DG177 - Part 1

Never mind that the 2019 NFL season is already finished, here in the House of Dread my calendar says that it's still 2018. So now - finally and better late than never (right?) - are some of the photos I saved of the NFL's players with dreads from the 2018 season, all crammed into one mega dread gallery. Part 1 of DG177 focuses more on the dreads themselves, and then in Part 2 we'll look at some of the accomplishments and happenings and highs and lows involving the players. There are so many photos available (close to a thousand) for every NFL game; and although I'd love to, there's no way for me to view all of them. So I apologize if there are no photos of your favorite players or dreads. I'm only including the best of the few that I saved.

When I said mega dread gallery, I meant it. There are even more photos than usual. But hey, a lot of us have a lot of time on our hands these days, so there's no reason for you rush through it. Take your time, and hopefully you'll enjoy.

And away we go.

1. We begin the "Helmets Off" section with a look at Saints RB Alvin Kamara with his dreads flowing at full blast for a change as he stretches before the preseason Week 3 game against the L.A. Chargers. Once the regular season began though more often than not he kept his dreads reduced, which unfortunately has been his custom throughout his career (although I am happy to report he finally broke that custom in 2019).


.

2. Chargers WR Geremy Davis shows off his long, but not longest on the team, dreads before the Week 2 road game against the Bills. (Of course later there'll be some photos of the Chargers' longest dreads.) Playing his 4th NFL season in 2018, Davis played a career high 14 games; but only 74 of the 247 snaps he played were on offense, and he finished the season with 0 receptions on 1 target.

.

3. RB Melvin Gordon (#28) and WR Mike Williams have their dreads in buns and their fingers performing their favorite gestures before the game at home against the Raiders in Week 5. After unleashing their dreads once the game began, Gordon made the dread stars list, gaining 120 total yards on 23 touches, and Williams had 3 catches for 45 yards. The two combined for 25 of the Chargers' 27 TD scored by players with dreads in 2018, but only one of them was in this game, which the Chargers won 26-10.

.

4. No doubt if you had a body like DE Demarcus Lawrence, you'd be on the field for early warmups in a cut off T-shirt too. Lawrence also features a Hot Boyz medallion - the moniker the Cowboys' D-linemen go by - before playing the Jaguars at home in Week 6. Although he finished with only 1 tackle, the Cowboys' D held the Jaguars to just 204 total yards in an easy 40-7 Dallas victory.

And, speaking of bodies .....

.

5. Every year you see it, some player feels the need to warm up with no shirt on at all - just to prove that he ain't afraid of the cold; although a 37-degree night with no wind in Green Bay in October hardly qualifies as cold. No dreads here, but WR Marquise Goodwin is that player before the 49ers face the Packers in Week 6. Of course, after the game he had (see Part 2), he probably warms up topless for every game now.

.
The next few photos are of players that need to be in the Helmets Off section, because if their helmets weren't off, you wouldn't be able to see their dreads. 

6. RB Ameer Abdullah checks himself in the mirror - or is that mirrors - to make sure he looks right before the Vikings' home game against the Dolphins in Week 15. After cutting off his dreads following his freshman college season at Nebraska in 2011, Abdullah remained on the ex-dread list for his final 3 seasons with the Cornhuskers and his first 3 NFL seasons (with the Lions) before finally bringing them back in 2018. Playing in 3 games with the Lions and then 7 for the Vikings, Ameer played only 17 snaps on offense but had 14 kickoff returns for a 26.1 average on special teams.

.

7. LB Tre'von Johnson tapes his wrists before the Chargers' home game in Week 12, a game in which he played 16 snaps on special teams and finished with his only 3 tackles (2-1) of the season in a 45-10 blowout victory over the Cardinals. After spending most of his 2017 rookie season on the Cowboys' practice squad, Johnson spent most of his first season with dreads on the Chargers' practice squad in 2018 but did get on the field for 4 games.

.

8. It wasn't until he scored his 1st NFL TD in Week 12 of the 2019 season that I found out that WR Malik Turner had started going dreads. So I went back and found this photo of him during the Seahawks' home game against the Packers in Week 11 of 2018. After signing as an undrafted free agent, Turner spent the first half of his rookie season on the practice squad before playing 42 offensive snaps over 6 games in the second half and finishing with 2 catches for 20 yards.

.

9. 2018 was the 6th NFL season for 340-pound G D.J. Fluker, his 3rd with dreads, and his first in a Seahawks uniform, shown here on the bench during the 33-31 home loss to the Rams in Week 5. It also was his first season with his dreads dyed brown. They were difficult to see, but Fluker's dreads were just long enough to start creeping out from under his helmet for the first time during 2019.

.

10. Rookie S Derwin James is the feature attraction in this shot from a happy locker room after the Chargers' big come-from-behind 33-30 road win over the Steelers in Week 13. James is the one holding the football he earned for being named one of the players of the game on Sunday Night Football. Derwin played all but one defensive snap and had 3 tackles (2-1), 2 PBU, and his 3rd INT of the season. The other three players with dreads in the photo are S Jahleel Addae (to the right of James), rookie DT Justin Jones (to the left), and CB Michael Davis (behind James, with the funny face) .....

.

11. The Chargers' next road win was even bigger. Derwin James runs onto the field (photo above) after the final play of the game, and Jahleel Addae taunts the crowd (photo on right) after a come-from-behind 29-28 victory in Kansas City in Week 15, a result that left the Chargers and Chiefs tied for 1st place in the AFC West at 11-3. The Chargers had trailed 28-14 midway through the 4th quarter. James (5 tackles) and Addae (3 tackles) both played all 60 snaps as the Chargers' D held the Chiefs to a season low 294 total yards and forced them to punt 4 times.
While 2018 was the last season for Addae in a Chargers uniform, James got his career off to a sensational beginning. Derwin, who started his dreads shortly after being selected in the 1st round (17th overall) of the 2018 Draft, played so well in his rookie season that he was named to the AP All-Pro 1st team, starting all 16 games and finishing with a team-leading 105 tackles along with 3.5 sacks, 3 INT, and 10 PBU.

.

12. Playing only 1 snap on offense in the game can't take the smile off the face of RB Kapri Bibbs during the Redskins' 20-13 road win over the Giants. He was on the field for 10 snaps on special teams and had 1 tackle (1-0) and 1 kickoff return for 20 yards. After rushing for 101 yards and catching 13 passes for 102 yards in 10 games for Washington, Bibbs was released 10 days before Christmas and then finished his first season with dreads - and 5th season overall - playing 2 games with the Packers.

.

13. It's no surprise that CB Joe Haden is smiling after the Steelers' home game in Week 15. You'd be smiling too if you had the kind of performance he had in a 17-10 victory over the Patriots. Haden had a game high 12 tackles (8-4), 1 PBU, and got his 2nd INT of the season - coming on a Tom Brady pass with the Patriots in the red zone and with the Steelers leading by 4 midway through the 4th quarter. The Steelers held on to win 17-10, and a couple of days later Haden was named AFC defensive player of the week. A 1st round draft choice by the Browns in 2010, Haden played all 7 of his seasons in Cleveland and then his first one in Pittsburgh without dreads before finally starting to grow them in 2018. Damn, Joe, what took you so long?

.

14. Undrafted in 2013, S Bradley McDougald waited until his 6th NFL season - and his 2nd with the Seahawks - before getting his dreads started. Here McDougald celebrates a missed 45-yard FG attempt by the Cardinals with 1:50 remaining in the game in Week 4. 7 plays later the Seahawks made a 52-yard FG on the final play of the game to win 20-17. Bradley started all 16 games in his first season with dreads, finishing with 78 tackles, 4 TFL, 6 PBU, 1 FR, and a career high 3 INT.

.

15. S Curtis Riley shows off a dance move to new teammate Janoris Jenkins at Giants training camp practice on Aug. 2. Undrafted in 2015, Riley started his dreads in 2017 and then signed with the Giants after not doing much in his 3 seasons with the Titans. But he certainly did much in what would be his only season with the Giants. Playing more than 1,000 snaps on defense, he was 3rd on the team with 75 tackles and 2nd on the team with 4 INT. Those 4 interceptions tied for the most by any player with dreads in the league. As for Jenkins .....

.

16. CB Janoris Jenkins has his long dreads mostly in double buns while standing on the sideline near CB Eli Apple (#24) and QB Eli Manning (#10) during the Giants' preseason opener vs. the Browns on Aug. 9. Jenkins folded up his dreads after calling it a night after playing 11 snaps on the Browns' first 3 possessions of the game. Janoris' dreads consist of a lot fewer locks than he had in college after he decided to reduce them permanently shortly after being drafted by the Rams in 2012. But reduced or not, they've grown so much since then that they're now among the longest in the league - which you can't tell from these shots but will be able to in Part 2.

.

17. And speaking of dreads being permanently reduced, here's another player who long ago (circa sometime during the 2014 season) turned his many locks into just a few. Former Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins takes a selfie with a Clemson fan - or maybe he's a former Clemson teammate - at MetLife Stadium before the Texans' game against the Jets in Week 15. Hopkins made the last 2 of the 11 TD catches he had in 2018 in this game to help the Texans to a 29-22 win.

.

18. Falcons DE Takk McKinley never met a camera he didn't like, especially his own. This selfie was taken after the Falcons' 23-20 home victory over the Giants in Week 7. McKinley had 4 tackles (3-1) in the game, including a sack on 3rd and 10 that ended a Giants' drive in the 2nd quarter and increased his total to 5.5 sacks in the first 7 games. But the well went dry after that, and he finished the season with only 7.
I was worried when Takk cut his dreads shorter near the end of the 2017 season; but that turned out a be a false alarm. They've been coming back nicely since then. More troubling, however, was the vow he made last March to cut off his dreads if he didn't reach double figures in sacks in 2019. Takk lost that bet badly, finishing with a career low 3.5, and now we'll find out if he's a man of his word or if (hopefully) he loves his dreads too much to lose them.

