Vols in the Pros: Who Made the Cut?

Written By Tucker Harlin

By Tucker Harlin

The NFL roster cut deadline has come and gone.

Several Vols were vying for roster spots across the league this preseason, and many of them successfully worked their way onto rosters.

Some of these won’t be very surprising, but there are a couple in there that you may not have seen coming ahead of the preseason.

VELUS JONES JR.

Velus Jones Jr. is entering his third season in the NFL and has made the Chicago Bears 53-man roster for the third time.

But he’s on the roster as a running back, not as a wide receiver.

He’s had some past struggles with the Bears as a punt returner and really didn’t get much run at receiver, but trying his hand in the backfield worked well in the preseason.

He pulled off this run against the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason finale, probably a big reason why he made the active roster.

HENDON HOOKER

This one’s not all surprising, but Hendon Hooker has made his way onto Detroit’s roster after missing an entire season to rehab from his ACL tear.

Hooker was the MVP in the Lions’ second preseason game at Kansas City, and he was equally productive on the ground and in the air in the finale against Pittsburgh.

Veteran Nate Sudfeld was cut by the Lions, ensuring Hooker the backup role.

However, the path to the field in Detroit is not going to be easy for Hooker considering Jared Goff’s extension and renaissance as an NFL quarterback.

JAYLEN WRIGHT

Again, no surprise that Jaylen Wright found his way onto Miami’s 53-man roster.

Wright had strong showings in the Dolphins’ opening and closing preseason contests.

Wright’s path to the field won’t be as challenging as some might think.

Dolphins running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson are both right around that magical age of 30, and second year running back De’Von Achane has dealt with some injuries in his brief career.

Wright may not see the field a ton this year, but I would imagine he figures his way into a more prominent role in the next two to three seasons.

JOE MILTON III

This is one that might have surprised some Tennessee fans, but the talent Joe Milton III possesses was ultimately too good to keep him off New England’s roster.

Reports had surfaced that Milton had outplayed Bailey Zappe in training camp. Zappe was ultimately cut by the Patriots on Tuesday.

The preseason performances are about what most Tennessee fans grew accustomed to in 2023. Quite a bit of inaccuracy, but a lot of deep passes that he occasionally hit on.

The crazy part about Milton making the roster is he’s momentarily the second string quarterback.

Starter Jacoby Brissett injured his shoulder in the Patriots’ preseason finale against the Commanders, shifting the starting role to rookie Drake Maye.

Maye was expected to take over as a starter eventually, but the plan was to ride with Brissett at least in the opening weeks of the season.

DEE WILLIAMS

Dee Williams making the Seattle roster should not be surprising to Tennessee fans.

Williams went undrafted, but then again what NFL team is actually going to spend a pick on a punt returner?

The talent Williams has as a return man was going to land him a role somewhere, it was just a matter of what team was most desperate for a good returner.

Williams holds a place in the ranks of Willie Gault, Cordarrelle Patterson, and the Berry brothers as great returners to come through the Tennessee football program.

RAMEL KEYTON

Ramel Keyton finding his way onto the Las Vegas roster is one of the bigger surprises to Tennessee fans among the guys who made the cut.

If Keyton had gone pro in 2023, then I could definitely understand how he made a roster cut.

But his season in 2023 wasn’t as exciting as what we saw in 2022, and not all of his shortcomings are because of middling quarterback play.

Keyton went undrafted in 2024 and is one of only a handful of undrafted free agents to find his way onto the Raiders 53-man roster

The Raiders were entertained by this nice catch in their preseason finale against San Francisco, likely a cut maker:

JAYLEN MCCOLLOUGH

Credit: LA Rams

Jaylen McCollough was another Vol that surprisingly found his onto an NFL roster.

McCollough wasn’t among the most exciting players on Tennessee’s defense in the eternity that he spent in Knoxville. Like Keyton, McCollough went undrafted

But every time he suited up for the Rams in the preseason, he was making plays.

Tucker Harlin
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