10 Christ-following NFL players to watch in 2026

By Kevin Mercer Sep 8, 2026

Bo Nix, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Alex Highsmith, Kyren Williams, Carson Schwesinger. (AP Photos)

Finally, after all the “bold predictions” have been made, the storylines have taken shape and the rosters have been set, the 2026-27 NFL season is upon us. As the Seattle Seahawks begin the difficult task of seeking to defend their Super Bowl LX title, players around the nation are brimming with confidence that their team will unseat the champs.

Yet even as players work tirelessly to maximize their ability on the field, many find rest for their souls in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Here are 10 Christ-following players (in alphabetical order) likely to catch your eye this season.

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Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers running back
Brooks has only suited up for three regular-season NFL games (12 total touches) since he was drafted by the Panthers in the second round in the 2024 NFL Draft, thanks to two ACL tears in his right knee. One effectively ended his college career at Texas in 2023 while the other was just three games into his rookie season. Now, after missing all of 2025, Brooks is fully healthy and poised for a breakout 2026 campaign. Still, Brooks — who was baptized in April — knows that whatever happens this year, it will be for God’s glory. “I know that God has a plan for me, and I know that He makes no mistakes, and He’s using my story to show the world the amazing things He can do.”

Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys safety
Downs was the fourth Ohio State Buckeye selected in the 2026 NFL Draft when the Cowboys took him at No. 11, but he may wind up making a bigger impact than any of the others. Downs joins a defense that ranked dead last in points allowed (30.1) and passing yards allowed per game (251.5) in 2025, and the rookie’s smart, high-energy playing style will be noticed immediately. At the same time, Downs will also seek to bring a humble, Christlike spirit to the Cowboys’ locker room. “The realization is that Jesus is for the people that are sick. Jesus is for the people that aren’t perfect,” Downs said on “The Walk” podcast last year. “You’re never going to be perfect enough to come to Jesus. That’s the point.”

Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker
After a monstrous 14.5-sack output in 2022, Highsmith has seen various injuries pile up in recent years. Now entering his seventh season at the age of 29, the pass-rushing specialist is hoping for a return to that elite level of production. In order to reach such heights, Highsmith will need to gel quickly with new head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. But Highsmith said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in April that a restoration of on-field success won’t be the only thing he’ll be working toward this fall in the power of the Holy Spirit. “As long as we’re striving to become more like the Lord and more like Christ, that’s what it’s about,” he said.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints tight end
Johnson had quite the year individually in 2025 as he broke out with career highs in receptions (77) and yards (889). He consistently provided an athletic target over the middle for rookie QB Tyler Shough as the Saints hit their stride and compiled a four-game win streak toward the end of last season. Johnson will turn 30 on Sunday, and with Shough now entrenched as the starter, Johnson is hoping his team can return to the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season in 2020. Throughout the highs and lows of his career, Johnson has been steadied by Christ. “Jesus is someone who is and who always will be,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast. “… Because of what He’s done, He was hung on a tree and He died for us.”

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos quarterback
In just his second year in the NFL, Nix led the Broncos all the way to the AFC Championship Game last season, throwing for 3,931 yards (eighth most in the league) on the way to a 14-3 regular-season record. The challenge for the 26-year-old in 2026 is to continue to build upon what has already been an impressive start to his career. Nix proudly displays faith-based pads and wrist bands while playing, and he knows that even as he chases success, he’s playing for something far greater. “I’m not playing the game just because of football and for wins and losses and for all this fame or glory,” he told The Oregonian in December 2023. “It’s [that] God’s presented me with the opportunity. He’s given me a gift and I want to use it to influence other people.”

"The cross I wear on my wrist symbolizes where I find my true joy. It doesn’t come from success on or off the field. It comes from the good news of Jesus Christ and actively pursuing a relationship with Him."