.

19. DE Melvin Ingram walks alongside RB Melvin Gordon following the Chargers' 26-10 'home' win over the Raiders in Week 5 and then shoots a selfie on his way into the locker room. Ingram and Gordon starred as the Chargers moved over the .500 (for good) at 3-2. Gordon finished with 120 total yards (58 rushing, 62 receiving) and 1 TD; while Ingram led the team with 7 tackles (5-2), including 2 TFL and 1 sack, and got the 1st INT of his career. The two share more than the same first name and that they've both got dreads. They're also among the best players on their team. In the informal list of the league's top 100 players (voting done by players) after the season was over Gordon was rated the 34th best player in the league (first link below) and Ingram the 48th best (second link below). QB Philip Rivers and Derwin James were the only Chargers voted higher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh4Ih3qgdSw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A-ACYcR7sk
Unfortunately I couldn't find a larger version of the left photo above, but ......

.

20. ..... Here's one from after the game in which you can see Gordon's dreads just fine, as he celebrates with James in the locker room. Derwin contributed 5 tackles (4-1), including 1 TFL, to the victory. While James' dreads are just getting started, Gordon's reach almost halfway down the number on his jersey nearly 8 years after he started growing them during his senior year in high school (2010-11).

.

21. Melvin Ingram's helmet is off during Week 2 of the preseason (photo above) as he celebrates WR Mike Williams' highlight reel 25-yard TD catch during the 3rd quarter. It was the first ever NFL touchdown for Williams, who had none - preseason or regular season - during his 2017 rookie season. Of course, nothing in the preseason really counts; but the play served as a rehearsal for the real thing, which occurs 4 weeks later, as Ingram greets Williams (photo on right) after he scores his 1st regular season NFL TD, a 10-yard reception on 2nd and 7, completing a 3-play, 38-yard drive and giving the Chargers a 7-0 lead over the Bills in the 1st quarter. It was the first of 6 TD scored by players with dreads in the game .....

.

22. Later in the 1st quarter Williams gets a chance to show off his dreads, as a tackle by CB Tre'Davious White (#27) leaves his helmet rolling around on the turf. Williams gets up and celebrates after his 17-yard catch on 3rd and 12 keeps the Chargers' drive alive. On the next play Melvin Gordon took a carry 20 yards to the house to up LA's lead to 14-0. After the 2 catches for 27 yards, Williams had a very quiet afternoon from then on, as no other passes were thrown to him. After losing at home to the Chiefs in Week 1, the Chargers improved to 1-1 with a 31-20 road win over the Bills.







.

23. An encounter with Rams S Marqui Christian has the helmet of 340-pound G Denver Kirkland heading for the turf late in the 2nd quarter of the Raiders' 19-15 loss during Week 2 of the preseason. Kirkland was in pursuit of LB Bryce Hager after he recovered and was returning a fumble by QB E.J. Manuel until Christian clobbers him so hard that it knocks his helmet off. Marqui was very pleased with himself after knocking down someone who outweighs him by 130 pounds; but that was only until he got flagged for an illegal blindside block penalty, moving the ball from the 10-yard line back to the 25 (but with this being the preseason, he probably was still pleased even after the penalty).
This was a rare 2018 sighting of Kirkland. He spent most of the regular season on the practice squad and played a total of only 8 snaps all year (in 2 games). Christian played all 16 games for a total of 708 snaps before dyeing his dreads brown for the 2019 season.

.

24. LB Demario Davis welcomes Alvin Kamara back to the sideline after one of his two 4th quarter touchdowns against the Giants in Week 4, most likely the second one, a 49-yard run that upped the Saints' 8-point lead to a more comfortable 33-18 margin with 2:06 remaining. While Kamara scored 3 TD in the game, Davis had a team high 11 tackles (9-2), including 2 sacks, as the Saints picked up a road win over the Giants for the first time since 2006. Since beginning the 2nd edition of his dreads in 2016 Demario has become one of the better LBs in the league.

.

25. DT Robert Nkemdiche's dreads go every which way as he congratulates QB Josh Rosen after the Cardinals defeat the 49ers 18-15 in Week 8. Rosen threw 2 TD passes in the 4th quarter, including the game winner with 34 seconds left as the Cardinals came back from a 15-3 deficit. Nkemdiche had 2 tackles (1-1) and 1 PBU as the Cardinals picked up what would be their only home win of the season. Nkemdiche's 3rd season with the Cardinals in 2018 was his best (32 tackles, 4.5 sacks), but it would be his last. A pair of offseason arrests didn't exactly endear him to the new coaching staff; and the team decided to dump him just before he would have received a $400,000 bonus if he was still on the roster on the 5th day of training camp.

.

26. With the 2nd edition of his dreads already this long just 3 years after getting them started, LB Mason Foster celebrates on his way to the locker room after the Redskins, a 2.5-point underdog at home, defeat the Packers 31-17 in Week 3. Foster had a team high 10 tackles (2-8) in the win. The first edition of Foster's dreads disappeared following his 2011 rookie season with the Buccaneers, and 2018 might have been the last we'll see of the second. Despite leading the Redskins with a career high 131 tackles in 2018, he was released just before the start of 2019 training camp. And since he did not sign with any other team, it's possible his career is over.

Elsewhere in Week 3 .....

.

27. A couple of players who are no strangers to the Commissioner's bad boy list pose together following the game in Kansas City. LB Reuben Foster had 7 tackles (6-1) and 1 PBU for the 49ers, and RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 2 TD for the Chiefs in KC's 38-27 victory. 49ers fans will remember the game as the one in which QB Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL, causing him to miss the rest of the season. As a result of their off-the-field problems, both Foster and Hunt would be released by their respective teams later in the season.
The two are not exchanging their jerseys because .....

.

28. ..... Foster wants to swap his for LB Reggie Ragland's. After signing the jersey, the shot above in which you get a great look at his 3-year old dreads, Reuben exchanges it with Ragland, his teammate in college at Alabama for 2 seasons (2014-15).

.

29. After another sign and swap following the game between 49ers and Chiefs, S Ron Parker and CB Richard Sherman pose together. Parker played all 68 defensive snaps for the Chiefs and finished with 7 tackles (6-1), while Sherman played about half of the snaps for the 49ers' D and had 2 tackles (1-1) and 1 PBU. Sherman (5th round draft pick) and Parker (undrafted) were teammates as rookies in 2011 with the Seahawks and for a bit in 2012 as well before Parker found a home with the Chiefs in 2013. He started for them for 5 seasons (2014-18) before being released. After not playing for anyone in 2019, it was recently announced that he has retired, finishing his career with 11 INT, 8 sacks, and 1 TD in 105 games. Sherman, as you know, has failed in his quest to be the league's best CB ever, but he wasn't that far away, was he?

.

30. Richard Sherman and WR Doug Baldwin share hugs and each other's jerseys following the Seahawks' 43-16 victory over the 49ers in Seattle in Week 13 in Sherman's first career game against the Seahawks. Sherman played all but two of the 49ers' 58 defensive snaps and finished with no stats, mainly because he missed the tackle of one of Baldwin's receptions. The two were rookies with the Seahawks in 2011 and teammates for 8 seasons - and for 4 years before that in college at Stanford. Here's an article from the Seahawks website describing Baldwin's feelings on his first game against Sherman (it also has a video of that missed tackle, lol): https://www.seahawks.com/news/doug-baldwin-seahawks-receivers-pay-tribute-to-my-brother-richard-sherman-with-t

.

31. Also in Week 13, RBs Todd Gurley and LeGarrette Blount exchange jerseys after their teams meet for the 3rd straight year. Blount came out on the winning end in 2016 (Patriots over Rams) and 2017 (Eagles over Rams), but Gurley got bragging rights this time, rushing for 132 yards and 2 TD as the Rams clinched the NFC West title (already) with a 30-16 road win over the Lions. Gurley (21) and Blount (5) scored 26 touchdowns between them in 2018.

.

32. CB Treston Decoud was in uniform for only one game all season for the Cowboys, but that was enough for him to find a trading partner. After playing 5 snaps on special teams in a 28-14 home loss to the Titans on Monday night in Week 9, Decoud signs his jersey before swapping it for S Kendrick Lewis' jersey. Lewis, back in action after sitting out all of the 2017 season, played a season low 11 snaps in the game, and neither he nor Decoud had any stats in it. As far as I can tell the two were never teammates; but both are Louisiana natives - Lewis from New Orleans and Decoud from Covington, which is on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain opposite from New Orleans.

.

33. RB Troymaine Pope was in uniform for only one game all season for the Chargers; but since it was against the Chiefs, he was able to find a trading partner. Pope had no say in the Chargers' big 29-28 road win in Week 15 (he played 0 snaps), but after it he meets up with CB Tremon Smith, who had 1 tackle (0-1) and 5 kickoff returns in the game, one of which went for 51 yards. If you look close enough, you'll see that both have signed 256 on their jerseys, the area code in eastern Alabama they represent. Before becoming college stars in the FCS, Smith (Central Arkansas) and Pope (Jacksonville State) played at high schools 4 miles apart in Anniston (Pope) and Saks (Smith).

.

34. It took me a while to identify the players in this shot from after the Packers' Week 16 victory over the Jets 44-38 in overtime. Obviously the Jets' player is CB Rashard Robinson; but who is that for Green Bay? Well, by the process of elimination, those dreads have to belong to LB James Crawford. The two South Florida natives sign their jerseys after making minor contributions in a game in which other players with dreads made huge contributions. Those others combined to gain 367 total yards from scrimmage plus another 218 on kickoff and punt returns and scored 4 TD. Both playing exclusively on special teams, Crawford finished with 2 tackles (1-1), while Robinson's only stat was a FR of a GB kickoff return. The two grew up in Broward County cities right next to each other - Robinson in Pompano Beach and Crawford in Deerfield Beach.

