Dec. 30, 2016
Auburn Tigers in the National Football League ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Week 16
Cameron Artis-Payne (RB, Carolina Panthers)
Artis-Payne was inactive for the Panthers' 33-16 loss to Atlanta. He has started three games this season rushing for 144 yards on 36 carries and has scored two touchdowns. The second-year man out of Harrisburg, Pa., rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 58 yards in seven games as a rookie. Artis-Payne became the 34th Auburn running back drafted in the common draft era when he was selected by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.
Peyton Barber (RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Saw the field, but did not record any stats in the Buccaneers' 31-24 loss to New Orleans. Barber has 204 yards on 50 attempts and a touchdown this season. In week seven, he rushed for 84 yards on 12 carries and added his first NFL touchdown, a 44-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter to secure the victory for the Bucs against San Francisco. Barber made the Buccaneers' 53-man roster after going undrafted in 2016. The Alpharetta, Ga., product rushed for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2015 for the Tigers.
Daren Bates (LB, Oakland Raiders)
Made one tackle in the Raiders' 33-25 win over Indianapolis. He has eight tackles for the season. A special teams captain, Bates appeared in 15 games with the Rams in 2015. The undrafted fourth-year man out of Memphis, Tenn., has compiled 37 tackles in his career.
Angelo Blackson (DL, Tennessee Titans)
Blackson played, but did not see record any stats in the Titans' 38-17 win over Kansas City. He has nine tackles while appearing in 13 games this season. The second-year man out of Wilmington, Del., appeared in all 16 games as a rookie totaling 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Quan Bray (WR, Indianapolis Colts)
Bray is currently on injured reserve. He has appeared in six games this season, but has been inactive since week six due to an ankle injury. Bray is averaging 25.7 yards on nine kick returns and 8.3 yards on seven punt returns this season. He has also caught three passes for 36 yards and has seven yards rushing on one attempt. As a rookie, the LaGrange, Ga., native returned 21 kicks for 570 yards (27.1 avg.) with a long of 60 and returned 21 punts for 166 yards (7.9 avg.) with a long of 33.
Josh Bynes (LB, Detroit Lions)
Compiled three tackles in the Lions' 42-21 loss to Dallas. Bynes has recorded 36 tackles for the season. Bynes was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. He played parts of three seasons with the Ravens including a win in Super Bowl XLVII. Bynes also played the 2014-15 seasons with Detroit including making 11 starts and recording 82 tackles in 2015. He has 219 tackles (140 solo) for his career. Bynes finished with 238 tackles and 16.5 TFL in his four-year Auburn career from 2007-10.
Sammie Coates (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)
Was inactive for the Steelers' 31-27 win over Baltimore on Christmas night. Coates has 21 receptions for 435 yards (average of 20.7 yards per catch) and two touchdowns this season. Coates has six catches this season of at least 40 yards, which is tied for best in the NFL. The second-year man from Leroy, Ala., appeared in six games as a rookie, and has 22 catches for 446 yards and two touchdowns in his young career. Coates became the first Auburn wide receiver drafted since 2007 when the Steelers selected him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Shon Coleman (OT, Cleveland Browns)
Coleman did not play in the Browns' 20-17 win over San Diego. He has appeared in five games in his rookie season. Coleman was the first Tiger taken off the board in the 2016 NFL Draft, going 76th overall in the third round. The Olive Branch, Miss., native started 25 games in his career as a Tiger and was a second-team All-SEC selection as a senior.
Blake Countess (CB, Los Angeles Rams)
Countess had the best game of his young career posting 11 tackles (eight solo), including a sack in his first career start in the Rams' 22-21 loss to San Francisco. Countess was promoted from the Rams' practice squad on Nov. 18, and has appeared in four games. The Owings Mills, MD., native was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Philadelphia. Countess tallied 71 tackles as a senior, his lone season, at Auburn in 2015.
