Alabama
Saturday night NFL: Rookie from Alabama scores in debut with Bengals
Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton opened his pro career with three receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL preseason game on Saturday night.
Burton joined Cincinnati from Alabama in the third round of the NFL Draft on April 26.
Burton caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Woodside as the Bengals took a 14-10 lead with 3:33 to play.
Burton had a 38-yard reception on the Cincinnati offense’s next snap after Tampa Bay scored a touchdown with 57 seconds remaining. The reception put the Bengals at the Bucs 24-yard line with 41 seconds left, but Cincinnati was stopped on downs.
In the NFL’s other preseason games on Saturday night:
· Tennessee linebacker Chance Campbell intercepted San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joshua Dobbs at the Titans 1-yard line on the final snap of the game to preserve a 17-13 victory.
· Los Angeles gained only 198 yards, with the Chargers quarterbacks completing 14-of-32 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, in a 16-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
· No. 1 quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City and Trevor Lawrence of Jacksonville started the preseason opener, with Mahomes producing a field goal and Lawrence a touchdown to begin the Jaguars’ 26-13 victory over the Chiefs. Jacksonville produced 166 yards on four kickoff returns by four players.
· Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler answered Arizona’s touchdown with 1:55 to play by directing a drive that ended on Charlie Smyth’s 37-yard field goal with five seconds to play as the New Orleans Saints beat the Cardinals 16-14.
During the NFL’s five Sunday night preseason games, 56 players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field:
Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle and Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Chris Braswell talk after an NFL preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.(AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17, Cincinnati Bengals 14
· Buccaneers defensive lineman Marcus Banks (Alabama) made four tackles.
· Bengals safety Jordan Battle (Alabama) made five tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams.
· Bengals defensive tackle Travis Bell (Jeff Davis) did not record any stats.
· Chris Braswell (Alabama) started at outside linebacker for the Buccaneers. Braswell made one tackle on special teams in his pro debut. He joined Tampa Bay in the second round of the NFL Draft on April 26.
· K.J. Britt (Oxford, Auburn) started at linebacker for the Buccaneers. Britt made one tackle.
· Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (Alabama) had three receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown in his pro debut. Burton caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Logan Woodside as the Bengals took a 14-10 lead with 3:33 to play.
· Buccaneers tight end Sal Cannella (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (Auburn) did not play.
· Bengals cornerback Allan George (Andalusia) did not record any stats.
· Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac (Midfield, Alabama State) intercepted a deep pass by Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning at the Tampa Bay 15-yard line in the second quarter.
· Bengals wide receiver Shedrick Jackson (Hoover, Auburn) had a 3-yard reception.
· Bengals defensive tackle Cedric Johnson (Davidson) made four tackles, recorded one sack and registered two quarterback hits in his pro debut. Johnson joined Cincinnati in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 27. He also played against his brother on Saturday night. Cephus Johnson III is a wide receiver for Tampa Bay.
· Buccaneers wide receiver Cephus Johnson III (Davidson, South Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Buccaneers guard Avery Jones (Auburn) did not record any stats.
· Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) kicked two extra points, but his 58-yard field-goal attempt on the last snap of the first half went wide right.
· Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) started at cornerback for the Bengals. Taylor-Britt did not record any stats.
· Buccaneers running back D.J. Williams (Auburn) gained 29 yards on 10 rushing attempts and had a 6-yard reception in his pro debut. Williams signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones passes during an NFL preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Kansas City Chiefs 13
· Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (Auburn) ran for 28 yards on three carries, caught a pass that lost 1 yard and returned a kickoff 45 yards.
· Jaguars defensive end DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State) made two tackles and recorded two quarterback hits.
· Chiefs defensive end Neil Farrell Jr. (Murphy) made one tackle.
· Josh Hines-Allen (Abbeville) started at defensive end for the Jaguars. Hines-Allen did not record any stats.
· Jaguars cornerback Mac Jones (Alabama) completed 9-of-11 passes for 98 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Jones played the second half, when the Jacksonville offense produced two field goals on three full possessions.
· Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (Samford) completed 7-of-10 passes for 85 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran twice for 10 yards. Oladokun played two possessions, with one ending with a touchdown.
· Cam Robinson (Alabama) started at left offensive tackle for the Jaguars.
· Jaguars running back Keilan Robinson (Alabama) did not play.
· Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) had a 23-yard reception.
· Chiefs tight end Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama) had an 8-yard reception.
· Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (Lee-Montgomery, Auburn) made three tackles and recorded one tackle for loss.
· Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (Blount) did not play.
· Chiefs wide receiver Montrell Washington (Samford) caught two passes for 14 yards and returned a kickoff 32 yards.
· Jaguars offensive lineman Darryl Williams (Bessemer City) did not record any stats.
· Jaguars wide receiver Seth Williams (Paul Bryant, Auburn) had two receptions for 15 yards.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis passes during an NFL preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.(AP Photo/John Amis)
Tennessee Titans 17, San Francisco 49ers 13
· Forty-Niners defensive tackle Shakel Brown (Troy) made one tackle and broke up one pass.