.

35. From the East Coast of Florida we move over to a couple of natives of the Gulf Coast, specifically St. Petersburg. S Rayshawn Jenkins, 4th round pick of the Chargers in 2017, and rookie LB Shaquem Griffin, 5th round pick of the Seahawks in 2018, meet after their game in Week 2 of the preseason. In 49 snaps Griffin had 4 tackles (2-2), and in 52 snaps Jenkins finished with 1 tackle (0-1) and 2 PBU as the Chargers won 24-14. The two played at high schools about 10 miles apart in St. Petersburg before going on to star in college - Griffin at UCF and Jenkins at the U.

.

36. Shaquem Griffin joins his teammate and twin brother, Shaquill, to hold up the jersey of Rams DE Dante Fowler, who strangely is absent from this shot following the Rams' thrilling 36-31 victory at the Coliseum in Week 10. Shaquem, as you know, has no hand on his left arm, so that has to be Shaquill on the right here. Shaquill played all 65 snaps on defense and had 4 tackles (4-0) and 1 PBU; while Shaquem only played on special teams, finishing with no stats in 18 snaps. Fowler's highlight in the game was his key strip sack and FR in the 4th quarter to set up a short TD drive that put the Rams ahead 36-24. Fowler was a teammate of the Griffins at Lakewood HS in St. Pete.  

.

37. Rookie LB Jacob Martin signs his jersey alongside LB Haason Reddick, a former college teammate of his at Temple, following the Seahawks' last-second 20-17 road victory over the Cardinals in Week 4. Both finished the game with 1 tackle (1-0) and both were TFLs, with Reddick's being a sack. Martin finished his rookie season - and his 1st season with dreads - with 10 tackles and 3 sacks; but unfortunately he didn't keep his dreads for the 2019 season, cutting them off before landing in Houston as part of the Jadeveon Clowney trade.

.

38. There are dreads aplenty in this shot from after the 49ers' 24-21 victory over the Cowboys in their preseason opener. On the left, DT Sheldon Day and LB Jaylon Smith, former college teammates at Notre Dame hold up each other's jersey; and on the right it's LB Reuben Foster and RB Bo Scarbrough, former Alabama teammates, posing with each other's jersey. Only Scarbrough doesn't have his dreads reduced, and he's also the only rookie among the four. While Smith, Day, and Foster combined for 3 tackles (what did you expect, it's the preseason opener), Scarbrough led the Cowboys in rushing with 33 yards and 1 TD on 9 carries. Little did he know it then, but Bo's 1st regular season TD would come against the Cowboys.

.

39. It's hardly a rarity when two former LSU players swap jerseys after an NFL game. S Tyrann Mathieu and S Jamal Adams pose with each other's jersey after both finishing with 4 tackles in the Texans' 29-22 road win over the Jets in Week 15. The two were never teammates, as Mathieu left LSU following his tumultuous 2012 season (in which he didn't play at all), while Adams' first season was in 2014; but .....

.

40. ..... CB Donte Jackson and LB Deion Jones were, spending time in the same huddle in 2015 when Jones was a senior at LSU and Jackson a freshman. Donte, who certainly was in the running for the best dreads of anyone taken in the 2018 Draft, swaps jerseys with Jones after losing to Jones for the 2nd time in his rookie season. Jackson who got his 1st career INT in the Panthers' Week 2 loss to the Falcons, played all 48 snaps on defense and finished with 3 tackles (2-1) in the Panthers' 24-10 loss in Week 15. Jones played all but 1 of the Falcons' 92 defensive snaps and had a game high 14 tackles. Jackson (2018) and Jones (2016) were both picked in the 2nd round of the Draft.

.

41. As he signs his jersey at Wembley Stadium following the Eagles' 24-18 victory over the Jaguars in Week 8, CB Ronald Darby gives us a painful reminder of how awesome his dreads would look if he didn't have them so severely reduced. He then swaps his jersey with CB Jalen Ramsey, his teammate in college (Florida State) for two seasons (2013-14). Ronald kept his dreads like this for every game he played in 2018. Unfortunately that was a total of only 9 games, as his season came to a halt in the Eagles' next game, after his tore his ACL against the Cowboys in Week 10.

.

Speaking of reduced dreads, simply ignoring the problem won't make it go away. And since braiding your dreads has become a very popular style - not just in the NFL - but life in general - it's impossible to accurately tell the story of the NFL in 2018 without mentioning the dozens of players who prefer that style. So here are a few (and only a few) photos of some of those players.

42. It doesn't take very long to count the number of locks on the head of LB De'Vondre Campbell, shown here warming up before the Falcons' preseason games vs. the Jets (photo above, on Aug. 10) and the Jaguars (photo on right, Aug. 25). Campbell last had his dreads at full blast during the Falcons' loss to New England in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2016 seasons. They've been permanently reduced for every game since. That includes all 16 games in 2018, a season in which he led the Falcons in tackles with 94.


.

43. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but Kendrick Lewis' pregame warmup includes a little yoga before the Titans face the Colts in Week 11. This is a better look at Lewis' dreads than in photo #32; and they are only slightly reduced, so they don't look too bad. But they just don't have the awesome look they would have if they were completely unleashed. Kendrick played 26 snaps, almost all of them on special teams, and had no stats in the Titans' 38-10 road loss to Indianapolis.

.

44. OT Desmond Harrison has very few locks to begin with, so he doesn't really need to reduce them; but that doesn't stop him. Here he takes a seat on the bench while the Browns' defense is on the field against the Chargers during the 4th quarter in Week 6. It was a tough afternoon for Harrison and his fellow O-linemen. He played all 74 snaps on offense, and the Browns gained just 317 total yards and scored only 1 TD in their 38-14 home loss to LA. An undrafted rookie, Harrison started the first 8 games before the Browns decided to bench him for the rest of the season.

.

45. Technically I don't think that S Neiko Thorpe has reduced dreads; they just look that way. Thorpe, I think, started his dreads like this, with just a few, very wide locks; and they've been getting longer since their beginning in 2016, which coincides with the beginning of his time with the Seahawks (he was with the Raiders and Chiefs before that). Shown here before facing the Rams in Week 5 (right photo) and the 49ers in Week 15 (left photo), Neiko has become a very important special teams player for Seattle (notice the captain's "C" on his jersey). In 2018 he played 266 snaps in 12 games on special teams (just 29 on defense) and finished the season with 7 tackles and 1 FR.

.

46. The awesome dreads that CB Denzel Rice had when he entered the league in 2015 have now turned into this. Shown here in July at practice early in his first training camp with the Browns, Rice played a career high 12 games in 2018 (after appearing in none in 2017) and got his 1st career INT - off of Patrick Mahomes, no less. But we're going to have to put an * next to that pick because it made no impact on the game. It came on a Hail Mary on the final play of the 1st half in Week 9 on a pass that was 10 yards short of the end zone and almost out of bounds. In fact, after he made the catch, his momentum carried him over the sideline, and he had no chance to return it. After finishing the season with the Bills Denzel didn't play at all in 2019, spending most of the year on the Ravens' practice squad. 

.

47. I know you've heard me cry about it before; but, I mean, it's impossible to hide my disappointment about the way RB Derrick Henry wears his dreads. I guess these too technically can't be considered reduced - the locks aren't braided. But they are folded and curled and wrapped every which way until there's just one massive lock coming down the back of his jersey. Here Henry celebrates with an unidentified man (left photo) and is interviewed by Fox's Erin Andrews (right photo) following his huge 238-yard, 4-TD performance during the Titans' 30-9 romp over the Jaguars on Thursday night in Week 14. Derrick is his usual humble self as he answers the questions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycPv_6KyKOo

.

48. If anyone can make reduced dreads look awesome, Ravens RB Alex Collins would be the guy. Of course, they'd be even more awesome if he had them going full blast; but then they'd be even easier for defenders to grab than they are in this shot. Here Collins hugs former Ravens RB Ray Rice before the Week 11 home game vs. the Bengals. Little did he know it, but this would be Collins' final game for the Ravens. Gus Edwards rushed for 115 yards in the game and pretty much took the starting job away from Collins from then on. Alex went on IR two weeks later. And after the season he became a former Ravens RB, just like Rice, thanks to some off-field trouble, just like Rice.

.

49. Earlier in the season Alex Collins greets Ravens fans in the front row after the game in Nashville in Week 6. Most of the Titans fans had evacuated the stadium long before the end of the Ravens' 21-0 victory. In a game dominated by the Ravens' D (they had 11 sacks, including 3 by LB Za'Darius Smith) Collins was the leading rusher with 54 yards on 19 carries; and he had his only 2-score game of the season, scoring the 4th and 5th of his 8 TD.

.

50. RB Todd Gurley has the shorter reduced dreads of the two as he greets a fan of his after the Rams' 30-22 victory over the Cowboys in round 2 of the playoffs at the Coliseum on Jan. 12. Gurley (115) and C.J. Anderson (123) combined to shred the Cowboys' D for 238 yards rushing on 6.1 yards per attempt. But it would be Todd's last hurrah for the season, as he rushed for only 45 yards total in the Rams' next two games.

.

51. CB Darryl Roberts has his dreads flowing at full blast as he stops to sign fans' gear before the Jets' game vs. the Texans in Week 15. On the facing of the top deck at MetLife Stadium hangs the banner boasting the Jets' only championship - way back in Super Bowl 3. Roberts finished with 2 tackles (2-0) as the Jets fell to 4-10 with the 29-22 loss to Houston. Darryl, who added the red tips to his dreads in 2017, played all 16 games for the first time in 2018, including a career high 10 starts, finishing with 48 tackles, 1 INT, and 6 PBU.

.

