Texas A&M Professional Athletes

Stewart Steps In, Garrett Steps Back

Texas A&M's most buzzworthy NFL week had nothing to do with touchdowns — it was about who was suiting up and who was being carted out.

Shemar Stewart gets the headline he's been waiting for: the Bengals defensive end is set to make his NFL season debut, giving Cincinnati a fresh pass-rushing option as the league kicks off. Stewart's arrival on the active roster is the kind of moment A&M fans have been anticipating since the former blue-chip recruit made the jump to the pros.

On the opposite end of the injury spectrum sits fellow Aggie Myles Garrett, who made the move to the Rams in the offseason only to see his debut derailed immediately. After a Week 1 loss to the 49ers in Melbourne — in which Garrett recorded zero tackles and was clearly hampered — the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and was placed on injured reserve. The timeline is at least four weeks, though Sean McVay offered a silver lining: Garrett ditched his crutches just one day post-surgery, earning a "Wolverine" comparison from his head coach. McVay defended the decision to play Garrett in Week 1, but with Super Bowl odds already slipping on prediction markets, the Rams' window just got a lot narrower. For A&M fans, it's a brutal start for one of the program's most celebrated alumni.

Brown Battles, Panthers Collapse

In Carolina, Bobby Brown III showed up and showed out in the wrong kind of game. The Aggie defensive tackle battled through back pain to stay on the field, but there was no stopping the Bears on Sunday — Chicago rolled the Panthers 59-37 in a Week 1 blowout that exposed Carolina's defense at every level.

Brown's willingness to gut it out matters in the long run, particularly for a Panthers roster that then activated fellow Aggie Tyrel Dodson at linebacker after waiving wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. Dodson's signing to the 53-man roster adds yet another former A&M player to a Panthers squad that currently features Brown, Haynes King, Demani Richardson, Nic Scourton, Ainias Smith, and Will Lee III. College Station has essentially colonized the Panthers' depth chart.

Achane Does It All for Miami

De'Von Achane reminded everyone what he brings to Miami's offense in Week 1 against Las Vegas. The Dolphins running back churned out 36 rushing yards and added four receptions for 30 receiving yards, making him a dual threat from the jump — even as the Dolphins dropped the game 27-13. Achane's usage in the passing game is a consistent wrinkle that makes him one of the more versatile backs in the AFC, and his Week 1 line signals Miami intends to keep leaning on him in multiple ways.

Elsewhere Around the League

The Jaguars' Nate Boerkircher chipped in a reception for 9 yards as Jacksonville routed Cleveland 34-10. Bears receiver Jahdae Walker caught one pass for a touchdown in the Panthers blowout, a bright moment in what was already a dominant performance by Chicago. And KC Concepcion gave Browns fans something to watch in a losing effort, hauling in four passes for 43 yards and adding 15 rushing yards out of Cleveland's backfield in the 34-10 loss to Jacksonville.

For the Aggie diaspora, Week 1 served up debuts, injuries, roster moves, and a blowout loss — the full NFL experience before the calendar even turns to Week 2.

Two Texas A&M alumni shared the field in the NFL's season-opening game in Australia — and couldn't have had more different nights.

Mike Evans: Hall of Fame Territory, Day One

Mike Evans didn't ease into life as a San Francisco 49er. In his debut against the Los Angeles Rams, the former Aggie wideout caught 6 passes for 49 yards and a touchdown — and quietly passed Hall of Famer Steve Largent on the NFL's all-time career receiving yards list in the process. The milestone came in the first half, underscoring just how little Evans has slowed down entering what figures to be the twilight of a first-ballot career.

The performance earned strong reviews. Evans looked comfortable in San Francisco's system, contributing to a 27–7 blowout that announced the 49ers as an early NFC threat. For Aggie fans watching from Maroon & White-clad living rooms, it was a reminder that Evans — who left Tampa Bay this offseason after more than a decade — still has plenty left in the tank.

Myles Garrett: A Debut to Forget

The other A&M alum on the field had a far rougher evening. Myles Garrett, traded from Cleveland to the Rams in one of the offseason's biggest blockbuster deals, finished his Los Angeles debut with zero tackles, zero sacks, and zero pressures. He was, by his own admission, a ghost.

Garrett didn't hide from it afterward. He called the performance the "worst version" of himself he's "put out" on the field, and acknowledged that a knee injury has him playing at less than 100 percent. Multiple reports confirmed he was visibly gassed on the sidelines during the game, and that left tackle Trent Williams — one of the best in the business — effectively neutralized him whenever the two matched up.

The blowout loss made the debut sting even more. The Rams surrendered 27 points and never found offensive footing, leaving Garrett and Los Angeles's vaunted defense looking overmatched against a 49ers squad that now includes his old Aggie teammate Evans on the other side of the ball.

How much the knee injury factors into Garrett's early-season performance will be the story to watch in Los Angeles. The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year has never been one to make excuses — the candor after Week 1 is consistent with that reputation — but Rams fans who watched the franchise trade away significant draft capital for Garrett will want to see results fast.

Elsewhere in Aggie Nation

One other A&M name to track: Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, returning from injury and publicly expressing gratitude for getting back on the field. He didn't factor into the headline matchups of Week 1, but his health and availability in Baltimore's interior will be worth monitoring as the season develops.

For Texas A&M alumni, Week 1 offered a split screen: Evans writing his name into the record books while Garrett works to shake off rust and injury. Both stories are far from finished.