· Titans defensive back Shyheim Carter (Alabama) made two tackles.
· Marlon Davidson (Greenville, Auburn) started at defensive tackle for the Titans. Davidson made three tackles.
· Titans defensive back Eric Garror (McGill-Toolen) made two tackles.
· Chris Hubbard (UAB) started at left offensive tackle for the 49ers.
· J.C. Latham (Alabama) started at left offensive tackle for the Titans in his pro debut. Latham joined Tennessee as the seventh selection in the NFL Draft on April 25.
· Forty-Niners tight end Cameron Latu (Alabama) had two receptions for 12 yards. Latu is coming back from missing his rookie season after he sustained a knee injury in San Francisco’s preseason finale in 2023.
· Forty-Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (South Alabama) did not play.
· Roger McCreary (Williamson, Auburn) started at cornerback for the Titans. McCreary made one tackle.
· Calvin Ridley (Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Titans. Ridley had a 22-yard reception.
· Titans offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons (Selma) did not record any stats.
· Titans quarterback Malik Willis (Auburn) completed 5-of-7 passes for 38 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions and ran for 42 yards on four carries. Willis had a 28-yard run to set up a field goal.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff helps bring down Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Max Duggan during an NFL preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Seattle Seahawks 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3
· Chargers center Bradley Bozeman (Handley, Alabama) did not play.
· Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe (Alabama) made one tackle in his pro debut. Eboigbe joined Los Angeles in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· A.J. Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal) started at safety for the Chargers. Finley made six tackles and broke up one pass.
· Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (Auburn) tied for the team lead with five tackles and recorded one sack.
· Chargers long snapper Josh Harris (Auburn) handled the snaps on eight punts and one field goal.
· Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson (Spain Park) did not play.
· Seahawks cornerback DJ James (Spanish Fort, Auburn) broke up a pass in his pro debut. James joined Seattle in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· Seahawks nose tackle Buddha Jones (Troy) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Chargers offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood (Alabama) did not record any stats.
· Chargers linebacker Shane Lee (Alabama) made five tackles on defense, registered one tackle for loss and recorded one tackle on special teams in his pro debut. Lee signed with Los Angeles as an undrafted rookie.
· Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (Jackson, Auburn) made two tackles in his pro debut. Pritchett joined Seattle in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· Jarran Reed (Alabama) started at nose tackle on the Seahawks. Reed made one tackle.
· Chargers punter JK Scott (Alabama) averaged 44.5 yards on eight punts, with a 43.1-yard net.
· Seahawks linebacker Jamie Sheriff (South Alabama) made one tackle and registered one quarterback hit in his pro debut. Sheriff signed with Seattle as an undrafted rookie.
· Chargers linebacker Kimani Vidal (Troy) did not play.
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V covers New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave during an NFL preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
New Orleans Saints 16, Arizona Cardinals 14
· Saints offensive tackle Chandler Brewer (Florence) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry (Pinson Valley, Alabama) started at cornerback for the Saints. McKinstry made three tackles and broke up one pass in his pro debut. McKinstry joined New Orleans in the second round of the NFL Draft on April 26.
· Cardinals wide receiver Tejhaun Palmer (UAB) had a 13-yard reception in his pro debut. Palmer joined Arizona in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
· Owen Pappoe (Auburn) started at inside linebacker for the Cardinals. Pappoe made three tackles on defense and one tackle on special teams.
· Saints linebacker Monty Rice (James Clemens) led New Orleans with seven tackles.
· Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB) started at cornerback for the Cardinals. Thomas broke up one pass.
· Cardinals offensive tackle Jonah Williams (Alabama) did not play.
· Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery, Alabama) did not play.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
Alabama
Alabama defensive back officially declares for 2026 NFL draft
Jones transferred to Alabama from Wake Forrest prior to the 2024 campaign.
Alabama defensive back DaShawn Jones has officially declared for the 2026 NFL draft.
A senior out of Baltimore, Maryland, Jones was an excellent rotational piece in the Alabama secondary throughout the 2025 campaign. Jones joined the Crimson Tide in 2024 after transferring in from Wake Forrest, and the defensive back took full advantage of the opportunities he was given and thrived in Tuscaloosa as a result. The former three-star prospect recorded 11 solo tackles and one interception this season, as the playmaker will now turn his attention towards the NFL draft in April.
Jones was ranked as the No. 137 cornerback and the No. 1551 overall player from the class of 2021, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, prior to attending Wake Forest to begin his collegiate career. The talented defensive back played far above his expectations over the course of his college career, as the former Demon Deacon was a solid contributor during his time at both Wake Forrest and Alabama.
Jones could quickly prove to be an excellent pick up for any team that choses to draft him, as the promising playmaker’s time in Tuscaloosa officially comes to an end.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Alabama
May they see your driver license?: Down in Alabama
Driver license, please
A case we followed here in 2022 has found its way to the Alabama Supreme Court.
