Former Auburn football CB Carlton Davis traded to Detroit Lions

After six years of playing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former Auburn football cornerback Carlton Davis III is headed to the Detroit Lions

The NFL free agency period has begun for 2024, and many teams have made dramatic moves that will set the stage for next season. Many stars are going to wear different uniforms, which will create a lot of noise for next season.

One of those moves includes former Auburn cornerback [autotag]Carlton Davis III[/autotag], who was part of the Tigers’ roster from 2015-17. After spending the first six seasons of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davis has been traded to the Detroit Lions.

The former Auburn star was traded with multiple sixth-round draft picks in exchange for a third-round pick.

From 2018-2023, Davis appeared in 76 games, racking up 324 total tackles to go along with three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and nine interceptions.

While with the Tigers, he started in all three of his seasons at cornerback, making the second team on the all-SEC roster in his junior year. He appeared in 38 games, posting 138 total tackles with three forced fumbles and four interceptions.

Davis looks to be the new veteran leader and No. 1 cornerback on the roster heading into his time in Detroit.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Tyler on Twitter @traley34

Prince Tega Wanogho ruled out for Super Bowl 58

Auburn alumni Prince Tega Wanogho has been ruled out ahead of the biggest game of the NFL season.

Auburn’s lone representative in the Super Bowl, Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle [autotag]Prince Tega Wanogho[/autotag], has been ruled out ahead of Super Bowl 58.

The designation marks the end of a disappointing season for the Auburn alumni. Injury issues forced the 26-year-old to miss all but 3 games this season in Kansas City.

He could have been in for an increase in snaps with the Chiefs set to miss star guard Joe Thuney in the game.

Instead, quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be playing behind a banged-up line in front of a stout 49ers defense. For what it’s worth, Mahomes’ lone Super Bowl loss occurred against the Tampa Bay Buccanneers when his offensive line failed to hold up.

We’ll see if Kansas City suffers the same fate today. As for Wanogho, the young tackle will look to prove his worth in the offseason as he looks for a new contract.

The Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT. The big game will be broadcasted on CBS.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Former Auburn walk-on Joe Whitt Jr. signs on as Washington Commanders Defensive Coordinator

Whitt Jr. will serve as defensive coordinator under new head coach Dan Quinn’s staff.

Former Auburn receiver [autotag]Joe Whitt Jr.[/autotag] has been named the next defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Whitt Jr. has spent years coaching in the National Football League, mainly under new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn in Atlanta and most recently, Dallas.

Despite his playing experience on the offensive side of the ball, Whitt Jr. has almost exclusively coached defensive backs during his coaching career.

After a brief stint as the wide receivers coach for The Citadel in 2002, the former Auburn walk-on moved on to the University of Louisville to coach cornerbacks from 2003-2006.

Whitt Jr. would then move on to the NFL as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Atlanta Falcons before spending 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers as a defensive quality control coach, cornerbacks coach, and defensive pass game coordinator.

He would then join the Cleveland Browns in 2019 before hooking up with Dan Quinn for the first time in 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons.

After Quinn was fired, the now-Commanders head coach moved on to be the defensive Coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Whitt Jr. followed, and spent the past 3 seasons coaching alongside his friend and mentor.

Now, the former Auburn Tiger’s hard work has paid on in his first defensive coordinator role with the Commanders.

Washington gutted much of its defensive roster after struggling last season, so Whitt. Jr certainly will have his work cut out for him in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Former Auburn wide receivers coach to join Atlanta Falcons staff

Hilliard served as wide receivers coach for Auburn during the final season of the Bryan Harsin era.

A former Auburn assistant is heading back to the NFL to serve on a professional staff.

[autotag]Ike Hilliard[/autotag], who coached wide receivers and later served as interim offensive coordinator at Auburn during the 2022 season, has been hired by the Atlanta Falcons to coach wide receivers as part of new head coach Raheem Morris’ staff.

During his one season at Auburn, Tiger receivers reeled in 159 passes for 2,072 yards and nine touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus data, Auburn receivers dropped 17 passes in 2022 and earned an additional 1,077 yards after first contact.

[autotag]Ja’varrius Johnson[/autotag] was the team’s leading receiver with 493 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches. [autotag]Koy Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Shedrick Jackson[/autotag] were next in line with a combined 531 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Hilliard returns to the NFL after spending 11 seasons as a wide receivers coach for a variety of teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, and Buffalo Bills. Before joining the coaching ranks, he played 12 seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Prince Tega Wanogho headed back to Super Bowl with Chiefs

This former Auburn lineman is headed back to the Super Bowl

Former Auburn offensive tackle [autotag]Prince Tega Wanogho[/autotag] is headed back to the Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 26-year-old appeared in just 3 games this season for Kansas City before going on IR after appearing in 17 during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning season last year.

There is some hope that Wanogho can return to the field on February 11, as the former sixth-round pick was able to partake in all three practice sessions before ultimately being ruled out last Friday.

With two weeks off between now and the big game, the former Auburn standout will have every chance to prove his health ahead of the second Super Bowl of his young career.

If Wanogho can play, he may see an uptick from the seven snaps he received last year with the Chiefs offensive line in rough condition injury-wise.

Star guard Joe Thuney injured himself in the divisional round against the Bills and is considered a “long shot” to return this season, while most of the other starters across the line are dealing with minor ailments.

