University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols In The NFL: 14 Reach 2026 Playoffs, Pearce Leads All Rookies In Sacks
January 07, 2026 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fourteen Tennessee VFLs are members of 2026 NFL Playoff teams, as the NFL postseason begins with Wild Card Weekend this Saturday.
Of the 14, nine are on active rosters with three on practice squad and two on the injured list.
Three active VFLs will take centerstage in the opening game at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday when the Los Angeles Rams travel to take on the Carolina Panthers on FOX. Two members of the Volunteers' 2022 Orange Bowl team are prominent players on the Los Angeles defense in edge rusher Byron Young and safety Jaylen McCollough.
Young recorded 12 sacks in the regular season, which ranked eighth in the NFL. He also became the first Rams player to hit that mark in a season since future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald did in 2021. McCollough logged 48 tackles with two sacks this season. On the other side, Cade Mays has served as Carolina's starting center.
In the Saturday nightcap, the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. on Prime. Right tackle Darnell Wright has proved to be one of the best at his position in the league this season for the Bears.
Multiple VFL wide receivers will see action in the first two Sunday games. Joshua Palmer's Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Palmer has caught 22 passes for 303 yards.
Jauan Jennings' San Francisco 49ers travel to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. Jennings has been the 49ers' second leading receiver, catching 55 passes for 643 yards and nine touchdowns. Jennings has hauled in six touchdown passes in his last six games combined. The nine scores tied for eighth in the NFL this season.
Joshua Dobbs serves as the backup quarterback for the second-seeded New England Patriots who host the Los Angeles Chargers at 8 p.m. Sunday on NBC.
A pair of Tennessee defensive ends will see action for the Houston Texans when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the finale at 8:15 p.m. ET Monday on ESPN. Derek Barnett finished the regular season with 21 tackles, five sacks and eight tackles for loss. Darrell Taylor was activated from the injured list on Tuesday and will see his first action since Week 9.
Though his team did not make the playoffs, Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. finished the regular season with an All-Rookie performance. Pearce, the 2025 first round pick and former two-time All-SEC selection, led all NFL first-year players with 10.5 sacks, representing the most by any NFL rookie since star Micah Parsons in 2021. Pearce's total tied for 13th overall in the league.
Pearce and Young combined for 20.5 sacks this season and both were coached by current UT defensive line coach Rodney Garner in Knoxville.
VFLs on 2026 NFL Playoff Rosters (14 total, 9 active)
Derek Barnett, DE – Houston Texans
Jerome Carvin*, OG – Jacksonville Jaguars
McCallan Castles*^, TE - Green Bay Packers
Joshua Dobbs, QB – New England Patriots
Kamal Hadden^, CB – Green Bay Packers
Jauan Jennings, WR – San Francisco 49ers
Jakob Johnson*, FB – Houston Texans
Velus Jones Jr.*, RB – Seattle Seahawks
Cade Mays, C – Carolina Panthers
Jaylen McCollough, S – Los Angeles Rams
Joshua Palmer, WR – Buffalo Bills
Darrell Taylor, DE – Houston Texans
Darnell Wright, OT – Chicago Bears
Byron Young, OLB – Los Angeles Rams
^ - denotes injured reserve
* - denotes practice squad
Of the 14, nine are on active rosters with three on practice squad and two on the injured list.
Three active VFLs will take centerstage in the opening game at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday when the Los Angeles Rams travel to take on the Carolina Panthers on FOX. Two members of the Volunteers' 2022 Orange Bowl team are prominent players on the Los Angeles defense in edge rusher Byron Young and safety Jaylen McCollough.
Young recorded 12 sacks in the regular season, which ranked eighth in the NFL. He also became the first Rams player to hit that mark in a season since future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald did in 2021. McCollough logged 48 tackles with two sacks this season. On the other side, Cade Mays has served as Carolina's starting center.
In the Saturday nightcap, the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers at 8 p.m. on Prime. Right tackle Darnell Wright has proved to be one of the best at his position in the league this season for the Bears.
Multiple VFL wide receivers will see action in the first two Sunday games. Joshua Palmer's Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Palmer has caught 22 passes for 303 yards.
Jauan Jennings' San Francisco 49ers travel to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. Jennings has been the 49ers' second leading receiver, catching 55 passes for 643 yards and nine touchdowns. Jennings has hauled in six touchdown passes in his last six games combined. The nine scores tied for eighth in the NFL this season.
Joshua Dobbs serves as the backup quarterback for the second-seeded New England Patriots who host the Los Angeles Chargers at 8 p.m. Sunday on NBC.
A pair of Tennessee defensive ends will see action for the Houston Texans when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the finale at 8:15 p.m. ET Monday on ESPN. Derek Barnett finished the regular season with 21 tackles, five sacks and eight tackles for loss. Darrell Taylor was activated from the injured list on Tuesday and will see his first action since Week 9.
Though his team did not make the playoffs, Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. finished the regular season with an All-Rookie performance. Pearce, the 2025 first round pick and former two-time All-SEC selection, led all NFL first-year players with 10.5 sacks, representing the most by any NFL rookie since star Micah Parsons in 2021. Pearce's total tied for 13th overall in the league.
Pearce and Young combined for 20.5 sacks this season and both were coached by current UT defensive line coach Rodney Garner in Knoxville.
VFLs on 2026 NFL Playoff Rosters (14 total, 9 active)
Derek Barnett, DE – Houston Texans
Jerome Carvin*, OG – Jacksonville Jaguars
McCallan Castles*^, TE - Green Bay Packers
Joshua Dobbs, QB – New England Patriots
Kamal Hadden^, CB – Green Bay Packers
Jauan Jennings, WR – San Francisco 49ers
Jakob Johnson*, FB – Houston Texans
Velus Jones Jr.*, RB – Seattle Seahawks
Cade Mays, C – Carolina Panthers
Jaylen McCollough, S – Los Angeles Rams
Joshua Palmer, WR – Buffalo Bills
Darrell Taylor, DE – Houston Texans
Darnell Wright, OT – Chicago Bears
Byron Young, OLB – Los Angeles Rams
^ - denotes injured reserve
* - denotes practice squad
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