NFL teams had to get down to 53 players on Sunday afternoon, and that meant a fresh round of roster decisions for a long list of former South Carolina standouts. Some Gamecocks are heading into the season with new teams, some are staying put, and a few are still fighting for their next chance.
The biggest headline from last season remains the same: Nick Emmanwori and Ernest Jones IV both won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. Emmanwori put together a strong rookie year, while Jones collected his second Super Bowl ring. Another South Carolina product, Bryan Thomas Jr., also earned a roster spot after signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent and impressing in camp.
Here’s how the Gamecocks shook out around the league, division by division.
In the AFC East, Kingsley Enagbare is set for his first season with the New York Jets after signing a one-year, $10 million deal in March. He spent four years with the Green Bay Packers, where he finished with 146 total tackles and 11.5 sacks in 68 games.
The Buffalo Bills also kept two former South Carolina defenders: T.J. Sanders and Jalon Kilgore.
Sanders played 12 games as a rookie and finished with 16 total tackles and a sack, with his best outing coming on Dec. 21 against the Browns, when he had three tackles. Kilgore arrived in Buffalo as a fifth-round pick after compiling 178 total tackles, 21 pass breakups and eight interceptions in 36 games over three seasons in Columbia.
The AFC North features several more familiar names. In Cincinnati, Knight posted 106 total tackles, three sacks and two interceptions in 17 games as a rookie, including three games with double-digit tackles and a season-high 12 against the Jets.
The Browns kept Sanders on their 52-man roster in his second NFL season after he ran for 92 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries as a rookie in four games. The Steelers brought in Dowdle on a two-year, $12,250,000 deal in early March after the best two seasons of his career with Dallas and Carolina; he rushed for 1,079 yards in 2024 and followed that with 1,076 yards and six touchdowns last year.
Gwyn, who began his career with the Falcons, joined the Ravens in March and is in the mix for Baltimore’s starting center job.
The AFC South includes a return to where it all began for Jadeveon Clowney. He’s back with the Houston Texans, the team that took him No. 1 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Clowney has also played for the Seahawks, Titans, Browns, Ravens, Panthers and Cowboys, and over 12 NFL seasons he has 450 total tackles and 66.5 sacks, along with three Pro Bowl nods and a second team All-Pro selection in 2016. Kai Kroeger was traded from the Saints to the Texans in March after one season in New Orleans, where he averaged 44.8 yards on 56 punts and pinned 18 inside the 20.
Bryan Thomas Jr. made the Jaguars after a preseason that included 12 total tackles and 3.5 sacks in three games; in the final preseason game against the Buccaneers, he was credited with five tackles, 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup and four quarterback hits.
Across the AFC West, Barrett is preparing for his rookie year after the Chargers selected him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Hemingway logged nine tackles and four sacks in nine games during his first NFL season with the Raiders.
Adkins has spent three years with the Broncos and has 24 catches for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reported that Gargiulo will open the year on the PUP list and miss the first four games, after he sat out the 2025 season because of an ACL injury in the preseason.
Tomasson also reported that Adam Prentice will start on Denver’s practice squad.
In the NFC East, Kinlaw’s first year with the Commanders in 2025 produced 43 total tackles, with 10.5 of them resulting in a loss. Over six NFL seasons, he has 153 tackles and 9.5 sacks in 75 games.
The NFC North includes two Packers and a Lion with Gamecock ties. Keisean Nixon is entering his eighth NFL season and fifth with Green Bay.
In seven years, he has totaled 301 tackles, 33 pass breakups and four interceptions, with 17 of those pass breakups coming last season. Brandon Cisse, a second-round pick, has stood out in preseason camp and looks like a player who could carve out real time as a rookie.
D.J. Wonnum joined the Lions after two seasons with the Panthers and is starting his seventh NFL season; in 86 career games, he has 250 tackles and 30 sacks.
The NFC South has a South Carolina-heavy feel as well. Horn, Legette and Martin-Scott are all back in Charlotte with the Panthers.
Horn had a career-best five interceptions last season. Legette has 84 catches for 860 yards and seven touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Martin-Scott recorded 21 tackles in 17 games as a rookie in 2025. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday that the Saints received trade interest for Rattler but chose to keep the former Gamecocks quarterback on the roster.
Tom Pelissero reported that the Falcons waived Nick Muse, though they plan to sign him to the practice squad.
Out west, the Seahawks are again a landing spot for two former South Carolina defenders. Jones followed up his championship season with 126 tackles and a career-high five interceptions in 2025, giving him 584 tackles over five NFL seasons.
Emmanwori was just as impressive in his rookie campaign, finishing with 81 tackles and 11 pass breakups. Also in the NFC West, Jalen Brooks is with the Cardinals and Deebo Samuel Sr. is with the 49ers.
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