Toledo Professional Athletes

Toledo in the NFL | Week of Oct. 25–31, 2026

The Philadelphia Eagles are in freefall, but at least one Rocket is keeping his wings level.

Quinyon Mitchell remains the Eagles' defensive anchor

Philadelphia dropped its fifth consecutive game Monday night, falling to the Dallas Cowboys 21–38, and the postmortem was ugly. The Eagles' secondary was carved up, the defensive line failed to generate meaningful pressure on Dallas's quarterback, and the broader defense left little positive to point to — except Mitchell. The Toledo alumnus and All-Pro cornerback stood out as the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal performance, drawing explicit recognition from outside analysts even as his teammates took heavy criticism.

Ex-NFL players speaking to Heavy Sports were blunt about what's broken in Philadelphia, singling out defensive stars who declined to address the media after the loss. Mitchell's name, by contrast, was invoked as the exception — the one Eagles defender who showed up when it counted. For a unit unraveling in real time, that distinction carries real weight.

The five-game losing streak has put the Eagles' season in serious jeopardy, and the defense — outside of Mitchell — is at the center of the collapse. Mitchell, a cornerback who can legitimately claim All-Pro caliber play while the organization crumbles around him, is becoming one of the more compelling stories in the NFC: a Toledo product outperforming his environment at the highest level.

Around the league: Other Rockets in action

The week wasn't all about Philadelphia. Several other Toledo alumni saw action as their teams wrapped up the Oct. 25 slate.

Safety Tycen Anderson's Denver Broncos weren't in action this week. Fellow Toledo defensive back Avery Smith suited up for Seattle in a statement win — the Seahawks handled Kansas City 20–3 on Sunday, a result that will ripple through AFC standings. Smith's presence in a secondary that just neutralized the Chiefs is a quiet but notable milestone for the Toledo pipeline.

Defensive end Desjuan Johnson and the Los Angeles Rams took care of business against Las Vegas, 35–21, keeping L.A. in the thick of the NFC West race. Johnson, working off the edge in Sean McVay's system, is part of a Rams defense that has found its footing in the second half of the season.

On the Giants' side, defensive tackle Darius Alexander was in the mix as New York edged Houston 27–21 — a needed win for a Giants team searching for consistency. In Cleveland, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren's Browns survived a tight one against Tennessee, 27–24, a result that keeps Cleveland's postseason hopes alive heading into November.

---

The through-line this week is unmistakable: Toledo's NFL alumni are scattered across competitive rosters in all three phases of the game, and more than a few are contributing on winning teams. Mitchell, though, is the week's definitive story — not just because of his performance, but because of what it says about resilience. He's playing All-Pro football inside a five-game losing streak. That's not a footnote. That's the headline.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has been quietly building his NFL résumé since leaving Toledo, but the Browns' safety made a loud statement in the week ending October 24 — helping Cleveland pull off a 13-10 defensive gem over rival Baltimore.

McNeil-Warren was one of the featured names in the Browns' secondary as Cleveland held the Ravens to just 10 points, a result that turned heads across the AFC. According to Yahoo Sports, McNeil-Warren was explicitly called out alongside linebacker Carson Schwesinger as one of the standout contributors in a performance that underscored just how stout Cleveland's defense can be when its pieces click. For a player who came out of the MAC and had to carve out his spot in a crowded NFL secondary, this is exactly the kind of game that changes a career trajectory.

The Rockets have always punched above their weight in producing NFL-caliber defensive backs, and McNeil-Warren fits that mold. Playing safety in an AFC North game against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens — one of the most explosive offenses in the league — and coming away with a team win is a legitimate résumé line.

The Rest of the Toledo Alumni Board

McNeil-Warren wasn't the only Rocket on the field this week. Fellow Brown Diontae Johnson, the veteran wide receiver who knows Toledo well from his own collegiate days, was in uniform for the same Cleveland win — though the story on offense belonged to the defense.

Elsewhere, Quinyon Mitchell continued his rise as one of the most watched Toledo products in the league. The Eagles cornerback was on the field in Philadelphia's 25-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers, a result that will sting in a tough NFC East. Mitchell has been one of the MAC's most successful recent exports to the NFL, and the Eagles will need him to bounce back as their season progresses.

Darius Alexander, the Giants' defensive tackle and another Toledo alum, suited up in New York's 34-27 loss to the Saints — a tough result for a Giants squad still searching for consistency.

Desjuan Johnson logged snaps for the Rams in their narrow 16-18 loss to the Cardinals, adding another week to what has been a solid season for the Toledo defensive end out in Los Angeles.

The Rockets may not be a factory that generates first-round picks every spring, but the volume and durability of Toledo alumni on NFL rosters — from McNeil-Warren in Cleveland to Mitchell in Philadelphia to Johnson in Los Angeles — continues to make a strong case for the program's ability to develop talent that sticks at the highest level. This week, it was McNeil-Warren holding the banner highest.

It was a week Toledo fans would rather forget. Two of the Rockets' most prominent NFL alumni — Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and New England Patriots fullback Reggie Gilliam — both landed in injury trouble during the period of Oct. 4–10, casting a shadow over what should be a showcase stretch for Toledo's pro talent.

Mitchell's Knee Leaves Eagles Holding Their Breath

The bigger scare belongs to Mitchell, the Eagles' star cornerback who exited Philadelphia's Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams with a knee injury. The Eagles fell 24–20, and Mitchell's early departure was one of several blows to a defense that unraveled down the stretch. He visited the medical tent but didn't return to the locker room, yet remained sidelined for the remainder of the game as the Rams picked apart the secondary.

What followed was the kind of week Eagles fans dread. An NFL insider delivered an alarming injury update in the immediate aftermath, and when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke to reporters on Tuesday, October 6, he could offer no clear timeline — placing an "uncertain status" label on Mitchell heading into the team's Week 5 matchup against the Jaguars. For a cornerback who has emerged as one of the Eagles' most important defensive pieces in just three NFL seasons, the ambiguity was its own bad news.

Mitchell wasn't alone on Philadelphia's mounting injury list — Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Greenard, and Tank Bigsby all suffered injuries in the same game — but his situation drew the most concern given his role as the anchor of the secondary. The Eagles entered Week 4 already down seven players, and the pile keeps growing.

Gilliam Lands on IR After Bills Return Goes Wrong

In Foxborough, Reggie Gilliam's week ended with even more finality. The Toledo fullback, who spent his first six NFL seasons in Buffalo before signing with New England, exited early during the Patriots' game against the Bills — a homecoming that quickly turned painful. Gilliam was absent from Thursday's practice ahead of the Raiders game and, by the end of the week, the Patriots officially placed him on injured reserve.

The move ends Gilliam's availability for at least a stretch of the season, a tough development for a veteran fullback who had carved out a role in New England's offense. He was one of two veterans placed on IR as the Patriots activated Brenden Schooler in a flurry of roster moves.

McNeil-Warren a Bright Spot in Cleveland

Not every Toledo alumnus had a week to forget. Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren quietly had a standout performance for the Browns against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with his snap count doubling as part of a young Cleveland defense that continues to develop. It's a small piece of good news in an otherwise bruising week for the Rockets' NFL contingent — but Toledo fans will take it.

The focus, though, remains on Mitchell. If his knee injury proves serious, it would be a significant loss not just for the Eagles, but for one of the more exciting young cornerbacks Toledo has ever produced.