Longhorns in the NFL — Week 17: Recapping the 2020 season

Kris Boyd, CB — Minnesota Vikings

Boyd ends the season on the injured reserve, but played in nine games for a young Vikings secondary. The second-year cornerback ends the season with 24 total tackles and one forced fumble. Boyd has two years remaining on his contract with Minnesota.

Malcom Brown, DT — New Orleans Saints

Brown and the Saints interior defensive line wreaked havoc against Carolina on Sunday, with the Super Bowl champion recording three tackles and 1.5 TFLs. Brown, who appeared in 13 games, finishes the regular season with 27 total tackles, nine solo, and one sack.

Playoff matchup: Bears (Sunday, Jan. 10 at 3:40 CST/CBS)

Malcolm Brown, RB — Los Angeles Rams

The Rams relied heavily on Cam Akers in their 18-7 win over Arizona, with Brown only seeing three carries for 20 yards. Brown finished with a career-high 419 rushing yards this season along with five touchdowns.

Playoff matchup: @Seattle (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 3:40 p.m. CST/FOX)

Michael Dickson, P — Seattle Seahawks

The Punter enjoyed another successful season with the Seahawks, finishing second among punters in average yards per punt (49.6). Dickson also led the NFL in total punts inside the 20-yard line with 32. His average of 49.6 yards per punt is a career high and 52 percent of his punts landed inside the 20, also a career best.

Playoff matchup: Rams (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 3:40 p.m. CST/FOX)

Quandre Diggs, S — Seattle Seahawks

Diggs capped off a Pro Bowl season with six total tackles in the Seahawks win over San Francisco. Diggs ends the regular season with 64 total tackles and five interceptions (career best).

Playoff matchup: Rams (Saturday, Jan 9. at 3:40 CST/FOX)

Devin Duvernay, WR — Baltimore Ravens

Duvernay will get his first taste of the NFL playoffs next week against the Titans thanks to the Ravens 38-3 bashing of the Bengals.

The rookie speedster finished with 20 catches for 201 yards along with four rushes for 70 yards. However, his biggest play came on this 93-yard kickoff return for his first NFL touchdown.

Playoff matchup: @Tennessee (Sunday, Jan. 10 at 12:05 CT on ABC/ESPN)

DeShon Elliott, S — Baltimore Ravens

The Joker ended the regular season with two total tackles with the Ravens defense holding Cincinnati to just three points to clinch an NFL postseason birth. Replacing Earl Thomas as the starting safety in his third season, Elliott racked up 80 total tackles, 51 solo, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and four pass deflections. He also laid out the most dangerous man in the NFL: Derrick Henry.

Playoff matchup: @Tennessee (Sunday, Jan. 10 at 12:05 CT on ABC/ESPN)

Poona Ford, DT — Seattle Seahawks

Poona didn’t get any Pro Bowl honors, but he deserve them after an incredible year for Seattle.

Poona set career highs in just about every category: total tackles (40), solo tackles (25), and sacks (two). Hopefully, he’ll get some All-Pro honors if not a big paycheck next year with this season being his last under contract with the Seahawks.

Playoff matchup: Rams (Saturday, Jan 9. at 3:40 CST/FOX)

D’Onta Foreman, RB — Tennessee Titans

Foreman missed Week 17 with an injury but had a bounceback year, scoring his first touchdown since 2018.

Expect Tennessee to rely heavily on Derrick Henry against Baltimore, but Foreman could see some action depending on his availability.

Playoff matchup: Ravens (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 12:05 CST on CBS)

Jordan Hicks, LB — Arizona Cardinals

Hicks injured his neck mid-game and did not return for Arizona, but capped off a successful season with an interception against whoever the Rams started at quarterback in place of Jared Goff. Statistically, Hicks had a down year with *only* 119 tackles — compared to the 149 he recorded last year in Arizona — but has stayed healthy the past two seasons, which is key for the former Texas linebacker. Hicks still has two seasons left on his contract with the Cardinals.

Trey Hopkins, C — Cincinnati Bengals

Hopkins started all but one game this season for the Bengals and was one of the lone bright spots on the offensive line. Heading into the third year of his four-year contract, Hopkins will return as the starting center with Cincinnati hoping to build a foundation for Joe Burrow.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey, WR — New Orleans Saints

LJH was called up from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Carolina and caught one pass for 17 yards just before halftime to set up a Saints field goal.

Humphrey finishes the season with three catches, including his first career NFL touchdown.

I’d like to see what Humphrey could do in the playoffs given the opportunity considering the attention Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas garner from opposing defenses.

Playoff matchup: Bears (Sunday, Jan. 10 at 3:40 CST/CBS)

Collin Johnson, WR — Jacksonville Jaguars

The fifth-round draft pick quickly turned heads during his rookie season in Jacksonville, catching 14 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson is also expected to have a new quarterback throwing to him next year with the Jags officially holding onto the first overall pick. Johnson’s rookie contract is 4-years/$3.6 Million.

Marcus Johnson, WR — Indianapolis Colts/Tennesee Titans

After missing the last few weeks with injury, the Colts waived wideout Marcus Johnson with the playoffs looming. Johnson finished the season with 14 receptions for 255 yards in 11 appearances. ESPN reported today that the Tians signed Johnson to their practice squad ahead of Saturday’s playoff game.