— Broncos QB @BoNix10 https://t.co/hvP3sgf7qk

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) October 26, 2025

Carson Schwesinger, Cleveland Browns linebacker
One of the main reasons why the Browns improved from the 19th-best defense in 2024 to the fourth-best in 2025 was the addition of Schwesinger to the team’s linebacker room. The 2025 second-round NFL draft pick amassed 156 combined tackles in 2025 (most by a rookie, sixth in the entire NFL) in only 16 games; a quad injury prematurely ended his season. He was recognized for his efforts as the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Schwesinger could catapult himself into discussions as one of the top defenders in the league with a repeat performance. As he seeks to frustrate NFL offenses at every turn, he does so as a follower of Christ. In June, he was baptized at a “Cleveland for Christ” event at a public pool with many of his teammates.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
Smith-Njigba erupted in 2025, his third season in the NFL, for a league-leading 1,793 receiving yards on 119 receptions with 10 touchdowns to help the Seahawks to a 14-3 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, en route to winning Super Bowl LX. He was awarded with NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. Now entering 2026, cemented as one of the best receivers in the league at just 24 years old, the speedster is preparing to help his team “run it forward.” But football isn’t the only thing Smith-Njigba practices. “I need to focus and train,” he said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in August, “so when I get to the biggest stage, I can scream [Christ’s] name and praise the Lord in front of millions.”

Drake Thomas, Seattle Seahawks linebacker
Thomas went undrafted out of NC State in 2023 because he was considered undersized (5-foot-11, 228 pounds). But he caught on with Seattle, and a season ago, emerged as a starter for a defense that gave up the fewest points per game (17.2) in the NFL. Seattle rode that defense all the way to a Super Bowl victory, as Thomas recorded 96 combined tackles, eight pass deflections, a fumble recovery and a crucial Week 18 interception. The Seahawks will once again rely on Thomas in 2026 as they aim to maintain their place at the top of the NFL. Meanwhile, Thomas relies on the firm foundation of Christ. “Jesus is everything to me,” he told Sports Spectrum at Super Bowl LX Opening Night. “Without Jesus, I’m not here. He’s the unshakeable foundation that I lean on in all situations.”

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams running back
Williams in 2025 registered his third consecutive season with more than 1,000 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns for a Rams team that advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Now, with many key pieces — like Williams — returning, many experts believe the Rams are the team to beat in 2026. For L.A. to take the next step, the 5-foot-9, 207-pound Williams will need to replicate the level of consistent production he has grown accustomed to. The 26-year-old knows God has him in the NFL to advance His Kingdom. “I play football because that’s what the Lord has blessed me to do, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do,” he said last year. “But my message and my purpose is bigger than just football.”

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins quarterback
Willis started six games during his first four years in the NFL, but in none of those seasons was it truly “his team.” That’s about to change with the Miami Dolphins in 2026. A third-round pick out of Liberty in 2022, Willis struggled in 11 appearances with the Tennessee Titans, but after 11 impressive outings as a backup with the Green Bay Packers, the 27-year-old dual-threat QB signed a three-year deal with the Dolphins in March to be their starter. Throughout the dizzying ups and downs of his NFL journey, Willis has been steadied by his relationship with Jesus. “I choose to always give the glory to Him,” Willis told Sports Spectrum in 2021. “… You’re using the abilities that God gives you and go out there and glorify His name and try to spread the Gospel.”

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Football

47-year-old pastor Justin Buzzard back playing college football: ‘I hope I have an eternal impact’

By Cole Claybourn Sep 4, 2026

(Photo via X/@JustinBuzzard)

Justin Buzzard saw a video of a man in his 60s playing football and sent it to his sons as a way to encourage them as athletes. The juxtaposition of an older man on a field with a bunch of guys in their prime served as an example to never give up and know it’s never too late to do something.

His oldest son wrote back and suggested he — Dad — could do what that man in the video was doing.