Active or not, Wanogho can join former Tigers [autotag]Jonathan Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon King[/autotag] as active alumni with multiple Super Bowl victories with a win.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Derrick Brown named to 2024 NFL Pro Bowl

Brown will cap his most successful season in the NFL by compeiting in the Pro Bowl.

Former Auburn defensive lineman [autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag] has been named to the 2024 Pro Bowl games as a replacement for Aaron Donald.

Brown is coming off his best season as a professional for the Carolina Panthers, shining as a bright spot for an otherwise rough season in Charlotte.

The 25-year-old set the record for tackles by a defensive tackle in 2023, recording 103 total tackles en route to breaking Christian Wilkins’ 2022 record of 98 tackles.

While the record was certainly aided by the extra regular season game, Brown’s dominance shouldn’t be understated.

Auburn’s former captain is set to join New York Giants tackle Dexter Lawrence and San Francisco 49ers tackle Javon Hargrave, as the three interior defensive linemen on Eli Manning’s NFC Pro Bowl roster.

Hargrave would join Aaron Donald as an opt-out if his 49ers make it to the Super Bowl.

Brown is the first Auburn alumni to receive a Pro Bowl invite since long snapper [autotag]Josh Harris[/autotag] played for the NFC in 2022. The former first-round pick is the first defensive player from Auburn to make the All-Star game since [autotag]Dee Ford[/autotag] in 2019.

The Pro Bowl games kick off in Orlando, Florida on February 1 and continue throughout the week, ending on February 4 with a “Flag Football Showdown.”

We’ll see if Brown can help the NFC take home the crown for the second year in a row.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

 

Auburn in the NFL: Week 18 Recap

Auburn alumni showed out in NFL Week 18

The NFL regular season has come to an end.

With it, many Auburn alumni have packed their bags and begun their offseason.

Still, we say many Tigers make headlines in the final week of the regular season, with some Auburn alumni helping their squads qualify for the playoffs.

Panthers defensive tackle [autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag] set an NFL record, [autotag]Carlton Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Jamel Dean[/autotag], and KJ Britt helped the Bucs clinch the NFC South, [autotag]Anders Carlson[/autotag] and [autotag]Colby Wooden[/autotag] are heading to the postseason as rookies, and [autotag]Braden Smith[/autotag]’s Colts lost a heartbreaker to the Texans.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 18 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Willie Anderson named as finalist for 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

Former Auburn Tiger Willie Anderson has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

Former Auburn Tiger offensive lineman Willie Anderson has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class.

The Auburn alum spent his entire 13-year career in the NFL as one of the premier offensive tackles in the sport.

Anderson was fantastic for the entirety of his career, but he began receiving All-Pro accolades shortly after the Bengals drafted franchise quarterback Carson Palmer.

Along with Palmer, Anderson helped lead the Bengals to a relevance in the early 2000s The right captured first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in 2004, a year after being voted on the second team for the first time in 2003.

The 1996 first-round selection cemented himself as an All-Pro from there, as he helped the Bengals capture an AFC North title in 2005 before being named to the first-team over the next three seasons.

In total, Anderson appeared in 199 games for Cincinnati and the Baltimore Ravens. Four of those 199 were in the playoffs.

A member of the Bengals “Ring of Honor”, Anderson joins the likes of legends Reggie Wayne, Devin Hester, Antonio Gates, Rodney Harrison, and Dwight Freeney on the 2024 finalist list.

We will find out whether Anderson or the other names on the list find their way into Canton, OH on February 8th at the NFL Honors Awards.

 

Auburn in the NFL: Week 16 Recap

Auburn alumni are making waves with the NFL regular season nearing a close.

The NFL regular season is coming to a close in two short weeks.

As we do every week, Auburn Wire will look at some of the most notable performances from Auburn Alumni across the League.

With the season nearing an end, plenty of Tigers are major cogs in key storylines.

[autotag]Derrick Brown[/autotag]’s fantastic season continued despite another loss, [autotag]Owen Pappoe [/autotag]played his most snaps as a pro, [autotag]Darius Slayton[/autotag] scored a touchdown on the longest play of the Giants season, and [autotag]Daniel Carlson[/autotag] helped the Raiders upset the Chiefs.

Here is a look at several headlines from Week 16 that feature Auburn’s top NFL players.

Broncos tab Jarrett Stidham as starter for final two games

The former Auburn quarterback will replace Russell Wilson, who was benched following Denver’s loss to New England last Sunday.

The Denver Broncos will call upon a former Auburn quarterback to lead its offense for the final two games of the regular season.

Ian Rappoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday that the Broncos will bench quarterback Russell Wilson for its final two games, and will tab former Tiger [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag] as the starter beginning Sunday when the Broncos host the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field in Denver.

Stidham, who is in his 5th NFL season, is set to make his third start as a professional quarterback. During the 2022 season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he made two starts. Unfortunately, the Raiders dropped both games that Stidham was the starting quarterback.

According to Jon Heath of Broncos Wire, the decision to bench Wilson for Stidham is due mainly to economic reasons.

If he’s still on the roster, Wilson has $37 million worth of his 2025 salary set to become guaranteed on March 17. If the quarterback suffers a serious injury before that date, the $37 million will become locked in for 2025. To avoid the possibility of an injury guaranteeing that $37 million, the Broncos have benched Wilson.

In 14 games, Stidham has completed 77-of-131 passes for 926 yards and six touchdowns, throwing seven interceptions. He has played in one game this season for Denver, but has not recorded a stat.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__