52. Rookie CB Shaquem Griffin, the first of 4 players the Seahawks picked in the 5th round of the 2018 Draft, deals with the slew of autograph seekers after a training camp practice on Aug. 6, including one fan holding up a giant picture of him alongside his twin brother, Shaquill. That picture was taken 8 months earlier, when the two met just before the Seahawks' Week 14 road game at Jacksonville. While Shaquill was in the middle of his rookie season with the Seahawks, Shaquem was still in college, helping lead UCF to an undefeated season.

.

53. As they do before every game, Shaquill Griffin and Shaquem Griffin embrace and say a prayer in the end zone, with Shaquem on the left in the photo above (from the Week 17 home game vs. the Cardinals) and Shaquill on the left in the photo to the right (Week 16 home game vs. the Chiefs).
At this point I was going to encourage you to watch (if you hadn't already seen it) the feature done on the Griffins by the CBS News program 60 Minutes that aired about halfway through the season. But apparently that video is now only available on something called CBS All Access, which requires a subscription. I'll still post the link to the video, where you can read a transcript of the feature if you want. Included in the videos on the two links below that are a couple of excerpts from the feature.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shaquem-griffin-seattle-seahawks-linebacker-talks-to-60-minutes-on-his-hand-amputation-and-pact-with-his-brother-shaquill/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK5bcDN6JXk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whvCXa9WeOY&t=1s

.

54. One of the most pleasant surprises of the season was the reemergence of the dreads of Jaguars S Jarrod Wilson. After keeping them reduced throughout the 2017 season, Wilson had them going at full blast most of the time in 2018, including here in Week 8, as he takes a breather during the game against the Eagles in London. Jarrod played mostly on special teams until moving into the starting lineup for the last 2 games of the season (and all of 2019).

.

55. 12 players with dreads saw action for the Houston Texans in 2018, and 5 of them were rookies (which might be the record for the most ever on one team). Here are three of the rookies. LBs Peter Kalambayi (#58) and Duke Ejiofor (#53), both drafted in the 6th round, and 3rd round S Justin Reid walk off after the 29-22 road win over the Jets in Week 15. Ejiofor (12 snaps) and Kalambayi (20) finished with no stats in the game. Reid, who played all 16 games and started 12, played all 75 snaps on defense and had 6 tackles (5-1).

.

56. DE Cameron Jordan enjoys a turkey leg after the Saints' 31-17 home victory over the Falcons on Thanksgiving night (Week 12). And why not? He finished with 4 tackles (3-0) and 3 TFL, including 2 of the Saints' 6 sacks of QB Matt Ryan. It was the first of 3 games in a row in which he recorded 2 sacks. Jordan kept alive his perfect attendance record in 2018, playing all 16 games for the 8th straight season. He finished with 12 sacks, which were the most by any player with dreads in the league.

.

57. Usually pleasantries are exchanged when players meet after the game. But not this time. CB Josh Norman was in the middle of a perfectly good pout after the Redskins' NFC East title hopes ended with a 25-16 road loss to the Titans in Week 16, but it was interrupted when OT Taylor Lewan wandered over to the Redskins bench to taunt him. An enraged Norman threw his helmet at Lewan and wanted to fight him; but since Lewan probably would have picked him up and body slammed him, Josh could only fight with his words. Lewan, who had no business starting the ruckus, apparently was under the impression that Norman had intentionally tried to injure RB Derrick Henry during the game. After the two were separated Norman continued his pout in the locker room. About 24 hours later the Redskins (7-8) were eliminated from the NFC Wildcard race as well.
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/video/josh-norman-we-will-not-tolerate-disrespect

.

58. Members of the Colts' D-line and their various styles fill up this shot as they rest while the Colts' offense operates during the Week 8 game at Oakland. The featured player in the middle is rookie DE Kemoko Turay, with DEs Al-Quadin Muhammad (braids) and Jabaal Sheard (long, brown dreads) on either side of him. On the far right, talking with Sheard is DT Denico Autry. Autry finished with 2 tackles (1-1) in his first game against his former team, while Sheard and Turay both had 1 tackle (1-0) as the Colts defeated the Raiders 42-28. For the season between them Autry (9 sacks), Sheard (5.5), and Turay (4) accounted for about half of the Colts' total of 38 sacks.

.

59. There are also three players with dreads in this shot, as DT DeForest Buckner (#99) conducts a sideline meeting of 49ers D-linemen during their Week 5 home game vs. the Cardinals. Listening in are DE Ryan Delaire (#92, with dreads fully unleashed), DT Sheldon Day (long, reduced dreads) and DE Ronald Blair (short dreads needlessly reduced). Obviously that is not LB Fred Warner in jersey #54. Warner wore #48 during his rookie season before changing to 54 in 2019. Between them Blair, Day, and Delaire played 39 snaps on defense and finished with just 1 tackle (Blair) as the 49ers lost to Arizona 28-18.

.

60. CB Trae Waynes (left to right), rookie CB Holton Hill, and S Anthony Harris display their various levels of interest as the national anthem is played before the Vikings' home game against the Bills in Week 3. Neither of them played very much in this game, so you can't blame them as the Vikings, a 16-point favorite, suffered an embarrassing 27-6 loss to the previously woeful Bills. The trio combined for all 5 of the Vikings' interceptions by players with dreads in 2018, with Harris leading the way with 3.

.

61. I wanted to caption this long (dreads), longer, and longest ..... but rookie WR Javon Wims' dreads really aren't very long yet. Wims, along with fellow WRs Kevin White and Marlon Brown, TE Trey Burton, and RB Jordan Howard hook arms during the anthem before the Bears take on the Chiefs at Soldier Field during Week 3 of the preseason. You can tell it's the preseason by the number of empty seats. Wims and White each had a TD catch in the game, raising hopes that the Bears' long streak of regular season games without an offensive TD by any players with dreads would end. But it didn't happen. Brown didn't make the team, as expected. Wims, a 7th round pick, made the team but was inactive almost every week. White finally stayed healthy for a whole season; but he, too, often was inactive and finished the season with 4 receptions and 0 TD in 9 games. I am happy to report that the streak finally did end in 2019.

.

62. Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon shake hands after their first ever career regular season meeting in the battle of LA in Week 3. Gurley no doubt would have dreads just as long as Gordon's if he had just left them alone; but as we have seen he is fully committed to keeping them the same length every year. In 2018 Gordon led the AFC with 8 appearances on the weekly dread stars list, and Gurley led the entire NFL with 10. Gurley was the only player to make it from this game, as he finished with 156 total yards (105 rushing, 51 receiving) and 1 TD. Gordon (84 total yards, 1 TD) and WR Mike Williams (4 catches for 81 yards, 2 TD) just missed. The touchdowns by Gordon and Williams were the only ones the Chargers scored in their 35-23 loss to the Rams.

.

63. RB Brandon Bolden (#38) is greeted by RB Senorise Perry as he returns to the sideline after one of the two touchdowns (I can't verify which one) he scored in the 2nd quarter against the Patriots in Week 14. Perry and Bolden, mainstays on special teams, had no TD and only 3 snaps on offense between them in the Dolphins' first 12 games before Bolden scored on runs of 54 and 6 yards against his former team, each time giving Miami a 1-point lead. Of course, those touchdowns were mostly forgotten after the Dolphins scored a 69-yard TD on the final play of the game to knock off New England 34-33. Brandon finished with 3 TD in his only season with the Dolphins, while Perry, whose career began in 2014, is still in search of his 1st NFL TD.

.

64. Brandon Bolden and LB Dont'a Hightower have their dreads flowing full blast as they hug and visit with each other after playing against each other for the first time since they were in college. After wrapping up their college careers in 2011 - Hightower at Alabama and Bolden at Mississippi - they were teammates with the Patriots for 6 years before Bolden signed with Miami as a free agent in 2018. In Week 4 the Patriots whipped the Dolphins 38-7, with Hightower finishing with 2 tackles (1-1) in his 26 snaps on defense and Bolden recording no stats in his 18 snaps on special teams.
Bolden, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent, earned a career total of $5.5 million through 2018 and didn't earn $1 million in a single year until his 4th year in the league. Hightower, on the other hand, a 1st round draft pick, earned his first million - actually his first 4 million, the moment he signed his rookie contract (Bolden's signing 'bonus' was $12,673) and earned $35 million in his first 7 NFL seasons.
After their one year on opposing teams, the two were teammates again in 2019 after Bolden signed back with New England. Here's an article from the Patriots' website heralding his return: https://www.patriots.com/news/brandon-bolden-from-undrafted-rookie-to-100-game-veteran 

.

65. CB Stephon Gilmore, along with his son Sebastian, meets the Vince Lombardi Trophy - held by former Patriots DT Vince Wilfork - for the first time in his career after the Patriots' 13-3 victory over the Rams in Super Bowl 53. After playing no playoff games at all while with the Bills for the first 5 years of his career, Gilmore made it to the Super Bowl in each of his first two seasons with the Patriots, losing to the Eagles the previous year before playing a big role in the win over the Rams. He finished with 5 tackles (5-0), 1 FF, 2 PBU (one of which Rams fans will tell you should have been a PI penalty) and a huge INT in the 4th quarter with New England up by 7 .....

.

66. ..... A little earlier the celebration begins after the Patriots defeat the Rams in the Super Bowl with the traditional Gatorade drenching of the head coach. And it also has become traditional that it is a player with dreads who participates in the drenching. Here WR Cordarrelle Patterson, with an assist from WR Matthew Slater, drowns Coach Belichick after the final play of the game - and splashes a little on Dont'a Hightower as well. Patterson had 7 yards rushing on 2 carries, 2 catches for 14 yards, and went 38 yards on his only kickoff return in the 6 snaps he played.
Patterson, like Stephon Gilmore, had no playoff success (1 game, no wins) in his first 5 seasons before joining the Patriots and reaching the Super Bowl in his 6th year. As long as Cordarrelle's dreads are, Gilmore's actually are even longer; but it doesn't look like it because Stephon has kept his dreads reduced for nearly every single game since joining the Patriots. Patterson's first and only season with the Patriots was also the first time he and Gilmore, both from the Rock Hill, SC, football factory, were teammates. On the first link below is a short article from NESN.com about their rivalry in high school. And the second link is to a video from Patriots.com (yes, they do more than just film opposing teams' sidelines) on the two from about midway through the season.
https://nesn.com/2018/08/stephon-gilmore-cordarrelle-patterson-bonded-by-football-city-rivalry/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZQonlD16Co

.