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“I just thought, ‘That’s so stupid. So no way,’” Buzzard told Sports Spectrum this week. “But within 30 seconds, I’m like, ‘Wait. Maybe. What if I did that? Maybe I could do that. What if I tried?’

“And my heart was just kind of leaping in me.”

Buzzard is 47 years old, soon to be 48. He’s the founder and lead pastor of Garden City Church in San Jose, California. He’s a husband, a dad and an author. He’s also now a defensive end for the San Jose City College football team. It’s a reality that even he’s still trying to wrap his head around as it quickly becomes one of the most talked-about stories early on in the 2026 college football season.

He made his college debut on Saturday.

Initially, still not fully convinced of his own conviction, he jokingly messaged the team’s defensive coordinator with a link to the 60-year-old’s video and suggested he — in his mid-40s — should play for SJCC. Buzzard expected a humorous reply, but instead the coach wanted to talk. For real.

“And so two days later, I was meeting with them at the school, he was showing me around, and basically said we would hold you to the standards of every other person, and if you really want to come out here, we’ll give you an opportunity,” Buzzard said. “And so I took two weeks to think about it and to pray about it and decided to go for it.”

He talked with his wife, family and friends and made a list of pros and cons. Aside from balancing his work and life with playing a college sport, the most glaring concern was injury. He started his bachelor’s degree at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, and redshirted on the football team for one season before a finger injury cut short his initial foray into college football. And even though he trains regularly now and does CrossFit, his body at 47 isn’t quite the same as it was at 18 or 19.

But aside from injuries, everything else pointed Buzzard toward saying yes. Videos of him getting action in last week’s game have now been posted all over social media. He’s been on SportsCenter, and the New York Times is writing a story about him. In the last couple of weeks, he’s received about three-to-five media requests every day.

He wasn’t expecting this kind of media blitz, and the attention isn’t why he said yes in the first place. But his journey has become an inspiration to many and it’s given him a platform to talk about Jesus, though he insists that his main goal was just to play football and see if he could do it. He didn’t want to force his way into a locker room just to be some sort of missionary.

“Jesus calls us to be in the world, but not of the world,” Buzzard told Sports Spectrum. “That’s very much how I’m looking at this. I’m in the field, in the locker room. I’m not going around telling people I’m a pastor. People found that out over time. I’m not just walking around preaching the Gospel. I’m walking around very much just being myself and trusting that guys are seeing, ‘There’s something unique about this guy. God’s at work in his life.'”

Like any other player, he had to earn his spot on the roster during training camp. And as the defensive coordinator told him, he wouldn’t get any passes just because he’s older and has a full-time job. Buzzard wouldn’t have it any other way.

Still, it’s a grind to get through each week, he said. Practice is hard, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when players are in full pads and practice at full intensity. He’s also taking a full class load, as is necessary to be eligible. It’s a mental and physical battle to balance studying game film and preparing for games while still pastoring his church, writing his sermons, providing counseling, and being a dad and husband at home.

He’s exhausted and sore at the end of each day, but he’s chosen to embrace that this is just a season that will only last for a few months. Practice is at the same time each day Monday through Friday, which helps him create a schedule, and he can adjust accordingly. He’s also an author, with his next book, “Be A Man: The 21 Marks of Biblical Masculinity,” set to release in fall 2027.

His church staff and elders are helping him get through each week logistically, and the football team is off on Sundays, so that doesn’t interfere with his preaching schedule.

“The main thing is I just have to be disciplined,” Buzzard said. “Whatever I’m doing, I’m doing that. So if I’m in football, it’s all football. If I’m writing my sermon, it’s all sermon. I’m giving my full focus to whatever I’m doing and there isn’t extra margin. There isn’t time to fool around.”

He wasn’t expecting this either, but before the first scrimmage and again before the first game, head coach Jim Winkler asked him to pray for the team. Buzzard thinks that will become a regular thing going forward.

