury-hampered stretch for the edge rusher, who also missed time in the lead-up to the opener.

Anthony Richardson avoided a serious scare after missing practice Tuesday with a weightlifting injury, and remained on track to serve as the Colts' QB2 behind starter Daniel Jones for their Week 2 matchup.

It's early, but the McPherson story is the one worth bookmarking. If Week 1 is any indication, the Bengals' kicker isn't just the most reliable Gator in the NFL — he might be the most reliable kicker in it, full stop.

Florida's NFL alumni had a week that ran the full emotional spectrum — from a touchdown catch in an international opener to a season-ending surgery before the first kickoff.

Robinson Lights Up Australia

Demarcus Robinson gave 49ers fans their first reason to smile in 2026, hauling in a 39-yard touchdown strike from Brock Purdy in San Francisco's 27–7 dismantling of the Rams on Thursday night. The former Gator finished the game with 2 catches for 50 yards and the score — a night that doubles as an early statement for a 49ers squad now nudging Super Bowl odds in their favor. With fellow Gator Ricky Pearsall sidelined and his return timeline uncertain, Robinson stepping up as a reliable weapon in San Francisco's opener couldn't have been better timed.

Davis Out Before He Started

The week's gut-punch came out of Dallas. Running back Malik Davis — expected to serve as a key piece in the Cowboys' backfield — suffered a serious hip injury in practice Friday and was placed on injured reserve without a return designation, effectively ending his season before it began. Surgery is scheduled. The Cowboys moved quickly to fill the void, signing Israel Abanikanda off the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Davis's loss rippled wide enough to spark trade speculation linking Dallas to Seattle, but the Gator faithful are left watching a promising campaign dissolve before Week 1.

Jefferson's Washington Roller-Coaster

Van Jefferson's path through the week was its own kind of drama. The former Ram signed a one-year deal with Washington in the offseason, then found himself cut during final roster reductions. Eight days later, the Commanders came calling again — this time with a practice squad spot. Jefferson accepted, landing back in D.C. just in time for Washington's Week 1 matchup against the Eagles. It's not the starring role Jefferson envisioned, but staying in the building keeps the door open.

Around the Swamp

Elsewhere, Jonathan Greenard (Eagles) was ruled out for Week 1, adding another notable Gator to the week's injury ledger. On the roster-movement front, D.J. Humphries was released by Washington before their opener — the tackle's departure was part of the same series of moves that ultimately cleared a path for Jefferson's return to the practice squad. Anthony Richardson's situation in Indianapolis also remains unresolved; his agent confirmed a trade request exists but said he does not expect a deal to happen during the 2026 season, meaning the former Gator QB will be quarterbacking his trade tensions right alongside the Colts' offense.

A season-ending injury, a practice-squad second chance, and a touchdown on the world stage — Florida's NFL alumni delivered a week that needed no quiet moments.

Florida Gators in the NFL | Week of Aug. 30–Sept. 5, 2026

The most consequential week of the NFL roster calendar produced two significant storylines for Florida alumni — one about a former blue-chip pick finding a foothold, the other about a franchise cleaning house from a failed era.

Richardson Embraces QB2 Reality in Indianapolis

Anthony Richardson's turbulent offseason in Indianapolis ended not with a trade, but with a depth chart announcement. Colts head coach Shane Steichen confirmed Thursday that Richardson — the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft — will serve as Daniel Jones' backup to open the 2026 season, beating out second-year quarterback Riley Leonard for the job.

The decision came after a winter and spring defined by trade speculation. Richardson had reportedly requested a trade, and the football world spent months debating whether GM Chris Ballard would move on from him entirely. Ballard settled the question definitively at a press conference earlier in the week: "He is going to be an Indianapolis Colt this year."

Richardson, for his part, wasn't bitter. "I'm thankful the Colts believe in me enough to make me QB2," he said Thursday, per Pro Football Talk. Steichen credited Richardson's work through the offseason program and training camp for earning the role over Leonard.

The former Gator is now in the final year of his rookie contract, which adds urgency — and opportunity — to the situation. As Sports Illustrated noted, historical trends suggest backup quarterbacks see the field more often than depth charts imply, meaning Richardson could still salvage the narrative of a career that has yet to match its draft-night expectations. For now, though, the Gainesville product seems to have made peace with his circumstances and reoriented toward proving himself whenever his number is called.

