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The NFL is off and running with Week 2 of the 2026 season taking place over the past several days, and several former Tennessee players were in action and having productive performances for their teams. Rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy made his NFL debut after missing the 2025 season for the Vols with a torn ACL, and fellow rookie cornerback Colton Hood made his first NFL start on Monday Night Football. Among non-rookies, Byron Young got his 2026 season off and running, Alvin Kamara kicked off his 10th NFL season and Joshua Palmer caught a touchdown for the second game in a row.
GoVols247 recaps how every former Tennessee player fared during Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season with the latest installment of our weekly feature.
Jermod McCoy (Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
McCoy makes NFL debut
Raiders rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy played in a competitive football game for the first time since the College Football Playoff first-round loss at Ohio State in December 2024 ended his 2024 season for the Vols. After missing the 2025 season due to an injury and concerns over a separate issue with his knee caused a top-15 talent to drop to the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, McCoy was active in Week 1, but didn’t play. A cornerback injury for Las Vegas saw him bumped into the lineup in the win at the Chargers.
McCoy played 18 defensive snaps and had two tackles in his NFL debut with a third tackle negated by a penalty.
“I thought he had very meaningful snaps in the game yesterday,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said Monday. “We’re going to keep building him up, keep building his confidence and he’s giving us confidence to play him more.”
Hood starts, makes first NFL tackles
With a starter inactive ahead of him, rookie cornerback Colton Hood entered the starting lineup for the Giants and made his first career NFL tackles in the loss at the Rams on Monday Night Football. Hood played every snap on defense for New York and finished with three tackles. His first came on the second defensive snap for the Giants, and he made two more in the fourth quarter.
B.Y. on the board
Rams outside linebacker Byron Young got his 2026 season off and running in the win against the Giants on Monday Night Football. Young was a menace against New York, racking up five tackles, three quarterback hits and a sack. His first sack of 2026 came on third down in the third quarter to stop a Giants drive into L.A. territory.
Make 28.5 career sacks for a player who will be a free agent after this season.
Alvin Kamara (Photo: Michael Owens, Getty)
Kamara makes 2026 debut
After missing Week 1 due to an injury, Saints running back Alvin Kamara made his 2026 debut in the road win at the Ravens. In the first game of his 10th NFL season, the holder of multiple New Orleans franchise records started and had 15 yards on nine carries. Kamara also caught five of his six targets, but those receptions only netted 7 yards.
Kamara had a 6-yard catch on the fourth play of the Saints’ opening drive and had a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter on the game-tying touchdown drive while sharing the backfield with Travis Etienne Jr., the offseason acquisition from the Jaguars.
Two games, two TDs for Palmer
What a start to the season it’s been for Joshua Palmer. The sixth-year wide receiver began his second season with the Bills by catching the game-winning touchdown in the Week 1 at the Texans, and he found the end zone again to get Buffalo started on its way to a high-scoring win against the Lions on Thursday Night Football. Palmer caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, the second-ever touchdown at the Bills’ new stadium.
Palmer has just two catches in two games, but both for touchdowns.
Jennings misses Vikings win for personal reasons
The Vikings secured a 2-0 start with an unlikely win at the NFC North rival Bears and did it without wide receiver Jauan Jennings. He was inactive for the game due to what head coach Kevin O’Connell called a “personal family matter.” Vikings beat reporter Ben Goessling clarified that Jennings lost a “close family member.”
Colton Hood (Photo: Brooke Sutton, Getty)
Rounding up the rest of the former Vols
Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor had five tackles and two tackles for loss against the Eagles, whose late drive denied Tennessee a first win.
2023 first-round pick Darnell Wright started at right tackle for the Bears and played every snap on offense in the upset loss to the Vikings, during which Chicago lost star quarterback Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury.
Browns defensive end Derek Barnett made the most of his 22 defensive snaps, making two tackles with a tackle for loss in the weather-lengthened win at the Bucs.
Rookie linebacker Joshua Josephs played seven defensive snaps without any stats in the loss at the Cowboys.
Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright had two carries for 11 yards and three kickoff returns for 79 yards (including a 36-yarder) before suffering a shoulder stinger in the loss at the 49ers.
Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith started at right guard and played all 80 snaps to help Kansas City to a walk-off overtime win against the Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Rams safety Jaylen McCollough was on the field for 42 snaps (30 on defense, 12 on special teams) and had one tackle and one quarterback hit in the win against the Giants on Monday Night Football.
Vikings safety Theo Jackson started, played 50 defensive snaps and had three tackles and a pass breakup in the win at the Bears.
Packers cornerback Kamal Hadden played exclusively on special teams (12 snaps) and made two tackles in kickoff coverage in the win at the Jets.
Commanders defensive tackle Shy Tuttle played 17 defensive snaps without any stats in the loss at the Cowboys.
Joshua Dobbs was the unused backup quarterback for the Lions in the loss at the Bills on Thursday Night Football.
Titans long snapper Morgan Cox was flawless on two field goals, two extra points and four punts in the loss to the Eagles.
The Rams signed defensive tackle Jaxson Moi to the practice squad on September 18, just a couple of weeks after cutting the undrafted rookie at the end of the preseason.
Not in action
Inactive: Bucs DT Elijah Simmons, 49ers DT Bryson Eason.
Suspended: Falcons EDGE James Pearce Jr. (offseason arrest).
Injured reserve: Browns RB Dylan Sampson (knee), Lions OL Cade Mays (wrist), Raiders WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. (undisclosed), Panthers WR Chris Brazzell II (season-ending knee injury), Cowboys TE Princeton Fant (season-ending knee injury).
PUP (Physically unable to perform): Chiefs DT Omarr Norman-Lott (2025 knee injury).
Practice squad: QB Joey Aguilar (Jaguars), QB Hendon Hooker (Titans), WR Jalin Hyatt (Giants), RB Velus Jones Jr. (Seahawks), CB Jalen McMurray (Titans), QB Joe Milton III (Cowboys), RB Jabari Small (Lions), WR Cedric Tillman (Saints).