Johnson could be a sneaky addition for any of the remaining playoffs team but if not, I’d expect him to find a new home next year.

Playoff matchup: Ravens (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 12:05 CST on CBS)

Brandon Jones, S — Miami Dolphins

The rookie safety finished his final game of the year with two total tackles in the Dolphins loss to the Bills. Overall, it was a great rookie season for Jones, who recorded 62 total tackles, 41 solo, one sack, and one forced fumble. Jones is signed with Miami until 2023 and should be in the running for rookie honors. But, he’ll have to wait until next year for the NFL postseason.

Colt McCoy, QB — New York Giants

One of the best storylines this season was seeing Colt McCoy back in action, even if it was for the New York Giants. McCoy signed a one-year/$2.25 million contract with New York after contemplating retirement and played in four games. McCoy saw his first action this season after Daniel Jones went down with an injury against Cincinnati and McCoy delivered a victory.

McCoy started the next week against Seattle and helped pull off the huge upset with a 17-12 victory, throwing for 105 yards with a touchdown and interception in his first career win as a starter in nearly five years.

McCoy also started against his former team, the Cleveland Browns, on Sunday Night Football, but lost 20-6 despite throwing for 221 yards.

McCoy should have plenty of options on the table if he wants to return for another year(s) or ultimately retire. He’s played for half of the NFC East, so maybe a tenure with the Eagles is next. Kidding. It would be nice to see Colt play for a franchise that isn’t either a rival of the Dallas Cowboys or the Brows, to be frank.

Alex Okafor, DE — Kansas City Chiefs

Okafor finishes the regular season with three sacks (two in his last two games) and nine total tackles.

Playoff matchup: First-round bye

Charles Omenihu, DL — Houston Texans

Omenihu ended the season with a monster performance, racking up four tackles, one sack, 1.5 TFLs, and three quarterback hits.

In his second season with Houston, Omenihu finishes with 17 total tackles, 11 solo, and a career-high four sacks.

Adrian Phillips, S — New England Patriots

It was a rough year for the Pats and Bill Belichick, but if there’s anything good to come from this season, it’s Adrian Phillips, who signed a two-year/$6 million-dollar contract before the year and ended up leading the team in tackles. It will be interesting to see if Belichick, who is known for letting players walk, will attempt to re-sign Phillips or let him leave for a higher paycheck. Phillips is still only 28 years old and finished the season with 109 total tackles, 79 solo, one sack, two interceptions, and four deflections, setting a new career high in tackles. Belichick had some kind words for the Texas Ex following New England’s finale.

Malcolm Roach, DE — New Orleans Saints

Roach was inactive for Sunday’s contest against Carolina, the sixth missed game of his rookie season. Hopefully, it was just a precaution from the Saints medical team to have him ready for his first NFL postseason game.

Playoff matchup: Bears (Sunday, Jan. 10 at 3:40 CST on CBS)

Geoff Swaim, TE — Tennessee Titans

Enjoy this two-minute montage of Swaim blocking. He also catches a touchdown among other things but shoutout the Texas Ex for making a steady living on Sundays.

Playoff matchup: Ravens (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 12:05 CST on CBS)

Justin Tucker, K — Baltimore Ravens

Tucker converted from 34 yards out and was 5-of-5 on PATs in the win over Cincinatti to clinch a postseason birth. Tucker finishes the season 26-of-29 on FGs and 52-of-53 on PATs. Tucker’s arguably best moment of the season was his 57-yard game-winning field goal against the Browns.

Tucker also confirmed to Pat McAfee that Texas is “back BABY!”

Playoff matchup: @Titans (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 12:05 CST on CBS)

Kenny Vaccaro, S — Tennessee Titans

Vaccaro accumulated seven total tackles in the Titans 41-38 win over the Texans and ends the year with 83 total tackles, 62 solo, one sack, and five pass deflections. Titans will still pose as a threat in the playoffs just because of Derrick Henry, but their defense is not the same as last years was. Vaccaro still has two years/$10.5 million left on his contract but the Titans might decide to move on from the former safety.

Playoff matchup: Ravens (Saturday, Jan. 9 at 12:05 CST on CBS)

Connor Williams, OT — Dallas Cowboys

I don’t need to remind you how tough of a year it was for the Cowboys and their offensive line, who seemingly suffered injuries every week. Connor Williams on the other hand started every game for Dallas, and even though his play was up and down, it’s still positive to see him stay healthy and continue to develop. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys will need to address the offensive line either in the draft or free agency but Williams should be a key piece for Dallas in the future.

Other Horns in the NFL:

Calvin Anderson, OT — Denver Broncos

- Started in two games.

Andrew Beck, TE — Denver Broncos

- On active roster.

Marquise Goodwin, WR — Philadelphia Eagles

- Opted out of season.

Holton Hill, CB

- Released by the Minnesota Vikings after spending some time on the Injured Reserve.

Malik Jefferson, LB — Los Angeles Chargers

- Played primarily on special teams and recorded five tackles. Enters next season a restricted free agent.

P.J. Locke, DB — Denver Broncos

- Recorded three tackles while playing on special teams.

Hassan Ridgway, DL — Philadelphia Eagles

- Suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7.

Tyrone Swoopes, TE — Washington Football Team

- Practice squad.

Earl Thomas, S — Free Agent