Dexter Dealt from Chicago to Atlanta

While Richardson's situation resolved in place, Gervon Dexter's ended with a one-way ticket out of Chicago. The Bears traded the defensive tackle to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of the league's roster cutdown deadline, closing the book on a remnant of the Matt Eberflus coaching era that Chicago's front office has been systematically dismantling.

FanSided framed the deal plainly: Dexter was the last holdover from an Eberflus-era roster construction that the Bears have since abandoned. In Atlanta, the move fits a deliberate vision. Falcons GM Ian Cunningham explained the acquisition in terms of building a more physically dominant defensive line — what he described as a "powerful" front — with Dexter, a former second-round pick, slotted to contribute immediately as a rotational or starting interior presence.

Dexter lands in an Atlanta defensive room that already includes fellow Gator C.J. Henderson at cornerback and Jawaan Taylor at offensive tackle, giving the Falcons a notable concentration of Florida alumni on their roster.

One More Gator to Watch

Elsewhere on the depth chart circuit, linebacker Alex Anzalone held his starting spot in Tampa Bay, though the Buccaneers made clear that rookie Josiah Trotter is pushing for a starting role alongside him. Anzalone isn't out of the lineup yet, but the competition is worth tracking as the regular season opens.

For Gator fans, the headline remains Richardson — a former franchise centerpiece navigating the humbling arithmetic of NFL roster math, with one more year to change the story.

Anthony Richardson's Preseason Audition — For Someone

The most complicated story in Indianapolis this preseason has a Florida Gator at its center. Anthony Richardson Sr. — who requested a trade this offseason — was handed the start in the Colts' preseason finale against the Detroit Lions, a last audition that doubled as a showcase for potential suitors. Richardson made the most of it: he opened the game with two first-quarter scoring drives, connected with veteran Keenan Allen on his first pass, and played just under a half before giving way to the rest of the depth chart.

The performance landed well, but the situation surrounding it remains murky. Trade rumors have followed Richardson all summer, and his name continues to surface in quarterback chatter league-wide. When asked about his future, the former Gator kept it short: "I'm just looking forward to helping the team." Assistant GM Ed Dodds has hinted that Richardson's path in Indy likely runs through the backup role behind starter Daniel Jones — meaning Richardson is now in a competition with Riley Leonard for the QB2 job he never envisioned needing. He made his case. Whether Indianapolis — or someone else — is listening is another matter.

Pitts and Tua Share the Spotlight in Atlanta

Kyle Pitts is doing what Pitts does: showing up in the right situation and making the most of it. The former Florida standout suited up for the Falcons in their preseason finale against the Dolphins, sharing a game with Tua Tagovailoa, who himself is competing for the starting quarterback job in Atlanta. The pairing of a star-caliber tight end with a QB trying to reclaim his footing made for one of the more watchable preseason storylines of the week. Tua saw mixed results in his final audition for the Falcons' QB1 role, but Pitts' presence as a safety valve remains one of the more reliable features of Atlanta's offense regardless of who's under center.

Elsewhere in Gator Nation

Evan McPherson continued a strong summer in Cincinnati. The Bengals kicker has been one of the standout specialists in training camp and the preseason, putting together what reporters are calling a "statement" performance that reinforces his standing as one of the better young kickers in the league.

Eddy Pineiro, meanwhile, capped the 49ers' preseason with a perfect outing against the Raiders — finishing the exhibition slate without a miss and earning winner status in the postgame breakdown. San Francisco's kicking situation looks settled heading into the regular season.

Dante Fowler garnered praise in Seattle, where a Yahoo Sports breakdown of the Seahawks' under-the-radar contributors flagged the veteran edge rusher as one of the team's hidden-gem contributors for 2026. Fowler, who began his NFL career as a first-round pick out of Florida in 2015, is entering a new chapter with a Seahawks squad built around defensive aggression under Mike Macdonald.

Gervon Dexter's name surfaced in trade talk as well — the Bears have reportedly been fielding calls on the defensive tackle, adding another Florida alum to the list of Gators whose immediate futures are unsettled heading into roster cut-down weekend.

Florida's NFL footprint is as wide as ever. The question now is which Gators land where when the real games begin.