NFL training camp: What to expect from Volusia-Flagler's 6 active pros
The list grew by one.
Last year, five players from Volusia and Flagler counties began training camp on NFL rosters. This year, there are six.
All five from the 2022 group remain in the league, and rookie Tank Dell added himself as a third-round draft pick in April.
The regular season kicks off six weeks from now, on Sept. 7, but training camp is here. All three Florida teams — the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — opened full camp when their veterans reported Tuesday.
Let’s take a look at where the local stars are and what they’re expected to do this season.
Tank Dell
Team: Houston Texans
2022 stats (with University of Houston): 109 receptions, 1,398 yards, 17 touchdowns
2023 outlook: Dell became the 29th player from Volusia and Flagler counties to be drafted when the Texans took him in the third round last spring. He led the Football Bowl Subdivision in receiving yards and touchdowns as a Houston Cougar last season.
The 5-foot-8 Mainland graduate will kick off training camp as a backup slot receiver, but don’t be surprised if he sees plenty of action as a rookie. Pro Football Focus declared the Texans’ wide receiver corps the worst in the league earlier this summer, giving Dell an opportunity to jump up on the depth chart.
He also projects as an immediate contributor as a kick and punt returner.
Darrynton Evans
Team: Buffalo Bills
2022 stats (with Chicago Bears): 14 carries, 64 rushing yards
2023 outlook: Evans, a New Smyrna Beach native, was a late addition to this list. He signed with the Bills after working out for them on Monday. Buffalo will be his fourth organization in three years.
James Cook, Damien Harris, and Latavius Murray fill out the top three spots in the Bills’ backfield, but Evans serves as insurance and could carve out a role on special teams. He has 10 career kick returns for 223 yards.
Cole Holcomb
Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
2022 stats (with Washington Commanders): 69 tackles (one for loss)
2023 outlook: As a first-time free agent last spring, Holcomb agreed to a three-year, $18-million contract with Pittsburgh. The New Smyrna Beach alum is coming off a foot injury that ended his season with Washington and required surgery in December.
The Steelers are counting on Holcomb, 26, to be more disruptive than the middle linebacker he’s replacing, Myles Jack. Jack was released in March. In 2021, Holcomb’s last full campaign, he grabbed two interceptions, forced two fumbles and had two tackles for loss.
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Raheem Mostert
Team: Miami Dolphins
2022 stats: 181 carries, 891 rushing yards, five total touchdowns
2023 outlook: Fresh off career highs in carries and rushing yards, Mostert inked a new two-year deal with Miami in March. The 31-year-old is expected to be the Dolphins’ lead running back again, but he does have competition.
Head coach Mike McDaniel has shown a preference for running back committees rather than one bell cow in the past. Miami re-signed Jeff Wilson Jr. last spring and drafted Devon Achane out of Texas A&M in the third round.
Mostert, a New Smyrna Beach native, hosted a career summit at his alma mater last spring.
Donald Parham
Team: Los Angeles Chargers
2022 stats: 10 catches, 130 yards, one touchdown
2023 outlook: Parham re-signed for two years and $1.4 million this offseason. After playing only six games due to a concussion and a hamstring injury last year, the Stetson graduate enters this fall, his fourth in the NFL, as a sneaky breakout candidate.
New Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore utilizes a lot of 12 personnel, which features two tight ends on the field at once. So even if Parham doesn’t start ahead of incumbent Gerald Everett, he will see the field a lot. L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert raved about the 6-foot-8 Parham to reporters last month.
"He moves so well for his height," Herbert said. "He's been able to make plays over the past couple of years. It's always a bonus for your team when he's out on the field. His catch radius is huge."
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Leonard Williams
Team: New York Giants
2022 stats: 45 tackles (five for loss), 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries
2023 outlook: Williams made his first playoff appearance last winter in his eighth NFL season, but he also missed his first career games due to injury. He dealt with a neck injury that caused him to sit out five weeks.
After an offseason of resting and strengthening it — no surgery was necessary — the Mainland alum comes into the final leg of his three-year, $63-million contract feeling healthy. Last month, PFF listed Williams and teammate Dexter Lawrence as the NFL’s best defensive interior duo.
"I still have my explosiveness,” the 29-year-old told reporters last month. “I still have my power.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Six Volusia-Flagler players on NFL rosters as training camp begins
