Gators dominate in the secondary and in the trenches while new names show out on primetime
By: Austin McClain & Radek Shah
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Week 3 of the NFL season saw 46 former Gators on rosters, with 34 being active. Two tenured offensive tackles make some waves on their respective side of the ball, some new and returning defensive names enter the topic of discussion, and two of the league's top punters remain at the top of statistical categories. For the third straight week, Ventrell Miller makes the board, while Jawaan Taylor and CJ Henderson dominate on Thursday Night Football.
Each week of the 2026-27 season, FloridaGators.com will cover all of the best moments from the NFL stars who made a name for themselves in Gainesville.
Offense Jawaan Taylor - OT - Atlanta Falcons
In his eighth season in the NFL, and first with Atlanta, Jawaan Taylor led a Falcons offensive line to a dominating win on Thursday Night Football against the Packers. The veteran offensive tackle contributed towards a league-leading 242 rushing yards, while also not allowing a sack. In his 71 offensive snaps seen, Taylor posted a 74.5 pass block PFF grade. Next week, the Falcons seek another primetime opportunity, playing on Monday night against the divisional rival New Orleans Saints.
Trent Brown - OT - Houston Texans
The former Super Bowl champion continues to put in work in his twelfth season in the NFL and from a blocking perspective, Brown is one of the league's best. On Sunday, he saw 54 offensive snaps at right tackle and posted an impressive 79.2 offensive and 80.4 pass blocking PFF grades. On the season, Brown has seen 214 snaps, while allowing just one sack. Next week, the Texans look to bounce back and will face the Dallas Cowboys in the 1 p.m. slate.
Defense CJ Henderson - CB - Atlanta Falcons
After being taken ninth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, CJ Henderson has found himself as an important piece to the Atlanta Falcons defense. On Thursday night of week 3, Henderson played a total of 63 snaps which led Atlanta's corners and Henderson led the defense with eight tackles and three PBUs. Henderson's three PBUs was the second most in the NFL during week 3 and brought his season total to five PBUs which is tied for the fourth most in the NFL.
Ventrell Miller - LB - Jacksonville Jaguars
Miller is proving to be a rising star at the linebacker position in the NFL as he puts up yet another strong week for the Jags. Miller led the defense in tackles for the third consecutive week, totalling seven tackles in a 35-6 rout over the Patriots. Miller recorded a PBU and led the Jags with a PFF tackling grade of 82.4. Miller's season-long defensive PFF grade is now a 90.5 which leads all qualified linebackers in the NFL.
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C.J. Gardner-Johnson - S - Buffalo Bills
The eighth year safety put up his best game as a Bill in a home win over the Chargers. Gardner-Johnson recorded five tackles and two PBUs, but his most impactful play was when he picked off a Justin Herbert pass that was just in front of the endzone and was able to return it 42 yards to set up the Bills with a fourth quarter drive in which they would end up taking the lead. Chauncey was second on the defense with 68 snaps played and had the second highest defensive PFF grade with a 90.3 and was tied for the highest PFF coverage grade with a 91.2.
Special Teams Jeremy Crawshaw - P - Denver Broncos
The Broncos had a shocking come from behind win against the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Jeremy Crawshaw was able to deliver some clutch punts throughout the Denver victory. Crawshaw punted five times, totaling 248 yards with a long of 62 and two punts inside the 20. Crawshaw delivered a punt to the 10-yard line to start the second half and with the Broncos trailing by three points with just over seven minutes to go, he delivered a punt to the 9-yard line to set up the Broncos defense in a strong position to not only get a stop, but to take the lead.
Tommy Townsend - P - Tennessee Titans
The seventh year punter punted five times for 239 yards with a long of 55 this past Sunday against the Giants. Townsend delivered three of his five punts within the 20-yard line with one of them falling out of bounds all the way down at the five. Townsend has led the NFL with 16 punts for 768 yards.
For a complete list of Gators in the NFL, see below.
Arizona Cardinals (ARI 30-36 SAN)
90 - Zachary Carter - DT - 4 years (IR)
Atlanta Falcons (ATL 35-14 GB)
39 - C.J. Henderson - CB - 6 years (8 TOT, 3 PBU)
95 - Gervon Dexter Sr. - DT - 4 years (2 TOT, 2 QBH)
71 - Jawaan Taylor - OT - 8 years
8 - Kyle Pitts - TE - 6 years (1 REC, 5 yards)
Buffalo Bills (BUF 24-16 LAC)
22 - C.J. Gardner-Johnson - S - 8 years (5 TOT, 2 PBU, 1 INT)
64 - O'Cyrus Torrence - G - 4 years
39 - Tommy Doman - P - Rookie (1 punt, 51 yards)
Carolina Panthers (CAR 18-21 CLE)
92 - Cam Jackson - DT - 2 years
73 - Stone Forsythe - OT - 6 years
56 - Jeremiah Moon - LB - 3 years (Practice Squad)
Cincinnati Bengals (CIN 27-30 PIT)
2 - Evan McPherson - K - 6 years (2/2 FG, Long of 50, 3/3 XP)
98 - T. J. Slaton - DL - 6 years (2 TOT)
25 - Trikweze Bridges - CB - 2 years (Practice Squad)
Dallas Cowboys (DAL 31-34 BAL)
90 - Jonathan Bullard - DE - 11 years (1 TOT)
20 - Malik Davis - RB - 3 years (IR)
50 - Shemar James - LB - 2 years
29 - Devin Moore - CB - Rookie (IR)
Denver Broncos (DEN 30-26 LAR)
16 - Jeremy Crawshaw - P - 2 years (5 punts, 248 yards, Long of 62, 2 IN20)
Green Bay Packers (GB 14-35 ATL)
57 - Brenton Cox Jr. - DL - 4 years (4 TOT, 1 TFL)
87 - J. Michael Sturdivant - WR - Rookie
28 - Trey Smack - K - Rookie (0/1 FG, 2/2 PATs)
Houston Texans (HOU 17-19 IND)
77 - Trent Brown - OT - 12 years
18 - Graham Mertz - QB - 2 years (IR)
Indianapolis Colts (IND 19-17 HOU)
5 - Anthony Richardson Sr. - QB - 4 years
52 - George Gumbs Jr. - DE - Rookie
Jacksonville Jaguars (JAX 35-6 NE)
51 - Ventrell Miller - LB - 4 years (7 TOT, 1 PBU)
Las Vegas Raiders (LV 35-27 NO)
88 - Justin Shorter - WR - 4 years (IR)
Los Angeles Chargers (LAC 16-24 BUF)
66 - Jake Slaughter - C - Rookie
29 - Kaiir Elam - CB - 5 years (Practice Squad)
Miami Dolphins (MIA 10-24 KC)
4 - Jason Marshall Jr. - CB - 2 years (2 TOT)