67. Eagles RB Jay Ajayi hugs RB Devonta Freeman of the Falcons after the first game of the regular season. Freeman picked up 50 total yards on 9 touches before injuring his knee in the 4th quarter. Ajayi had 62 yards on 15 carries and scored both of the Eagles' touchdowns in their 18-12 Thursday night home victory. Little did they know it, but 2018 would turn out to be the worst year of both of their careers. Both would be on injured reserve before the season was half over, with Ajayi appearing in a career low 4 games and Freeman in a career low 2.

.

68. We'll finish the helmets off section with dreads that are arguably the NFL's longest, as S Tre Boston jokes with WR Stefon Diggs following the Cardinals' 27-17 road loss to the Vikings in Week 6. Dreads like these should never be reduced; and Tre gets it. Not only does he never reduce his, he always has them completely unleashed as well, making him the perfect example of what every player should strive to have his dreads look like. Unfortunately most players don't share my opinion.
In his only season in a Cardinals uniform Boston ranked 3rd on the team with 79 tackles and led the team with 3 INT before moving on (and back) to Carolina.

.

Now let's take a look at some of the players with the best dreads in action.

69. And we lead off with Tre Boston. Maybe one day I'll do a DG with all of the photos featuring Boston; but as for DG177 you'll have to settle for a couple of plays from the Cardinals' road game against the 49ers in Week 5. After the pass on 2nd and 11 midway through the 1st quarter deflects off the hands of WR Pierrre Garcon and Boston makes the diving interception, Tre gets back on his feet right in the middle of the 49ers logo at midfield (left photo) and brings the return back 9 yards (right photo) to the SF 43-yard line. It was his 2nd INT of the season. But the Cardinals went three-and-out on the ensuing possession and punted.

.

70. Then in the 4th quarter Tre Boston's dreads crash into the back of his helmet as he attempts to strip the ball from WR Kendrick Bourne after a reception on 3rd and 5. Bourne hung on and gained 9 yards to pick up the 1st down at the SF 44-yard line. The drive ended with a TD 9 plays later, but the Cardinals kept the lead 14-12 after the 49ers' 2-point conversion attempt failed. Boston had 6 tackles (6-0) and 2 PBU in addition to his INT as the Cardinals got their 1st W of the season 28-18. 

.

71. S Jahleel Addae is flying all over the place and so are his dreads during these two plays during Week 2. On the 5th play of the Bills' 2nd half opening drive QB Josh Allen avoids the sack on 2nd and 6 and scrambles for a 14-yard gain before being knocked off his feet by Addae (photo above) at the 6-yard line. 3 plays later Chris Ivory scored the Bills' 1st TD of the season, cutting the Chargers' lead to 28-13. Then on the Bills' final drive it's Addae who gets knocked off his feet (right photo) as he tries to avoid picking up an unnecessary roughness penalty after a diving catch by WR Robert Foster on 3rd and 11. Addae got credit for the tackle, but the 19-yard reception kept the drive going. 3 plays later Kelvin Benjamin scored his only TD of the season. Jahleel finished tied for the team lead with 7 tackles (6-1) and had 1 PBU as the Chargers got their 1st W of the season 31-20.

.

72. Jahleel Addae gives away 45 pounds in this encounter with the tight end on 1st and 10 in Week 3 but gets the job done, tackling Gerald Everett for a 3-yard gain at the Chargers' 32-yard line and keeping him inbounds with 1 minute remaining in the 1st half. 4 plays later the Rams missed a 46-yard FG attempt. Jahleel finished the afternoon with 6 tackles (4-2) as the Chargers dropped to 1-2 with the 35-23 loss to the Rams.

.

73. OT LaAdrian Waddle joins WR Chris Hogan (#15) and QB Tom Brady on the congratulating committee after RB James White scores his 2nd TD of the game, giving the Patriots a 14-point lead with 8:40 remaining in the 4th quarter at Soldier Field in Week 7. The Patriots held on to defeat the Bears 38-31. For the first time in his career Waddle played in all 16 games, and in 3 of those - including this one - he played every snap on offense. With most of the other O-lineman with sick dreads no longer in the league, Waddle's dreads were arguably the longest of any NFL O-linemen in 2018.

.

74. From arguably the longest O-lineman dreads we go to arguably the longest D-Lineman dreads, hanging down the back of 49ers DT Sheldon Day as he takes on the double team block by C Spencer Pulley (#77) and G Will Hernandez (left photo) on 3rd and 6 midway through the 1st quarter against the Giants on Monday night in Week 10. 3 plays later Day dives but fails to get his 1st career INT (right photo) after a pass intended for RB Saquon Barkley on 3rd and 5 gets deflected back toward the line of scrimmage. CB K'Waun Williams (#24) made the catch, but after he hit the ground Pulley (also reaching for the ball) tried to rip the ball away from him, and a simultaneous possession was ruled. Pulley got credit for the catch, but it was for a 2-yard loss, and the Giants punted on the next play. Day played 22 snaps and finished with no stats in the game; and for the season he had 11 tackles, including tying his career high with 2 sacks, in 12 games.

.

75. After an Aaron Jones TD run on the first play of the 2nd quarter in Week 10 upped the Packers' lead to 14-3, LB James Crawford makes his only tackle of the game on the next play, taking advantage of a missed block by S Walt Aikens and stopping WR Jakeem Grant at the 15-yard line after a 13-yard kickoff return. The Packers went on to defeat the Dolphins 31-12. After making the team as an undrafted rookie, Crawford saw extensive duty on special teams, playing 333 snaps in 16 games and finishing the season with 9 tackles (8-1) and 1 FR.

.

76. Another undrafted rookie for an NFC North team, RB Mike Boone carries the ball for the Vikings against the Jets in Week 7. After taking the handoff on a sweep right on 1st and 10 on the game's second play from scrimmage, Boone cuts up the middle before getting to the sideline and eludes both S Jamal Adams (#33) and LB Darron Lee just past the line of scrimmage and gains 9 yards before being tackled at the Jets' 37-yard line. The Vikings scored a TD two plays later. Boone's other 3 carries went for 4, -6, and -3 yards, giving him 4 yards on 4 carries for the day in 8 snaps. The Vikings won 37-17. Mike had a very quiet rookie season, playing only 62 snaps all year (36 offense, 26 special teams) and rushing for 47 yards on 11 carries. But he was heard from a lot more in 2019.

.

77. S Reshad Jones (#20) and DE Andre Branch are in pursuit as RB Chris Ivory crosses the 15-yard line and heads for the end zone on the 8th play of the game's opening drive in Week 17. Originally assigned to block on 3rd and 16, Ivory had nothing else to do while QB Josh Allen was scrambling away from pressure, so he went out for a pass and was all alone as he made the catch 10 yards downfield at the Miami 37-yard line. After cutting toward the middle of the field, he finally was tackled from behind by Jones at the 1 after a gain of 46. The Bills took a 7-0 lead on the next play. Chris finished the game with 91 total yards, as he also carried 14 times for 45 yards rushing in the Bills' 42-17 blowout of the Dolphins.
Hopefully not, but this might have been the final game of Ivory's career. The Bills released him 3 months after the season was over after signing Frank Gore, and nobody else signed him, meaning his 9-year NFL career might be over.

.

78. One week after after being violently dragged down by his dreads, Chiefs rookie CB Tremon Smith is undeterred, keeping his dreads exactly the same as the week before - slightly reduced and still very easy to grab - as he returns a kickoff against the Rams (right photo) on Monday night in Week 11. With the Rams scoring 7 TD and 2 FG, Tremon had a busy night and racked up an NFL season high 207 yards on 7 kickoff returns in the Chiefs' 54-51 loss at the Coliseum. In the regular season finale Smith has his dreads going at full blast (left photo) as he goes for 26 yards on his only kickoff return of the game in a 35-3 victory over the Raiders. For the season Tremon played 270 snaps (74 defense, 196 special teams) and finished with 5 tackles (4-1) and 1 PBU and was 4th in the league in kickoff returns with a 26.8 average (886 yards on 33 returns) .....

.

79. ..... Smith was one of 5 players with long dreads to rank in the top 11 in kickoff return average in 2018. Andre Roberts was 2nd, Cordarrelle Patterson was 3rd, Dwayne Harris was 10th, and ..... here's Ravens WR Chris Moore, reaching out to make the catch before bringing back one of his 4 returns against the Buccaneers in Week 15. He gained a total of 92 yards on the return and also scored his only TD of the season on a 5-yard reception as the Ravens defeated Tampa Bay 20-12. Moore finished 11th in the NFL with a 22.3 kickoff return average .....

.

