Remaining Auburn Tigers Football Alumni in NFL Playoffs

The Auburn Tigers are still being represented in the NFL Playoffs, specifically on both side of the NFC Championship Game
A couple former Tigers remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl
A couple former Tigers remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl / Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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It’s hard to believe it, but we’ve already reached the eve of the football season, both collegiately and professionally.

It’s a somber time for us fans but an equally important one for some former Auburn Tigers, with two representatives of The Plains filling in roster spots on the remaining NFL teams battling it out for a Super Bowl berth. 

C.J. Uzomah

The Philadelphia Eagles signed TE C.J. Uzomah on a one-year deal following a two-year-long stint with the New York Jets. The former Auburn Tiger managed to snatch 29 catches for 435 yards between the 2011-2014 seasons for the Tigers before being drafted by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Uzomah saw relative success during his seven-year tenure in Cincinnati, snagging 163 receptions for 1,591 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The New York Jets front office took notice, signing Uzomah to a three-year, $24 million contract in 2022. 

His career took an unfortunate tumble in New York (or wherever they play.) After being placed on IR last season with an MCL injury, he was cut by New York on March 5, 2024, amassing just under 300 yards receiving in his two seasons in The Big Apple (again, relative to the name of the team.)

Just a month after his release, Uzomah signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2024. The team released him shortly before the regular season began but re-signed him with their practice squad Oct. 10.

Uzomah was added to the active roster on December 4 to fill the spot vacated by Dallas Goedert, who was injured. He played seven games for the Eagles this season, starting in three, before being placed on IR Jan. 1.

Noah Igbinoghene

The Washington Commanders threw CB Noah Igbinoghene a lifeline before the 2024 NFL season. 

The former Auburn Tiger was a well-known livewire for the Tigers' secondary. He was equally impressive on special teams, recording 1,199 return yards on 45 total attempts with two touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career.

He was also a prominent figure on the Tiger’s track team during his Freshman and Sophomore years. Rest assured, this dude is a bonafide athlete.

What was set to be a promising career looked bleak after the Miami Dolphins drafted him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. 

At the time, Igbinoghene entered the league as a 20-year-old rookie, with the label of the youngest player in the NFL. With pre-season games canceled due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, Igbinoghene missed much-needed playing time.

His first game didn’t go to plan; after replacing an injured Byron Jones in a game against the Minnesota Vikings, Igbinoghene’s first task as an NFL player was to guard Stefon Diggs. No pressure, kid.

As anticipated, Diggs ran riot against a weakened Dolphins secondary, catching 8 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown.

No one could blame Igbinoghene, but the NFL is a tough business, and unfortunately, this game quickly cast a negative tone on his Dolphins career. 

After a trio of mixed-bagged seasons, the Dolphins declined to pick up Igbinoghene’s fifth-year option, instead trading him to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2023 season.

Igbinoghene appeared in just five games as a backup for the Cowboys but scored his first and only NFL touchdown on a blocked field goal against the New York Giants (ahem..)

Following his release from the Cowboys, the Washington Commanders swooped in to claim him March 18, 2024. 

When all looked lost, this is where things began to turn for the fifth-year man.

Following a UCL injury to starting CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. in the first game of the season, the Commanders placed starting nickelback Mike Sainristil at CB, slotting Igbinoghene into the nickelback position.

It seemed like a risk to place a player with Igbinoghene’s measurables in the nickelback position, a potentially tackle-heavy role. 

However, Igbinoghene has taken the position in stride, recording 55 total tackles this season, more than in his previous four seasons combined.

Igbinoghene retained the nickelback spot even after Forbes, later cut by the Commanders, had returned from injury.

He remained their starter for the regular season and has retained his position in the Commander’s playoff run.


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