AL.com’s Sarah Whites-Koditschek reports that the question is whether Alabama Police officers can demand to see people’s driver licenses or other IDs if they have probable cause.
In 2022, Childersburg Police answered a call about somebody on the property of people who were not home. The man, Michael Jennings, said he was watering flowers for his neighbors. The officers told him to provide an ID. He would only give his name as “Pastor Jennings” and refused to provide identification. Eventually the officers arrested him on a charge of obstructing government operations.
Attorney Ed Haden is representing the city and a group of police officers. He argued before the justices that state law gives officers with probable cause the authority to identify people, and that means a full name verified by identification.
Jennings attorney Henry Daniels argued the opposite, telling the justices that “Entitlement to live one’s life free from unwarranted interference by law enforcement or other governmental entities is fundamental to liberty.”
How low can you go?
Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December came in at a low 2.7% and was accompanied by record-breaking employment totals, reports AL.com’s Heather Gann.
Alabama Department of Workforce Secretary Greg Reed announced the figures on Wednesday.
Records fell for the number of people counted as employed and wage and salary employment. The difference between those two stats is that “wage and salary employment” doesn’t include a few types of workers such as the self-employed.
Alabama’s 2.7% rate was down from 3.3% in November ’24. And it was tracking well below the national rate.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.6%. That’s low, historically speaking, but the highest it’s been since September 2021.
RIP, songwriter Jim McBride
Huntsville native, country-music songwriter and Alabama Music Hall of Famer Jim McBride has passed away, reports AL.com’s Patrick Darrington.
McBride, who was from Huntsville, wrote or co-wrote No. 1s such as Johnny Lee’s “Bet Your Heart on Me” and Waylon Jennings’ very last chart-topper, “Rose in Paradise.”
With legends such as Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and George Jones cutting his songs, he became a Nashville mainstay himself during the 1980s. In the country-music business, a lot of figures like McBride aren’t the household names of the recording artists, but the smart recording artists are going to gravitate to somebody who can take a song or a hook or an idea and turn it into something that might hit. So the songwriters become famous inside the industry and many of them are like family to the Opry stars and in high demand for late-night guitar pulls. We had another one — Bobby Tomberlin — on the podcast on Sept. 12, and he told some great stories about that life.
Well, one of those smart recording artists who wound up in McBride’s orbit in the late ’80s was a fresh-faced Alan Jackson. Their songwriter partnership produced the No. 1 songs “Someday” and CMA Single and Song of the year “Chattahoochee” as well as many others, including the Top 5s “Chasing That Neon Rainbow” and “(Who Says) You Can’t Have it All.”
That alone is a career.
Jim McBride was 78 years old.
Quoting
“To all our ICE agents in Minnesota and across the country: if you are violently attacked, SHOOT BACK.”
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, in a response to a woman’s being shot and killed in Minnesota on Wednesday after she allegedly tried to drive her SUV into an immigration officer.
By the Numbers
60%
That’s the percentage of Alabamians in an AL.com survey that said they expect to spend more on housing or rental costs this year compared to 2025.
Born on This Date
In 1977, actress Amber Benson of Birmingham.
The podcast
Alabama
Former Alabama OL starter transferring to SEC rival
Alabama football will see one of its ex-starters next season. Wilkin Formby is joining Texas A&M out of the transfer portal, after three seasons with the Crimson Tide.
Formby shared the news to his Instagram account on Wednesday. He opted to enter the transfer portal after the 2025 season came to an end with a 38-3 loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl.
The Tuscaloosa native and Northridge product played both guard and tackle this past season. Coaches praised his versatility.
“Wilkin obviously has the athleticism to to play inside, and the size,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said in September. “So I think there’s a couple things that happen for Wilkin in there, his natural pad-level because he’s got his hand in the dirt, and he’s got a good base and wide frame, so he’d done a really nice job in there. So we keep working on that and expand. As long as he can stay right-handed, playing on the right side, I think the transition for him is easy.”
Formby started out the year at right tackle, where he had previously played. He eventually moved over to guard, after Michael Carroll emerged as a viable tackle option.
The departure of Formby is part of a larger renovation of the Crimson Tide’s offensive line, which has now lost every starter besides Carroll. Kadyn Proctor and Parker Brailsford opted to leave early for the NFL Draft, while Geno VanDeMark, Kam Dewberry and Jaeden Roberts are out of eligibility.
Alabama is also losing several reserve linemen to the portal. Arkel Anugwom is entering, joining Olaus Alinen (who committed to Kentucky), Joseph Ionata and Micah DeBose.
UA has made one offensive line pickup from the portal. Former Michigan center Kaden Strayhorn is joining the Tide.
Alabama will face Formby in Tuscaloosa this season. Texas A&M visits Bryant-Denny Stadium on Oct. 24.
Undergraduate players can opt to enter the transfer portal through Jan. 16.
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