80. ..... While Moore finished the season as the Ravens' kickoff returner, the player who began it has dreads even longer than his. Before being sent to the practice squad after just 2 games, rookie WR Janarion Grant had 2 kickoff returns and 7 punt returns. This was the best of them, coming early in the 2nd quarter in Week 1. After going nowhere on his first 2 punt returns, Grant has plenty of running room on his next return early in the 2nd quarter after fielding a line-drive punt; and after eluding the first 5 Bills defenders downfield, he eludes a sixth, LS Reid Ferguson, at the Buffalo 43-yard line (left photo). He then tries to break a tackle at the 25-yard line (right photo), but LB Lorenzo Alexander hangs on and gets him down to the ground at the 20 after a return of 51 yards: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/video/highlight-janarion-grant-shakes-tackles-returns-punt-51-yards .....
Janarion was upset that he didn't score, and he should be. Three blockers had Alexander sealed inside. All he had to do was keeping running down the sideline. Why did he cut back inside??? The Ravens settled for a FG 4 plays later to up their lead to 17-0.
After Grant fumbled on his first punt return against the Bengals in Week 2, the Ravens must have lost confidence in him. He was cut before the next game and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. Janarion then spent 2019 in a league that more appreciates his dangerous return ability, the CFL; and he took 3 punt returns to the house for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during their Grey Cup championship season.

.

81. CB Maurice Canady is all in on the reduced dreads craze on Opening Day, all the way down to - what is that - about 20 locks extending in every direction (left photo) as he finishes his weekly pregame prayer in the end zone at M&T Bank Stadium. After recording 4 tackles (4-0) in 35 snaps in the Ravens' 47-3 rout of the Bills, Canady went on IR to fully recover from the thigh injury he suffered during a training camp practice in mid-August. The next time he was in uniform was in Week 12, and he has his dreads right for that one, as he escorts CB Cyrus Jones into the end zone (right photo) at the end of a 70-yard punt return for the Ravens' 1st TD of the day, giving them the lead (for good) 10-7 over the Raiders early in the 2nd quarter. The Ravens went on to win 34-17. The appearance on IR made it 3 years in a row Maurice has done time on IR, a streak he happily ended in 2019.

.

82. RB Marshawn Lynch gives us a rare treat - a look at his dreads completely unleashed - during a drill at an OTA practice (left photo) on May 29. With his dreads now this long, it's no surprise that he now keeps them reduced for every game, including in Week 2, as he leaps into the end zone for a 1-yard TD (right photo), upping the Raiders' lead over the Broncos to 12-0 late in the 2nd quarter. Lynch finished with 65 yards rushing on 18 carries, but the Raiders blew their lead and lost 20-19.
Marshawn's 2nd season with the Raiders lasted only 6 games, as he went on IR for the first time in his career after suffering a groin injury. After rushing for a career low 376 yards, he retired for a 2nd time after the season was over. But that didn't last long, did it?

.

83. Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds had his long dreads completely unleashed for only a handful of games during his rookie season. One of those was the last game of the season vs. the Dolphins, as he celebrates his INT on the 3rd play of the Dolphins' opening drive (right photo) and tackles of WR Danny Amendola (left photo) for a 10-yard gain on 2nd and 6 during the 3rd quarter. Edmunds finished with 12 tackles (11-1), including 1 sack, as the Bills won 42-17 to end the season with a 6-10 record.
As mentioned in the article on the link below, Tremaine was the youngest player in the league in 2018 as he began what potentially will be a Hall of Fame career. In 15 games he led the Bills with 121 tackles (80-41) and 10 PBU and also had 5 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 FF, and 2 INT. With dreads this long at age 20, I can't wait to see them when he's 30.
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2019/01/29/tremaine-edmunds-nfl-youngest-player-buffalo-bills-virginia-tech/2709934002/

.

84. A college teammate of Tremaine Edmunds for three seasons at Virginia Tech, CB Adonis Alexander entered the NFL with much less fanfare than Edmunds, but his dreads were every bit as impressive. While Edmunds was picked on Day 1 of the Draft, Alexander entered the Supplemental Draft in July after it became apparent he wasn't going to be eligible for his senior season at VA Tech. After the Redskins picked him in the 6th round, he played only 9 games and almost exclusively on special teams. Against the Eagles in Week 13 Alexander sets to take on S Deiondre Hall (left photo), the gunner on one of the Eagles' 2 punts in the game. Then in the second meeting with the Eagles in Week 17, Adonis is congratulated by S Jeremy Reaves (right photo) after tackling RB Darren Sproles and holding him to 2 yards on a punt return midway through the 1st quarter, one of the few things to celebrate during a 24-0 home loss. That was the 4th and final tackle of the season for Alexander, who did not play at all in 2019 while spending time on the practice squad with the Redskins and then the Rams.

.

85. It isn't clear which player selected in the 2018 Draft has the longest dreads, but S Marcell Harris of the 49ers certainly was a contender. After spending the first half of the season on IR, Harris was in the starting lineup and played every defensive snap for the final 5 games, including these two. Midway through the 4th quarter against the Seahawks in Week 15 after making G J.R. Sweezy miss his block on a screen pass, Harris tackles RB Mike Davis (left photo) and holds him to a 9-yard gain on 2nd and 15. The Seahawks settled for a FG two plays later. Harris had 6 tackles (6-0) in the game, stopping Davis on three of those, in San Francisco's 26-23 home victory in overtime. One week later Harris makes his 5th and final tackle of the game in a 14-9 home loss to the Bears, as QB Mitchell Trubisky goes down before Marcell can hit him (right photo) after scrambling for 3 yards on 2nd and 7 late in the 4th quarter.
Harris finished his rookie season with 34 tackles (24-10), including 4 TFL.

.

86. S Jarrod Wilson has a chance for his 1st career INT but can't quite make the over-the-shoulder catch on a deep pass intended for WR Josh Doctson that was overthrown on the first play of a Redskins drive midway through the 1st quarter in Week 15. The Redskins kicked a FG 8 plays later to take a 3-0 lead. Playing a career high 56 defensive snaps, Wilson had a career high 5 tackles (4-1), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU as the Jaguars lost 16-13. The next week Jarrod moved into the starting lineup and has been there ever since. Unfortunately this was the last home game in which Jaguars fans were able to see his dreads, as he decided to cut them off during the offseason.

.

87. After missing the first 4 games of the season with an ankle injury, Rams LB Mark Barron returned to action in Week 5 - and returned with a great big surprise. For the first time since the last game of the 2014 season Barron played a game without his dreads reduced. So for one game (and unfortunately only one game) we got to see how awesome his dreads are when they're unleashed. Mark led the Rams with a season high 9 tackles (5-4) in their 33-31 road win over the Seahawks; but despite that much action, sadly I couldn't find any really good shots of his dreads. These were the 'best' two, as he reacts just after a snap (photo above) and a blurry shot of him chasing RB Chris Carson (photo on right) before knocking him out of bounds at the 6-yard line on an 11-yard catch and run early in the 3rd quarter.
After recording 60 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF, and 1 PBU in 12 games, Barron played in the Super Bowl for the first time before moving on to Pittsburgh for 2019.

.

88. Throughout his career any discussion of the league's best dreads would be considered nonsense if it did not include the name of Dwayne Harris. But even he has joined the ranks of those with reduced dreads in the last couple of seasons. In his first season with the Raiders Harris' hair was arguably the longest in the league but just didn't have as many locks as it should have.
After starting forward on a punt return against the Ravens midway through the 4th quarter in Week 12, Harris gets greedy, stopping and making a right turn to try to get to the outside (left photo). But he's brought down for a return of -3 yards. In the 45-42 win over the Browns in Week 4 Dwayne went for 98 yards on 5 punt returns, the first of which was a 12-yarder (right photo) following a Browns' opening drive three and out.. For the season he ranked 10th in the league in kickoff returns (22.9 average) and 2nd in punt returns (14.1), barely behind Andre Roberts.

.

89. As went Travis Benjamin, so went the Chargers' offense in 2018. Well, not exactly. But it sure seemed like it in the two games against the Chiefs. On 2nd and 14 late in the 2nd quarter in Week 1 Benjamin has S Ron Parker beaten deep, but the WR with sick dreads has the perfectly thrown pass go right through his hands (photo above), off his lap, and onto the ground at the KC 33-yard line. It would have been at least a 50-yard gain and maybe a 79-yard TD. Instead the Chargers punted two plays later and remained 5 points behind at halftime. Then with the Chargers down 10 just after the 2-minute warning in the 4th quarter, a would-be 28-yard TD pass bounces off Benjamin's hands (photo on right) in the middle of the end zone on 1st and 10. 3 plays later the Chargers, who still had 3 timeouts left, missed a 48-yard FG attempt. On 5 targets Travis had 1 catch for 1 yard. He also finished with 19 yards rushing on a reverse in the 1st quarter and with 1 punt return for -1 yard. The Chargers lost 38-28 .....

.

90. Then in the second meeting, the big showdown at KC in Week 15, WR Mike Williams got all the glory, and deservedly so. But Williams' 3rd TD of the night and ensuing catch for the game-winning 2-point conversion might never had happened if not for Benjamin's contributions earlier in the drive.
After the drive began with a holding penalty with 2:33 remaining, Benjamin picks up 31 yards on 1st and 20, making the catch over the middle and hanging on despite getting drilled by Ron Parker and S Eric Murray (photo above) at the KC 39-yard line. Then 4 plays later, with the Chargers facing a 4th and 7, Benjamin, after lining up in the slot, beats CB Kendall Fuller and makes the catch at the 20-yard line (photo on right), eludes him and keeps going until he's tackled at the 10 for a 26-yard gain. 4 plays later the TD by Williams with 4 seconds remaining followed by his 2-point catch gave the Chargers a 29-28 win that moved them into a tie for the lead in the AFC West. Benjamin's 57 yards receiving in the game were a season high.
Plagued by a foot injury during the first half of the season, Travis played only 301 total snaps all year and scored only 1 TD, both totals his lowest since 2013 (when he missed half the season with a knee injury). At least there was nothing wrong with his dreads.

.