Karlos Dansby (LB, Cincinnati Bengals)
Dansby tallied 10 total tackles (five solo) and defended a pass in the Bengals' 12-10 loss to Houston. He has 103 tackles (63 solo) and one sack for the season. The 13-year veteran led the Cleveland Browns last season with 108 tackles (62 solo) and three interceptions, including two pick-sixes. He also forced two fumbles while starting all 16 games. The former All-SEC linebacker is the only active player in the NFL with at least 40 sacks and 15 interceptions, and with one more interception he will become only the fifth player in NFL history with 40 sacks and 20 interceptions. The Birmingham, Ala. native has racked up 1,311 tackles (993 solo), 42.0 sacks, 19 interceptions (six returned for touchdowns) and 18 forced fumbles during his time with the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
Chris Davis (CB, San Francisco 49ers)
Davis is on the 49ers' injured reserve list after tearing his ACL. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 21.5 yards on six kick returns this season while compiling three tackles including 0.5 sacks on defense. The third year man from Birmingham, Ala., has 19 tackles in his career after going undrafted in 2014.
King Dunlap (OL, San Diego Chargers)
Dunlap was inactive for the Chargers' 20-17 loss to Cleveland due to an injured knee. The Nashville, Tenn., native has started in 65 of his 98 games played in his nine-year career. Dunlap was at Auburn from 2003-2007, playing in 37 games over his career.
Nick Fairley (DL, New Orleans Saints)
Recorded two tackles in the Saints' 31-24 win over New Orleans. Fairley has 40 tackles and 5.5 sacks for the year while starting all 15 games in his first season with New Orleans. The former first round draft pick and Lombardi Award winner had 29 tackles and 0.5 sacks last season as a member of the St. Louis Rams. The Mobile, Ala., native has 167 tackles, four forced fumbles and 19.5 sacks in his six-year career.
Dee Ford (LB, Kansas City Chiefs)
Ford spent most of the Chiefs' 33-10 win over Denver in the backfield, pressuring the Denver quarterback non-stop all evening in addition to two solo tackles. He is tied for 10th in the NFL with 10.0 sacks this season. For the season, Ford has 38 tackles (25 solo). The Odenville, Ala., native had 23 tackles and 4.0 sacks last season. Ford became the highest-drafted Auburn defensive end since Gerald Robinson in 1986 when the Chiefs selected him 23rd overall in the 2014 draft. He has 69 tackles in his career including 15.5 sacks.
Corey Grant (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Carried the ball nine times for 27 yards, and caught one pass for five yards in the Jaguars' 38-17 win over Tennessee. Grant has 14 carries for 42 yards, two receptions for 20 yards, and has returned 13 kicks for 268 yards this season. The second-year man from Opelika, Ala., finished his rookie season with six carries for two yards, two receptions for 13 yards and eight kick returns for 220 yards (team-best 27.5 yards per average) with a long of 42 yards.
Josh Harris (LS, Atlanta Falcons)
Harris served as the Falcons' long snapper, and made one tackle, in their 33-16 win over Carolina on Saturday. With the win, and a Tampa loss, the Falcons clinched the NFC South title securing a spot in the playoffs. The Carrolton, Ga., native, now in his fifth season, has served as Atlanta's long snapper in all 79 games of his NFL career.
Jonathan Jones (DB, New England Patriots)
Jones made one tackle in the Patriots' 41-3 victory over the New York Jets. He has 13 tackles and a pass deflection on the season. The Carrolton, Ga., native made the Patriots' 53-man roster after going undrafted in 2016. The All-SEC selection tallied 129 tackles in his career at Auburn with seven interceptions.
Brandon King (DB, New England Patriots)
Made one tackle in the Patriots' 41-3 win over the New York Jets. He has ten tackles for the season. King compiled 12 tackles, forced a fumble and appeared on special teams in 13 games as a rookie. The Alabaster, Ala. native was picked up by New England after going undrafted in 2015.
Davonte Lambert (DL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Lambert, who started on Saturday, recorded one tackle during the Buccaneers' 31-24 loss to New Orleans. He has appeared in ten games and started four times this season while posting 11 tackles and forcing a fumble. Lambert made the Buccaneers' 53-man roster after not being drafted in 2016. The Keysville, Ga., native had 48 career tackles at Auburn.
