Kentucky Professional Athletes

The Iron Man Approaches 200

Jake Matthews is one start away from history.

The Atlanta Falcons left tackle made his 199th consecutive start on Monday night against the Ravens, keeping alive what is now the longest active streak in the NFL. The Kentucky product has quietly built one of the most remarkable durability records in the league, and start No. 200 is within sight. Context makes the number even more striking: offensive linemen grind through injuries and roster turnover that end most careers well before this kind of milestone becomes a conversation.

There's a catch, though. Both Matthews and fellow Kentucky alum Za'Darius Smith — the Falcons' defensive end — did not practice Wednesday ahead of their next contest. Matthews appeared on the injury report, putting the record chase on brief hold. Smith's week was rougher still: he took a knee to the head during the Ravens game and was listed as questionable to return. The Falcons will need both men healthy for the stretch run.

Bills' Hairston Under Fire

Maxwell Hairston's second NFL season has not gone according to plan.

The Bills' first-round cornerback and Kentucky alum has struggled through Buffalo's early schedule, drawing calls for a benching after a particularly rough Week 4 loss to the Patriots — a defeat that snapped the Bills' unbeaten start. Hairston publicly apologized for his actions after the loss. Head coach Joe Brady stood behind his cornerback, declining to pull him from the lineup, but the scrutiny is real and getting louder.

Buffalo's secondary has been a collective problem, not solely Hairston's burden, but as a high-profile draft pick the spotlight follows him. He acknowledged he needs to be better "in every way." Whether Brady's public confidence translates to an on-field turnaround is the story to watch for Kentucky fans tracking the Bills.

Meanwhile, teammate Deone Walker — another Wildcat on Buffalo's defense — suited up in the same loss, though the DT didn't register counting stats in the box score.

Rodriguez and McGowan Deliver on the Ground

Two Kentucky running backs delivered when called upon in Week 5.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. was the most productive of the bunch, rushing for 35 yards and punching in a touchdown as the Jaguars beat the Bengals 22-17. Jacksonville leaned on their Kentucky product at the goal line, and he delivered. Josh Hines-Allen also suited up for the Jaguars in that win, though the defensive end did not record stats.

In Indianapolis, Seth McGowan is making a legitimate case for more carries. With Jonathan Taylor on the roster, McGowan still drew a critical short-yardage opportunity on fourth-and-1 in the Colts' London win over Washington — and converted it. He finished with 31 rushing yards and seven receiving yards in a 30-13 victory. His ability to earn trust in high-leverage moments is noteworthy for a player fighting for a defined role.

Elsewhere Around the League

Wan'Dale Robinson gave Titans fans something to cheer despite a 24-18 loss to Baltimore, catching three passes for 19 yards and hauling in a touchdown. Carrington Valentine was active for the Packers in their narrow 17-14 win over Tampa Bay, though the veteran cornerback has emerged as a potential trade candidate with Green Bay sitting at 1-2 entering the week. Packers center Jager Burton also returned to practice Thursday after missing time to injury — a positive sign for Green Bay's offensive line.

Kentucky alumni left their mark across the NFL in Week 3, with standout performances on offense, a milestone rushing score in Jacksonville, and an injury scare in Pittsburgh that ended with a sigh of relief.

Robinson Carries the Titans — Briefly

Wan'Dale Robinson was the lone bright spot on a struggling Tennessee offense, hauling in 7 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants in a 12-7 Titans loss. A snap count analysis from Sports Illustrated flagged Robinson as the team's singular offensive highlight of the week, even as Tennessee's backfield depth fell further behind. The former Kentucky standout continues to cement himself as one of the Titans' most reliable pass-catchers, a welcome development for a receiver corps in need of consistency.

Rodriguez Jr. Punches It In for Jacksonville

Chris Rodriguez Jr. carried the ball for 37 yards and found the end zone in the Jaguars' dominant 35-6 blowout of the New England Patriots. The former Kentucky running back capitalized on a Jacksonville offensive performance that left little doubt — the Jaguars controlled the game from start to finish. Rodriguez Jr.'s touchdown added a Kentucky stamp to a lopsided win that also featured plenty of storylines elsewhere on the roster.

It wasn't all football on the Jacksonville sideline, either. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen went viral after a sideline confrontation with an equipment staffer over the game ball following teammate Travis Hunter's first career interception. Hines-Allen, trying to secure the memento for Hunter, was caught on camera in a tense exchange that lit up social media — a lighthearted footnote on an otherwise dominant afternoon for the Jaguars.

Echols Clears Concussion Protocol

The most anxious Kentucky storyline of the week came out of Pittsburgh. Cornerback Brandin Echols was placed in the concussion protocol after going down during a pivotal fumble play against the Cincinnati Bengals — a game the Steelers ultimately won 30-27. Echols had been injured on what Sports Illustrated described as a "heroic" play that helped Pittsburgh recover a punt deep in Bengals territory.

The good news arrived quickly: the Steelers confirmed positive updates on Echols' recovery, and he is expected to be available for Pittsburgh's Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. For a Steelers secondary already navigating multiple injury concerns, clearing Echols through protocol was no small relief.

Around the League

Elsewhere, Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker drew significant praise from former NFL offensive linemen for his disruptive play against the Los Angeles Chargers in Buffalo's 24-16 win — though Walker was limited in practice later in the week. Fellow Bill Maxwell Hairston suited up in the same contest. Bud Dupree was on the opposite sideline for the Chargers.

In New York, Dru Phillips logged snaps for the Giants in their narrow 12-7 win over the Titans — the same game Robinson starred in — giving Kentucky a presence on both sides of that matchup.