91. For about a month during the first half of the season (roughly Weeks 3-7) CB Janoris Jenkins was the easy winner in the category of most different-colored locks. There's at least four different colors there in addition to his black majority in this Week 4 game, as he makes the tackle at the 4-yard line on a key 11-yard reception by WR Michael Thomas on 3rd and 6 midway through the 3rd quarter. Alvin Kamara's 2nd TD of the game on the next play upped the Saints' lead to 26-10. Jenkins finished the game with 6 tackles (5-1), stopping Thomas 3 times and Kamara the other 3. Janoris helped hold Thomas, who had 38 receptions in the first 3 games, to 4 catches for 47 yards. But with the Saints rushing the ball for 170 yards, they didn't need to throw it as much as usual in their 33-18 road win over the Giants .....

.

92. ..... Jenkins' dreads were back to all black by the time the Giants faced the 49ers on the road on Monday night in Week 10, as he tries to tackle RB Matt Breida (photo above) and WR Dante Pettis (photo on right) ..... Oh, wait a minute. That's not Jenkins in the photo on the right. It's the Giants' other starting CB with long dreads, B.W. Webb.
At first glance it was hard for announcers to differentiate between the two. But if you look carefully enough, you can tell the difference in their dreads. They're both reduced, but Webb's are reduced more. In this game they both finished with 5 tackles (5-0), with Jenkins adding 1 PBU to his stats line, as the Giants improved to 2-7 with a 27-23 victory over the 49ers.

.

93. And here are B.W. Webb and Janoris Jenkins in the same shot, which rarely happened since they usually lined up on opposite sides of the field. Blitz pressure on 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter in Week 5 causes QB Cam Newton to throw a pass wide of the intended receiver, TE Ian Thomas, and into the hands of Jenkins. On the return Jenkins dashes all the way across field and passes by Webb, who's trying to find somebody to block and stay out of Janoris' way, near the 50-yard line. The 29-yard return to the 34-yard line sparked the Giants, who trailed 27-16 at the time. They eventually took a 31-30 lead, only to lose when the Panthers made a 63-yard FG with :01 on the clock.
The Webb-Jenkins partnership lasted only one season. But it caused a season full of double takes and headaches among the Giants trying to tell who was who. Details in this NJ.com article from just before Thanksgiving: https://www.nj.com/giants/2018/11/are_janoris_jenkins_bw_webb_really_twins_giants_in.html

.

The Giants weren't the only team with a pair of CBs with long dreads on the field at the same time. There were at least a couple more that played on Saturdays with dreads even better than Jenkins and Webb, just because they weren't reduced. I saved only a very few College Football photos from the 2018 season. In the final section of Part 1 of DG177 here's a look at some of the best dreads from those few.

94. The Kansas Jayhawks posted a 3-9 record in 2018, astonishingly their 9th straight season with 3 wins or fewer. But if you wanted to see some great dreads, there weren't many places better to be on Saturdays than when their defense was on the field. Freshman CB Corione Harris, with dreads already almost down to the bottom of the #2 on the back of his jersey, was one of three DBs with sick dreads who were on the field often when the Jayhawks' opponents had the ball. In these shots Harris, 6-1 and 180 pounds, tries to stop 6-6, 225-pound WR Hakeem Butler of Iowa State (left photo, Week 10) and 6-6, 220-pound WR Collin Johnson of Texas (right photo, Week 13). Butler, a 4th round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2019, had TD catches of 83 and 51 yards in the 1st quarter - neither of them with Harris covering him - to help Iowa State to a 27-3 road win. Johnson caught a 1st quarter TD pass against Harris, but the Jayhawks held Texas to 154 yards passing in the Longhorns' 24-17 road win. A starter in 11 of Kansas' 12 games, Corione finished his 1st college season with 43 tackles (tied for 5th most on the team), 6 PBU, and 1 INT.

.

95. Also on the field in Week 10 with their dreads obscuring the numbers on their jerseys were senior CB Shakial Taylor (photo above) and sophomore S Ricky Thomas (#24, photo on right). Taylor finished with 3 tackles, and Thomas had 2, and neither of them had the coverage either on those touchdowns by Butler. Thomas was a starter in 3 of the 8 games he played and had 11 tackles for the season. Taylor started all 12 games, finishing with 33 tackles and tying for the team lead with 3 INT. Surprisingly this would not be the last we'd see of Taylor's dreads. In case you didn't notice it, in 2019 he was on the field for a total of 60 defensive snaps in 5 different game as a rookie with the Colts before ending the season (but not appearing in any games) with the Broncos.

.

96. It did not take too long for Corione Harris to get his 1st INT in a Kansas uniform. During the 3rd quarter of KU's 3rd game of the season the Rutgers QB thought Harris would cover the receiver running a short crossing route to the right flat on 2nd and 6. He thought wrong. When the pass went to WR Everett Wormley (#14) on the right sideline 15 yards downfield, Harris dropped off the short route, moved backed in front of Wormley, jumped up and made the catch for an easy interception (left photo) at the RU 25-yard line. Corione might have taken the return to the house; but before he could land on his feet he was hit and knocked down by a teammate who also was trying to break up the pass. Instead the Jayhawks got the TD 5 plays later to up their lead to 38-14, and they went on to win 55-14. It would take much longer for Harris to get his 2nd career INT. In fact, he hasn't gotten it yet.
Then in Week 13, Shakial Taylor ends Oklahoma's 2nd half opening drive, going way up to pick off a pass (right photo) on 1st and 10 from Heisman winner-to-be Kyler Murray intended for WR CeeDee Lamb 20 yards downfield on the left sideline in front of the OU bench. After landing on his feet, Taylor brought the return back 10 yards to the OU 45-yard line; and 7 plays later the Jayhawks scored a TD to pull within 21-17. The Sooners then proceeded to score touchdowns on their next 4 possessions. A 35-point underdog, Kansas kept it kind of close, scoring their most points against OU in 22 years in a 55-40 road loss to the #6 ranked Sooners.

.

97. It was only Central Michigan, but .....
Not wanting to take a sack on 3rd and 8 on the first play of the 4th quarter in Week 2, the Central Michigan QB tosses one up for grabs 15 yards downfield near the left sideline ... and he pays for it. Two CMU players, including RB Jonathan Ward, think they are the intended receiver, but Shakial Taylor, with two bands around his dreads, beats both of them to it, making his 1st ever INT in a KU uniform (left photo) and then eluding several CMU players on the return before breaking into the clear at the 15-yard line (right photo) on his way to the end zone, escorted by S Mike Lee. Ricky Thomas, who would get his 1st career INT later in the 4th quarter, trails Taylor and Lee by 10 yards but catches up to them in the end zone to join the celebration. The 55-yard pick 6 increased the Kansas lead to 28-7. Earlier in the 2nd half Taylor got credit for a FF that KU recovered on his only tackle of the game. It was a long time coming - 9 years - but the Jayhawks finally ended their preposterous 46-game road losing streak, getting their 1st road W since 2009, 31-7 over Central Michigan.
This was the 1st of 3 interceptions for Taylor, who had only 1 during his first 3 college seasons (and that was in junior college in 2016). If you want to, you can see all three of them, and his FF, and all his other 2018 highlights in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j1uAtmAatc

.

98. 2018 was the first season for UCF in 6 years without one of the Griffin twins on the team; but there still were plenty of sick dreads in the Knights' secondary. Here in Week 10 junior CB Nevelle Clarke and sophomore CB Aaron Robinson do an air bump to celebrate Clarke's INT on Temple's first possession in the 2nd half. Did I mention it was a highlight-reel INT? See for yourself: https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=25150741
It was the 2nd - and last - INT for Clarke in 2018, and I guess we'll have to forgive him for having his dreads reduced while making it. Robinson, playing his first season for UCF after transferring from Alabama, wouldn't get his 1st career INT until 2019. Temple racked up a school record 670 total yards against the UCF D, but the Knights still won, improving to 8-0 as they defeated the Owls 52-40.  
If you watched that video, you probably noticed that try as they might Clarke and Robinson weren't even close to having to longest dreads in the UCF secondary .....

.

99. ..... That honor went to senior CB Keenan Johnson, whose dreads are so long they don't entirely fit in this shot of him (left photo) from before UCF's game against LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. Johnson, who played 11 games in two seasons for the Knights after transferring from JC, finished with 0 INT, 2 PBU, and 19 tackles. His career high in one game was 3 tackles, which he had twice, including the game against Temple. Here (right photo) he hangs on and drags down WR Isaiah Wright at the Temple 27-yard line after a reception for a gain of 6 on 3rd and 3 during the 3rd quarter for one of the Owls' 35 first downs. Wright, who hopefully will be playing on Sundays later this year, had 5 catches for 40 yards in the game. As for Johnson, I doubt we'll be hearing from him again. As far as I can tell, he wasn't with any pro team in 2019.

.

100. Over in the FCS Murray State was one of the teams with more than one player with sick dreads on the field at the same time. A couple of south Florida juniors with super long dreads and wearing uniforms #5 and #6 no doubt had a lot of people in confusion as to who was who when the Racers defense was in action. The one thing that made it a bit easier to tell the two apart was that LB Kendrick Catis (#6, from Pompano Beach) weighs 30 pounds more than S Jason Johnson (#5, Pahokee). In the Week 3 game at Kentucky Catis is the only defender with a chance to stop sophomore QB Terry Wilson on 2nd and 2 on the 8th play of the game's opening drive; but all he can do is get a hand on him (photo above) as Wilson gets past him just beyond the line scrimmage and speeds untouched the rest of the way for a 42-yard TD. Wilson carried 3 times for 58 yards on the 91-yard drive. Catis finished the game with 7 tackles (3-4). Then on UK's first drive of the 2nd half Johnson sets to make one of his 4 tackles (4-0) on a reception on 2nd and 6 by TE Justin Rigg (photo on right) for a 5-yard gain to the Murray State 29. The drive ended with a FG 5 plays later to make the score 20-3. Kentucky went on to win 48-10. For the season Catis had 74 tackles (5.5 TFL) and Johnson 29. Both had 1 INT and 1 PBU. Johnson scored a TD on a FR in the end zone in the Week 5 win over Tennessee-Martin. The Racers finished 5-6.