Chris Landrum (LB, San Diego Chargers)
Played, but did not record any stats in the Chargers' 20-17 loss to Cleveland. Landrum has four tackles and a sack for the season while appearing in nine games. Landrum played at Auburn from 2011-12 before transferring to Jacksonville State.
Corey Lemonier (LB, Detroit Lions)
Lemonier was signed by the Jets on December 26. He compiled nine tackles including two sacks and a forced fumble for the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions this season. Lemonier had 12 tackles last season with the San Francisco 49ers appearing in 10 games with two starts. A third-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Miami, Fla. native has compiled 46 tackles (35 solo), two sacks and a safety in his NFL career.
Ricardo Louis (WR, Cleveland Browns)
Saw the field, but did not record any offensive statistics in Cleveland's 20-17 victory over San Diego. Louis did record two tackles on special teams. For the season, the rookie has caught 16 passes for 183 yards (11.4 yards per catch) while making two starts and appearing in every game. He also averaged 18.2 yards on nine kick returns. The Browns selected Louis in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Louis and Sammie Coates(2015 third round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers) were the first pair of Auburn wide receivers to be drafted in consecutive years since Ben Obomanu (2006), Devin Aromashodu (2006) and Courtney Taylor (2007).
Sen'Derrick Marks (DL, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Recorded one tackle and one pass deflection in the Jaguars' 38-17 win over Tennessee. Marks has 20 tackles for the season including 3.0 sacks. The eighth-year veteran had six tackles and three PBUs last season in four games (two starts). The Mobile, Ala., native had his best season in 2014 as he set career highs in tackles (44) and sacks (8.5). Marks was ranked the 78th best player in the NFL on the player-voted NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 list. For his career, he has 203 tackles and 18.5 sacks.
Nick Marshall (DB, New York Jets)
Marshall did not record any defensive stats in the Jets' 41-3 loss to New England, but he did return two punts and four kickoffs. He has five tackles since joining the Jets during week six. As a rookie with the Jaguars, he compiled 13 tackles, averaged six yards on five punt returns and returned 13 kicks for 346 yards (26.6 avg.) ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" second behind Corey Grant for best on the team. The Pineview, Ga. native was signed as an undrafted free agent.
Cam Newton (QB, Carolina Panthers)
Newton went 18-for-43 for 198 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers 33-16 loss to Atlanta on Saturday. For the season, the reigning NFL MVP has passed for 3,272 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 353 yards and five more scores. Since 2011, he has the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL among active players and second only to Marshawn Lynch (51) for most overall. He is the first player in Panthers history with 12 300-yard games and became the Panthers career leader with 122 touchdown passes in week two. In week 10, Newton set the Carolina's franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a career with 47. Newton is the only player in the NFL with at least four passing touchdowns in four different games since the beginning of the 2015 season. In week one, he scored the 44th rushing touchdown of his career, passing Steve Young for the most by a quarterback in NFL history. The week one performance was also the 32nd time in his career that Newton rushed and passed for a touchdown in the same game, breaking a tie with Steve Young for the most in NFL history. Last season, the College Park, Ga., native became the first player in NFL history to pass for 30 touchdowns and rush for 10 touchdowns in a single season. He finished the season with 3,837 passing yards and 35 touchdowns (second most in the NFL) and 636 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to start his career with five consecutive seasons with over 3,000 passing yards and 500 yards rushing. In his career, Newton has compiled 21,535 yards through the air with 135 touchdowns and has 3,560 yards rushing with 48 touchdowns. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner became Auburn's fourth No. 1 overall pick when Carolina selected him in the 2011 draft.
Cody Parkey (PK, Cleveland Browns)
Parkey went 2-for-2 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards, and made both of his extra point attempts in the Browns' 20-17 win over San Diego. For the season, the Jupiter, Fla., native has converted 19-of-23 field goals (83 percent) and is 17-for-18 on extra point attempts. He has not missed a field goal since week nine. Parkey missed the majority of the 2015 season with an injury. Prior to the injury, he was 3-for-4 on field goal attempts and went 7-for-7 on extra points. He also averaged 60.9 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks. Parkey had one of the best rookie seasons by a kicker in NFL history in 2014 as he set the NFL rookie scoring record with 150 points and was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl.
