Texas Longhorns in the NFL: Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott bounces back with big day

The NFL kicked off last week. Of course, that’s not exactly news to y’all.

But it does mean we had an opportunity to see former Texas Longhorns shine in the pros.

Shine they have indeed. Let’s break it down below.

Colt McCoy, QB: Welcome back into the fold, McCoy. The Longhorn legend stood in for starter Kyler Murray again over the weekend. He completed 24 passes for 218 yards and 1 interception. He also carried the ball 3 times for an additional 6 yards through the dirt.

D’Onta Foreman, RB: Magically, the veteran running back of ye olden Charlie Strong days, now with the Carolina Panthers, is suddenly the man handling the franchise’s backfield after the Panthers opted to trade away star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. In his latest encore performance in the Panthers offense over the weekend, Foreman came back down to earth with an 11-carry, 24-yard performance.

Devin Duvernay, WR: It’s been an up and down season for the third-year wideout, who dominates one weekend only to flop the next. In his latest outing, Duvernay recorded 1 reception for 3 yards and had 1 carry for 4 yards. He also returned 2 punts for 5 yards.

Geoff Swaim, TE: Swaim got the start at tight end for the Tennessee Titans, for whom he recorded 1 reception for 3 yards.

Calvin Anderson, OL: Anderson got the start at left tackle for the Denver Broncos.

Ta’Quan Graham, DL: The Atlanta Falcons starting defensive lineman got the start but not much else.

Malcolm Roach, DL: Roach got the start for the New Orleans Saints.

Charles Omenihu, DL: The San Francisco 49ers starter had 2 quarterback hurries.

Hassan Ridgeway, DL: Fellow 49ers starter Ridgeway accounted for 2 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.

Joseph Ossai, DE: The Cincinnati Bengals defensive end had 1 tackle.

Jordan Hicks, LB: It was yet another notable day for the starting Minnesota Vikings linebacker. That’s become the expectation in 2022 so far for Hicks. Hicks accounted for 6 tackles (3 solo, 2 assists.) Look for Hicks to keep the momentum through the season’s back half of the schedule.

PJ Locke, DB: The Denver Broncos defensive back notched 1 tackle. Locke is gradually becoming a key piece of Denver’s defense, especially as its offense, led by Super Bowl champ Russell Wilson, struggles.

DeShon Elliott, DB: The Detroit Lions starting safety is back to his old-ish ways after a down outing last week, at least by his standards set this season. Granted, there’s a lot for Elliott to account for as he plays for one of the NFL’s bottom feeders this year. Last weekend, Elliott accounted for 8 tackles and forced 1 quarterback hurry.

Quick flashback:

Adrian Phillips, DB: The New England Patriots starting safety saw 4 tackles on the day (2 solo, 2 assists.)

Brenden Schooler, DB: The New England Patriots defensive back accounted for 1 tackle.

Cameron Dicker, K: The rookie Longhorn folkloric legend went 2-for-2 on field goals for the day, with 46 yards as his long. He also went 3-for-3 in PATs. Dicker’s making a name for himself in the NFL, furthering the folkloric career he had as in Austin as a Longhorn.

Justin Tucker, K: The NFL’s top kicker and Baltimore Ravens veteran went 2-for-2 from the field, with 37 yards as his long. He also went 1-for-1 in PATs.