“Certainly my hope is that I would have an eternal impact here,” he said. “I hope to have an impact on the team right now in terms of our play and what we actually do on the field. I want to help my team win through my presence on and off the field, but I hope I have an eternal impact on the guys.”

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This whole experience has opened the door to plenty of questions and conversations from players and the general public, and he’s receptive to all of it. His motto is “risk or rust,” which basically means if you don’t take risks or challenge yourself, you’ll get complacent. He hopes his story inspires his teammates and others in that way, and the hundreds of private messages he’s received over the last few weeks would suggest that mantra has resonated with a lot of people.

“I hope men are inspired to take a risk, to do something new, to not stand on the sidelines, to not stay stagnant, but to step out in faith and trust God for something new and to take on a new challenge or opportunity,” he said.

As of now, his plan only includes this season. He hopes to get through each practice and each game in one piece. Whether he plays again next season isn’t yet on his mind.

Buzzard sees all the encouraging and sarcastic comments online, and he loves it all. He knows full well there’s a chance he gets hurt or embarrasses himself on the field. And if a poor play gets caught on camera, there’s a high likelihood that a video of a 47-year-old making a fool of himself on a football field could go viral and those sarcastic comments would only intensify. But for him, it’s all worth the risk.

“That’s the risk of vulnerability in all of this,” he said. “Who knows what’s going to happen this week with game No. 2? Who knows what’s going to happen the rest of the season? I think that’s what makes this story, and especially sports, interesting, is that there’s so many different variables, and you never know what is going to happen.

“I hope people get that God wants to use you in the places of your deepest desire or excitement.”

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Football Sports Spectrum Podcast

SS PODCAST: Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka on growing in Christ, Year 2 expectations

By Sports Spectrum Sep 4, 2026

Emeka Egbuka in 2025. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING EMEKA EGBUKA

Emeka Egbuka is a wide receiver with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a stellar college career that saw him lead Ohio State to a national championship in 2024. In his first season with Tampa in 2025, Egbuka had team-leading 63 receptions, 938 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

Today on the podcast, Emeka Egbuka returns to the show to talk with Matt Forte about his recent marriage, draft day memories from 2025, adjusting to life in the NFL, staying strong in his faith, and having Baker Mayfield as a teammate.

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Football

From undrafted rookie to backup QB, Buccaneers’ Jalon Daniels will ‘keep my faith in God’

By Cole Claybourn Sep 2, 2026

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Jalon Daniels has sort of been overlooked for much of his football career, so being an undrafted free agent entering the NFL was nothing new. But just as he did during his five-year career at the University of Kansas, the quarterback just went to work and let his play do the talking.

After going into training camp as a long shot to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster, Daniels will begin his rookie season as the primary backup to starter Baker Mayfield.

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“It feels great,” Daniels told the media on Tuesday after the roster decision was made. “It’s a blessing. It’s great to be here. Great to be a part of the Buccaneers organization and I look forward to being able to continue getting better here.”

The Buccaneers signed veteran QB Jake Browning earlier this year to a one-year deal with the expectation that he would be the backup, but Daniels outplayed him during camp. What the team saw from Daniels trumped the money they’d already committed to Browning.

“That’s an incredible accomplishment for an undrafted rookie to get that position,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “I can’t think in the last decade another time it’s happened, but the No. 1 thing is, he earned it. It wasn’t just given to him. … You can go back and forth with the experience argument, but we’d rather have a very talented, prepared, inexperienced quarterback than going with experience just for the sake of saying the guy’s experienced.”

A second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2022, Daniels finished his Kansas career with 9,282 passing yards, 1,445 rushing yards and 90 total touchdowns. He provides an option as a running quarterback that can give Tampa Bay a different look when he’s on the field.

In his first preseason game, Daniels went 10-for-15 passing with 111 yards and also gained nine yards on three carries to go with a rushing touchdown. In Tampa Bay’s second preseason game, Daniels was 9-for-14 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown and also ran for 19 yards on seven carries. He got the majority of reps at quarterback in the Bucs’ final preseason game, going 8-for-15 passing for 57 yards with four carries for nine yards.