Myles Garrett Is the Best Player in Football — and the Rams Are Betting Big on It

Texas A&M's most celebrated NFL export isn't just living up to the hype heading into 2026 — he's been officially crowned atop it. Myles Garrett was named the No. 1 player on the NFL's Top 100 list, a distinction that arrives as he prepares for his debut with the Los Angeles Rams following a blockbuster trade from Cleveland. It's a fitting coronation for a player fresh off what Heavy Sports called a "historic season in 2025."

The Rams didn't stop there. Aaron Donald — a three-time Defensive Player of the Year who retired in March 2024 — ended his retirement and signed a one-year deal to play alongside Garrett, igniting a frenzy across the league. The pairing immediately shifted the betting market: Los Angeles became the prohibitive Super Bowl favorite, according to Bleacher Report. The historical case for their optimism is compelling. Per The Sporting News, when multiple past Defensive Players of the Year have teamed up, those rosters have consistently reached the Super Bowl.

Whether they get there is still a debate. Heavy Sports notes that at least one prominent analyst still sees the Buffalo Bills standing in the Rams' way in February, but the consensus tone leaning into Week 1 is that Los Angeles's defensive front is unlike anything the NFL has fielded in years. For Aggie fans, that front has a College Station stamp all over it.

Madubuike Nearing Return in Baltimore

While Garrett dominates the offseason conversation, fellow Aggie Nnamdi Madubuike is quietly making his own encouraging news across the country. The Ravens defensive tackle, who missed time last season with a neck injury, participated in team drills at Baltimore's practice Thursday — a significant milestone in his recovery.

Ravens head coach Jesse Minter had already signaled optimism earlier in the week, telling reporters he does not expect Madubuike to miss "that many games." Thursday's practice participation suggests the timeline could be even more favorable, and Baltimore's defensive line depth could have its starting-caliber piece back sooner than anticipated.

Elsewhere in the Aggie NFL Diaspora

A few other A&M alumni made news in less celebratory fashion. Tyrel Dodson, the veteran linebacker, was released by the Miami Dolphins as the roster cut cycle intensified. McKinnley Jackson, a defensive tackle, was waived by the Cincinnati Bengals — a move the team made to clear a crowded defensive line room despite Jackson having drawn trade interest beforehand, per Yahoo Sports.

On the Panthers, edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a training camp injury that opened the door for other second-year defenders to step up, per Sports Illustrated. The silver lining for Carolina: another young Aggie defender could emerge from the situation.

Von Miller — the two-time Super Bowl champion who played his college ball at Texas A&M — is now a Cowboy, and he's already making headlines in only the way Miller can. He traded equity in his poultry company, Greener Pastures Chicken, to fullback Hunter Luepke to secure jersey No. 40, the number he wore in high school and college. Miller has also made clear he wants to be in Dallas beyond his current one-year deal, calling the franchise a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

From the top of the NFL's player rankings to a defensive comeback in Baltimore, Aggie alumni are everywhere in the league's biggest stories heading into the 2026 season.

Myles Garrett's Knee Keeps Raising Flags

The story dominating Texas A&M's NFL week isn't a highlight — it's an absence. Rams defensive end Myles Garrett has now missed 12 or more practices with what the team has described as minor knee swelling, and the vague, persistent nature of the injury is drawing legitimate scrutiny as Los Angeles inches closer to its season opener.

"Minor knee swelling" is the kind of description that sounds manageable until it isn't — and 12 missed practices is well past the point where that label holds up without pushback. Garrett was widely expected to land in the top five of the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2026, a testament to where his peers rank him heading into the season. That makes his prolonged absence from the practice field all the more unsettling for Rams fans banking on him as the engine of their pass rush.

The Rams haven't placed Garrett on IR, and the organization hasn't sounded alarm bells publicly. A majority of Rams fans, per a FanReacts survey, say they aren't worried yet. But the silence around his timeline is itself a kind of signal — teams with truly minor injuries tend to offer more clarity, not less. Whether Garrett suits up for Week 1 is now a genuine open question.

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Mike Evans: Groin Scare, But Aggie WR Expects to Play

On the other coast, former Aggie Mike Evans missed a Tuesday practice with the 49ers due to a groin injury — not ideal for a receiver entering a new chapter of his career in San Francisco. The good news: Evans told reporters he expects to be available for Week 1, and follow-up reports indicated he was making progress by Wednesday. Fantasy managers can likely exhale, though the injury is worth monitoring through the final preseason week.

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Eluemunor Speaks Out in Giants Camp Drama

Giants offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor found himself at the center of an unlikely camp controversy — not for anything he did on the field, but for what he said off it. Eluemunor publicly pushed back against reports that Giants RB Cam Skattebo "started a fight" during practice, calling the narrative "BS" and defending his teammate. It's a footnote in the broader Giants camp story, but it put an A&M alum front and center in one of the week's more colorful sideshows.

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Around the League

Nnamdi Madubuike (Ravens, DE) received an encouraging update from Baltimore — the former Aggie is making progress in his ramp-up from injury and is trending toward availability, even as the Ravens deal with other roster concerns at center.

Von Miller (Cowboys, LB) officially signed a one-year deal with Dallas, reuniting him with a franchise where he spent time previously. The move drew attention leaguewide, with analysts breaking down what Miller — even at this stage of his career — adds to a Cowboys pass rush that needed veteran depth.

Trayveon Williams (Lions, RB) had a moment worth noting in the preseason: the former Aggie scored a touchdown as Detroit beat Washington 17–13, a small but clean cameo for a back fighting for roster positioning.

The headline for Aggieland, though, remains Garrett and that knee. Twelve practices is a long time to wait for answers. Week 1 is coming fast.