The Wildcats' NFL footprint remains wide: from touchdowns in Tennessee and Jacksonville to injury scares in Pittsburgh, Week 3 was another reminder that Kentucky's pipeline to the pros is very much open for business.

Kentucky Alumni Report: NFL Week of Sept. 20–26

Kentucky has no shortage of NFL alumni, but this week two Wildcats commanded the spotlight — one as the league's most dominant defender, the other finding a lifeline after a rocky offseason.

Deone Walker Is Becoming a Problem

Buffalo's second-year defensive tackle didn't just have a good Week 2 — he had the best week of any defender in the NFL, at least according to Pro Football Focus. Walker earned the top PFF grade among all defenders for the week, turning heads league-wide and confirming that his strong rookie campaign was no fluke.

The New York Times ran a feature on how Walker found his confidence after arriving in Buffalo, and Yahoo Sports followed with a deep dive on how he's evolved from a promising prospect into a genuine interior disruptor. At 6-foot-7 and carrying elite athleticism for the position, Walker is doing things along Buffalo's defensive front that make offensive linemen's lives miserable. The Bills are off to a hot start, and Walker is a core reason why.

The timing of his emergence is notable: fellow Kentucky alum Ray Davis, also on the Bills' roster at running back, is trending the opposite direction. Davis has seen his role shrink through two games, with Sports Illustrated identifying him as one of three Bills whose stock has dropped early in the season. Two Wildcats, same locker room, very different trajectories right now.

Will Levis Finds a Job — Sort Of

It wasn't the starring role he might have envisioned when the Titans took him in the second round of the 2023 draft, but Will Levis has an NFL address again. The Jets signed the former Kentucky signal-caller to their practice squad this week, slotting him in as QB3 behind starter Geno Smith and Cade Klubnik.

Levis's path to New York was a winding one. Tennessee waived him before the start of the season — roughly three years after drafting him — and he spent time away from the league after a shoulder injury wiped out his 2025 campaign. The Jets had Bailey Zappe occupying the QB3 spot before making the swap for Levis.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn addressed the signing directly, framing Levis as a developmental insurance option behind an established starter in Smith. The Jets already have a cluster of Kentucky alumni on the roster — including wide receiver Randall Cobb, linebacker Trevin Wallace, running back Chip Trayanum, and offensive tackle Landon Young — so Levis is joining a bit of a Wildcat colony in East Rutherford.

Whether Levis ever sees the field in a regular-season game remains to be seen, but practice squad spots have a way of turning into opportunities.

Around the League

Elsewhere, Wan'Dale Robinson — now with the Titans on a $70 million deal — logged one catch for nine yards in Tennessee's 24-20 loss to Philadelphia in Week 2, and also addressed the media about facing his former Giants team down the line. Chris Rodriguez Jr. picked up 13 rushing yards for Jacksonville in a 20-13 loss to Denver, while Barion Brown (Saints) was held out of practice this week and appeared on the injury report heading into Week 3.

Kentucky's NFL footprint is wide. This week, Walker made sure it was impossible to ignore.

Za'Darius Smith Is Already Owning Atlanta

The Falcons knew what they were getting when they signed Za'Darius Smith, but his Week 1 performance against Pittsburgh was a statement all the same. The Kentucky product racked up two sacks in his Atlanta debut, earning rave reviews from teammates and coaches alike. The performance came with flair — Smith's "Dog Crawl" celebration became an instant talking point — but more important was the edge presence the Falcons desperately needed heading into a tough NFC South slate.

Off the field, Smith's first week in Atlanta included a gesture that turned heads for a different reason: the veteran pass rusher announced he'd be paying for his entire church congregation to attend the Falcons' home opener against Carolina. First impressions don't get much better than this.

Deone Walker Is Becoming a Household Name in Buffalo

If Za'Darius Smith owned the headlines for Kentucky alums in Week 1, Deone Walker is quietly building toward a bigger story. The Bills' defensive tackle notched a sack against Houston in a 36–31 Bills win, but the individual stat barely captures the buzz surrounding him. Edge rusher Bradley Chubb — no stranger to elite athletes — went on record calling Walker's abilities "honestly insane" and described them as "once in a lifetime" for someone his size. Yahoo Sports even launched a crowdsourced effort to find Walker a nickname worthy of his imposing presence on the Bills' interior line. The hype is real, and the production is backing it up.

Around the Rest of the Wildcats

Week 1 produced scattered but notable contributions from other Kentucky alumni across the league:

Wan'Dale Robinson had a solid debut for the Titans, hauling in 5 receptions for 38 yards in a 23–10 loss to the Jets. It wasn't enough to move the needle in Tennessee's favor, but Robinson showed he remains a reliable option out of the slot.

Josh Hines-Allen continued to anchor the Jaguars' pass rush, adding a sack in Jacksonville's dominant 34–10 win over Cleveland. Chris Rodriguez Jr. also contributed in that game, logging 23 rushing yards in a balanced Jaguars effort.

Seth McGowan made his NFL debut for the Colts in a tough 41–23 loss to Baltimore, and while the rookie RB didn't get a carry, he made his presence felt with a reception out of the backfield — a quiet but meaningful first step for a player still finding his footing.

Carrington Valentine had a rougher go of it in Green Bay. The Packers cornerback was targeted repeatedly in the red zone by Minnesota and struggled in coverage across just 13 snaps, leaving the coaching staff with questions heading into Week 2.

Barion Brown saw action for the Saints in a heartbreaking 31–30 loss to Detroit, contributing 3 rushing yards on a gadget touch. The Saints' offense still has sorting out to do, but the Kentucky wideout is in the mix.

The Wildcats' NFL footprint continues to expand — and with Smith setting the tone and Walker emerging as one of the league's most talked-about young defenders, the Big Blue alumni chapter is off to a strong start in 2026.