Between his play in games and in practices, Daniels slowly climbed his way up the depth chart to where the Bucs coaches and front office could no longer ignore what he was doing. In his mind, he was just being himself — just showing up and playing football like he’s always done.

“I have God on my side, and I truly believe that everything that I’ve been able to do up to this point has been because of Him,” Daniels told reporters after the team’s final preseason game. “So I’m not going to lose faith. I’m going to keep my faith in God, and at the end of the day, everything that’s going to happen happens for a reason. I’m going to let God handle those decisions.”

He was asked later about being an undrafted free agent and whether that mattered to him at all. He’s coming at it from a perspective of gratitude that’s rooted in his faith in God.

“My journey is my journey,” he said. “God put me in this position for a reason. Something my mom told me after the draft was, ‘I don’t know why you’re in this position, but at the end of the day it’s happening to you for a reason. I think that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.’

“If I’m in a position where I have to show others that this mountain can be moved, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m going to go out there and do everything that I can to be able to make plays. Draft pick, UDFA, it doesn’t matter. I got the opportunity to come out here and play NFL football, so I’m forever grateful for that.”

Daniels starred at Lawndale High School in Southern California around the same time as highly rated quarterback prospects like Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and D.J. Uiagalelei. All three committed to traditional powers — Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson, respectively. Meanwhile, Daniels committed to Kansas, a school with very little football tradition and the only Power Five program to offer him a scholarship.

But he helped spark the Jayhawks program, bringing them into the AP top-25 poll in 2022 and even getting some buzz as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He was the 2023 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, but suffered an injury in training camp that he re-aggravated in a game against Texas and had to miss the rest of the season. As a senior, he threw for 2,531 yards, 22 TDs and seven interceptions.

His faith in God has always been a major part of who he is. He shares about his relationship with God on social media, saying “All Through Christ” in his Instagram bio, and his teammates notice how much his faith guides him.

“People wrote [Daniels] off, but he always kept God in his life,” former teammate Elijah Jackson told the L.A. Times. “It didn’t faze him, not one bit, and I actually think it made him better, put a chip on his shoulder.”

At 23 years old now, Daniels is a little older than some other rookie quarterbacks, but the Bucs see that as a good mix of experience coupled with athleticism. Licht had plenty of praise for his new backup quarterback.

“There’s no blueprint for an undrafted rookie becoming your No. 2 quarterback,” Licht said, via reporter Sara Walsh. “Jalon basically wrote his own.”

“There’s no blueprint for an undrafted rookie becoming your number 2 quarterback. Jalon basically wrote his own.”
– Bucs GM Jason Licht on
Jalon Daniels

According to Elias Sports Bureau the last time an undrafted rookie qb was active week 1:
2016 Trevone Boykin in Seattle pic.twitter.com/pbQtUgwMW5

— Sara Walsh (@Sara_Walsh) September 1, 2026

The Bucs open the season on Sept. 13 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

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Football What's Up Podcast

WHAT’S UP PODCAST: Iapani Laloulu – University of Oregon Center

By Sports Spectrum Aug 31, 2026

Iapani Laloulu in 2025. (AP Photo)

THIS IS SPORTS SPECTRUM’S WHAT’S UP PODCAST
HOSTED BY ANNABELLE HASSELBECK

On today’s episode of Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast, we have Iapani Laloulu, also known as “Poncho!”

Iapani joins the show to share about his Oregon Football experience, Hawaiian roots, and faith in Christ.

“What’s Up” is part of the Sports Spectrum Podcast Network.

>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him. <<

Biggest mismatch in PSU/Oregon was Iapani Laloulu vs. Penn State's DTs pic.twitter.com/61Uj9aZCj0

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) September 30, 2025