Aggies in the NFL for 2014

It's football season, Ags.

The good guys got the college portion started with a thorough beating of the Gamecocks, and the pros' kickoff weekend is only a few days away. With the dust finally settled on post-training camp personnel moves, we take a quick look around the league to see where you can find Aggies playing on Sundays.

Atlanta Falcons: Jake Matthews, OL

Matthews has been a budding star on HBO's Hard Knocks, and injuries have pressed him into service as the team's starting LT (from RT) ahead of schedule. All signs point to a very successful career for the newest branch on the NFL's most prestigious O-Line family tree.

Chicago Bears: Martellus Bennett, TE

Marty B had a bit of an altercation early in camp and was suspended for five days. The fight was one of the biggest stories in the early preseason, and it led to a handful of articles questioning the mental side of Bennett's game. But once the suspension lifted 'Tellus went back to work, and by all accounts is ready to serve as the team's TE1 for the upcoming season.

Cincinnati Bengals: Sean Porter, LB

Porter has battled injuries throughout his NFL career, and the early portion of this season will appear to bring more of the same. Cincy Jungle, the Bengals SBNation site, has more on the promising linebacker.

Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel, QB

Johnny's battle with Brian Hoyer had Aggies across the country saying things like "Sorry man, I can't make it out tonight. I have to catch this Browns pre-season game."

The Browns, to their credit, picked Hoyer over Johnny and said no to new and exciting concepts like "fan support," "national TV ratings," and "people generally caring about their existence."

Denver Broncos: Von Miller, OLB

What else can you say about this guy? A recent poll ranked him as the #11 defensive player in the NFL despite his drop in production in year #2, and the addition of DeMarcus Ware should push him even further up that list. We could be looking at a season that exceeds his spectacular rookie campaign.

Detroit Lions: Don Muhlbach, DS

This former A&M lineman is living the dream. Deep snap a few times per game, and collect the paycheck on Monday. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

You keep doing you, Don.

Houston Texans: Shane Lechler, P; Randy Bullock, K

Special Teams for days, y'all. The Texans will roll with the all-Aggie combo of Shane Lechler and Randy Bullock, with the hopes of having them involved in games that generally mean something. Shane had a slightly below average year (by his insane standards) in 2013, but still looks to be on track for serious HOF consideration.

Randy had a well-documented slow start to 2013, but quietly performed very well over the past ten games and easily held off the competition in this year's camp.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Luke Joeckel, OL; Red Bryant, DE

Luke Joeckel graduated Summa Cum Laude from Left Tackle U, earning a #2 overall selection in 2013. His rookie season was cut short by injury, but he appears to be fully ready to line up as the team's starting LT.

Bryant arrives in JAX by way of the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks... who cut the six-year Seattle DT for cap purposes. This is a cruel business. Jacksonville saw things differently and snapped him up, and the run-stopping DE is penciled in as a starter.

Kansas City: Cyrus Gray, RB

The arrival of rookie RB Knile Davis will make traditional RB play unlikely for Cyrus, but he has carved out a niche as a special teams contributor in KC. Look for him to continue on ST while serving as quality running depth in the event of an injury.

Miami Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill, QB

Oh yea, we have another Aggie Quarterback in the NFL... and his game is going to take off in former Philly QB coach Bill Lazor's new offense. When he makes the Pro Bowl in the AFC, just remember... you heard it here first.

Johnny may get all of the attention, but Tannehill sits firmly atop the "best Aggie offensive player in the NFL" rankings until further notice.

New York Giants: DaMontre Moore, DE

Big Blue View, the SBNation Giants site, had a great sit-down with Moore regarding his rookie campaign and overall adjustment to the NFL. It's a good read, and a nice picture of the adjustments these guys can face between year 1 and year 2.

Look for Moore to continue to develop behind Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Cody Wallace, OL

Wallace is an oft-traveled interior lineman, and he currently hangs his hat in Pittsburgh. Given that he is a product of the he-who-shall-not-be-named days, he appears remarkably well adjusted to playing good football.

San Francisco 49ers: Tony Jerod-Eddie, DT

TJE was often a star of the dependable "Ask the Aggies" 12th Man TV series, and the 4th year funnyman hasn't changed a bit.

All kidding aside, Jerod-Eddie has locked down a spot in one of the most respected D-Line rotations in the league.

Seattle Seahawks: Michael Bennett, DE; Christine Michael, RB

Okay, hands up. Who thought Martellus would be the 2nd most successful pro in his own family? Because he is.

Michael played huuuuuuge in a contract year out on the West Coast, and he was able to turn that season into a legitimate payday from the Seahawks. Bennett's 2013 performance actually drew even higher offers from two other teams, but he turned them down to stay in Seattle and go for the repeat.

Christine Michael, as fantasy players will already note, has taken the backup job behind Marshawn Lynch and is thought of as Seattle's running back of the future. We know he has NFL-level physical tools, and I'm betting he makes huge strides when his opportunity finally hits.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR; Jorvorskie Lane, RB

J-Train did it again. The running back turned fullback turned H-back/fullback hybrid found another roster, this time with Mike Evans and the Tampa Bay Bucs.

I expect Evans, who will line up opposite his physical clone in Vincent Jackson, to destroy whichever unlucky CB2 happens to be facing him on a given week.

Practice Squad / IR

Finally, a quick shout out to those who were retained on an NFL team's 10-man practice squad and those who have had their season cut short by injury.

• New Orleans Saints: Terrence Frederick, CB (PS)
• Houston Texans: Travis Lahbart (PS), WR; Uzoma Nwachukwu, WR (PS)
• Baltimore Ravens: Tramain Jacobs, DB (PS)
• Seattle Seahawks: Steven Terrell, DB (PS)
• Carolina Panthers: Kevin Matthews, OL (IR)
• Cleveland Browns: Patrick Lewis, C (PS)

Well, there you have it. You now have everything you need (namely, "which team has more Aggies?) to watch pretty much any NFL game of the season.