Jerraud Powers (CB, Baltimore Ravens)
Made three tackles in the Ravens' 31-27 loss to Pittsburgh on Christmas night. Powers has 29 tackles and two interceptions on the year. Last season, he compiled 52 tackles (46 solo), nine pass deflections, a sack, an interception and returned a fumble for a touchdown while starting in 13 games for Arizona. The Decatur, Ala., native has started in all but 12 games in his NFL career while compiling 409 tackles and 13 interceptions.
Jay Prosch (FB, Houston Texans)
Carried the ball once for a five-yard gain in the Texans' 12-10 win over Cincinnati. He has four carries for nine yards and one catch for six yards for the season. Prosch started every game at fullback for the Texans last season with six carries for 33 yards and racked up nine tackles on special teams. The Saraland, Ala. native was a sixth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Trovon Reed (CB, San Diego Chargers)
Reed recorded five tackles and a PBU as the Chargers fell to Cleveland 20-17. He has 12 tackles, three PBUs and two interceptions this season. He was signed to the Chargers' active roster on November 22 off of their practice squad. The second year man entered the league as an undrafted free agent last season. Reed played in 46 games in his Auburn career, playing both wide receiver and corner back.
Greg Robinson (OL, Los Angeles Rams)
Robinson was inactive for the Rams' 22-21 loss to San Francisco. He has started 29 of 31 games over the last two seasons. The Thibodaux, La., native was drafted second overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, the highest-drafted offensive lineman in Auburn history. He played in all 16 games of his rookie season with 12 starts. He has started in 41 of his 45 games played in his career.
Pat Sims (DL, Cincinnati Bengals)
Made three total tackles in the Bengals' 12-10 loss to Houston. Sims has 36 tackles and one sack for the year. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native had 16 tackles last season. A third-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Sims has compiled 269 tackles and eight sacks in his nine-year career.
Robenson Therezie (DB, New Orleans Saints)
Did not play in his first game with the Saints, a 31-24 win over Tampa Bay. He was claimed by the Saints off of waivers on December 23rd. Therezie has three tackles for the season. The second-year man from Miami, Fla., appeared in 13 games as a rookie with two starts while recording 33 tackles (27 solo) and an interception.
Neiko Thorpe (DB, Seattle Seahawks)
Saw the field, but did not record any tackles in the Seahawks' 34-31 loss to Arizona. He has 18 tackles for the season. Last season, Thorpe appeared in 14 games with two starts and compiled 40 tackles (37 solo), 6 PBUs and an interception. A key part of Auburn's 2010 National Championship team, Thorpe has made 71 tackles in his NFL career.
CJ Uzomah (TE, Cincinnati Bengals)
Made five receptions for 28 yards in the Bengals' 12-10 loss to Houston. Uzomah has 22 receptions for 221 yards (average of 10.0 per catch) for the season with a long of 54. The Suwanee, Ga., native became the first Auburn tight end drafted since Walter Reeves (1989) when the Bengals selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Christian Westerman (OG, Cincinnati Bengals)
Was inactive for Cincinnati's 12-10 loss to the Texans. The Chandler, Ariz., native was picked up in the fifth round (No. 161 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played at Auburn from 2011-12 before transferring to Arizona State.
Gabe Wright (DT, Cleveland Browns)
Wright played, but did not record any stats in Cleveland's 20-17 victory over the Chargers. Wright was promoted from the Browns' practice squad prior to Week 15. Wright has made four total tackles and one PBU this season. The Columbus, Ga., native is in his second NFL season after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 draft by Detroit.
Other former Tigers on NFL practice squads: Cassanova McKinzy (Los Angeles), Chad Slade (Houston) and Jermaine Whitehead (Packers).
Report compiled by Auburn athletics communications student assistants Wes Costello and Matt Penland.