.

101. The combined length of the dreads of two members of Bethune-Cookman's secondary arguably was longer than any two from any other team. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of junior CB Trevor Merritt with his dreads flowing at full blast to better support the argument. With his dreads reduced, Merritt begins his 49-yard INT return to the house (left photo) against Mississippi Valley State in Week 6, the last of 4 unanswered touchdowns in the 2nd quarter by B-C that turned a 14-0 deficit into a 28-14 halftime lead. The Wildcats went on to win 41-27. With his dreads spilling out all sides of his helmet for the Florida Classic in Week 12, junior S Vernon Walker arrives in the backfield a bit late as teammates Kevin Thompson (#91) and Marquis Hendrix (#19) tackle FAMU WR Azende Rey for an 8-yard loss on a reverse on 2nd and 1 late in the 1st quarter. Walker had only 1 tackle in the game but made a play in the 3rd quarter, scooping up a blocked extra point and racing 92 yards to the house for 2 points to tie the game after a TD by FAMU had put them ahead 19-17. You get a great look at Vernon's great dreads beginning at the 1:46:57 mark of this video of the whole game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRnKBZ3TH9A  ..... The Wildcats scored 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter to win 33-19 and finish the season at 7-5. Walker was 9th on the team with 41 tackles and had 4 PBU. Merritt had 38 tackles, 4 PBU, and tied for the team lead with 4 INT. 

.

102. Here are a couple of linebackers who probably would have made my dread all-America team if I had done one, although in this shot (left photo) it's harder to focus on the dreads of Texas Tech senior Dakota Allen than it is the way he's tackling Lamar RB Myles Wanza. Assuming Wanza didn't break the tackle, then this was the play Allen stopped him for no gain early in the 2nd quarter in Week 2. Allen finished with 6 tackles (6-0), including 2 TFL as Tech annihilated Lamar 77-0. With his dreads already this long in his freshman season, LB Dwayne Boyles of South Florida (right photo) heads to the locker room with the Bulls trailing Illinois 16-7 at halftime at Soldier Field in Week 3. According to the box score, Boyles played but didn't have any stats as the Bulls rallied in the 4th quarter to win 25-19. Boyles finished with 20 tackles in his freshman season before moving into the starting lineup and leading the Bulls in tackles in 2019. After finishing 2nd on the team in his senior season, Allen was picked in the 7th round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Rams. During his rookie season he also spend time with the Giants and Raiders before finishing the season with the Jaguars.

.

103. Cincinnati sophomore DE Michael Pitts combines with LB Bryan Wright to sack South Florida QB Chris Oladokun for a 4-yard loss (photo above) on 2nd and 11 during the 3rd quarter in Week 11. But Oladokun got up and completed a pass for 24 yards on the next play, and the drive ended with a TD, cutting UC's lead to 28-23. You get an even better look at Pitts' dreads in the photo on the right, most likely taken after his solo sack on the final play of the 3rd quarter. Pitts finished the game with 3 tackles (2-1) and 2 PBU and also blocked the extra point after South Florida's first touchdown of the night. There'll be more from this game a little later. For the season Pitts started all 13 games for the Bearcats, finishing with 34 tackles, 7.5 TFL, and 4 sacks. The Bearcats went 11-2.

.

104. Who was the quarterback with the longest dreads in 2018? Well, I'm sure I didn't see all the QBs with dreads; but of those I did see sophomore Jett Duffey of Texas Tech (left photo) and junior Bryce Perkins of Virginia (right photo) were the top two. And in addition to having great dreads, they were productive players too. Duffey played in 8 games, including 3 starts, and passed for 1,221 yards and 8 TD on 154 attempts. He also scored 4 rushing TD and led the team with 369 yards rushing. Jett upped his passing totals to 2,840 yards and 18 TD in 2019 but won't be back with the Red Raiders for next season. He's still looking for a new home after announcing he was transferring, but off-field trouble might keep him out of action for 2020.
Perkins was not just a productive player .....

.

105. ..... He was a star player, doing well enough to earn honorable mention All-ACC honors in his first season in a Virginia uniform after transferring from junior college. Although no slouch as a passer, what really made him especially dangerous was his running ability - which isn't all that surprising since his older brother, Paul, is a running back in the NFL. And in Week 4 against Louisville his running ability included some highlight-reel hurdling ability as well. After Perkins made a touchdown-saving tackle at the 3-yard line on an INT return on Virginia's 2nd half opening drive (the INT was a head-high pass that the receiver should have caught instead of having it deflect off his hands), Louisville settled for a FG to cut UVA's lead to 6-3. Then on the 4th play of the Cavaliers' next drive Perkins, after dropping back and eluding the blitz, runs through a big opening down the middle of the field untouched until encountering S Dee Smith 25 yards past the line of scrimmage. As Smith tries to stop him, Perkins, running at full speed, goes right over him, lands on feet and keeps going for 10 more yards until finally being tackled by DE Tabarius Peterson at the 15-yard line for a gain of 36. 3 plays later a TD pass by Perkins upped the lead to 13-3. This was one of two plays in the game that Bryce hurdled a defender .....

.

106. ..... Here's the other. On 1st and goal from the 8-yard line midway through the 4th quarter Perkins starts up the middle on a QB draw; and at the 2-yard line he tries to hurdle S TreSean Smith. Bryce doesn't quite get high enough this time, and Smith hits him in the leg; but he has enough forward momentum going to fall into the end zone for a TD and a 27-3 lead. Virginia dominated Louisville in total yards 401-214, winning their ACC opener 27-3 to improve to 3-1. Here's the link to the video of Perkins' two leaping runs and the second of his 2 TD passes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IvYW0mO0a8
For the season Perkins set the school record for total offense (that's yards rushing and passing combined) with 3,603 yards, going 225 for 349 for 2,680 yards passing with 25 TD and 9 INT; and, despite being sacked 31 times, he still finished with 923 yards and 9 TD rushing on 4.4 yards per carry. The Cavaliers went 8-5 and improved on that in 2019.
There'll be several more photos of Bryce near the end of Part 2 of this DG.

.

107. No disrespect to Bryce Perkins (or Todd Gurley either), but the king of the hurdles on a football field in 2018 had to be Alabama sophomore RB Najee Harris. Harris is big and strong enough to run over defenders, but on several occasions he got his 230 pounds up off the ground and jumped over them.This one is from the 3rd quarter of the Crimson Tide's game at Tennessee in Week 8, as he leapfrogs S Nigel Warrior 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, lands on his feet and ends up picking up 14 yards on the play. This was the 3rd of 6 consecutive plays that Harris carried the ball, as he accounted for 37 of the 70 yards on the TD drive that upped the Tide's lead to 58-21. The video (link below) contains all of Harris' plays in the game. The first of his 6 carries in a row is at the 2:37 mark, and this play begins at 3:06.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PXe2gvlQVE
If you watched that whole video, you might have noticed that Harris had his dreads unleashed in the 1st half; but obviously that was unacceptable, because in the 2nd half he had a rubberband around them. Even after all these years Coach Saban is still in control of your dreads if you play for Alabama.
Najee rushed for 783 yards in 2018 before having a breakout junior season in 2019, finishing with 1,224 yards rushing and 304 yards receiving to earn 2nd team All-SEC honors. And he scored 20 TD in 2019, tying him for 10th most in the FBS. The only player with dreads with more was Clemson RB Travis Etienne, who had 23. Somewhat surprisingly both Harris and Etienne decided to return for their senior college seasons instead of entering the 2020 NFL Draft. No doubt it wouldn't be surprising at all if they were on opposing sidelines for next season's championship game.

.

And now, as was advertised in photo #103, we go back to Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati for the Week 11 game between Cincinnati and South Florida.

108. No doubt South Florida WR Ryeshene Bronson did not have as productive a career as he wanted. During the time that his dreads grew from barely visible outside the helmet in 2014 to easily visible for his 2018 senior season he made a total of only 55 catches for 812 yards - not even a good season for many receivers. But the last of his 4 career TD catches is one he'll never forget - and one he'll never let his kids and grandkids forget either. On the Bulls' 2nd offensive snap of the night in their coldest game in program history (gametime temperature was 28 degrees) Bronson runs a deep route on 2nd and 9, and CB Tyrell Gilbert is all over him. But Gilbert turns back too late to find the pass, which is on target from QB Chris Oladokun, and Bronson is able to make the catch 35 yards downfield, gaining control with his left hand as the ball deflects off of Gilbert's back .....

.

109. ..... Unaware that Bronson has the ball, Gilbert doesn't start pursuing him until it's too late. Ryeshene sticks his tongue out at him as he crosses the 15-yard line and cruises into the end zone for a 72-yard TD and and a quick 6-0 lead. You can see a slow-motion video of the play from field level on the first link below and also at the end of the video of Bronson's career highlights (second link).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Laxe30s49Ro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9wIwwdGMWY
Bronson finished the night with 3 catches for a season high 89 yards, but the Bulls lost to the Bearcats 35-23. The 89 yards were the second most of his career. His career high came in his junior season in 2016, when he had 3 catches for 113 yards, including a 73-yard TD in a 48-17 win over Northern Illinois. That was the only time he made the dread stars list.

.

110. Maybe I wouldn't vote for Felton Davis as the WR with the best dreads ever; but he'd make my top 5, if for no other reason than that he always had his long dreads completely unleashed. But by his senior season Davis had become more than just a player with great dreads. He was Michigan State's best WR and an NFL prospect. Here on 2nd and goal late in the 3rd quarter in Week 6 he makes the grab on a fade against the coverage of Northwestern CB Cameron Ruiz for a 3-yard TD, giving the Spartans a 19-14 lead. On MSU's preceding possession Davis scored their only other TD, taking a reverse 48 yards to the house. For the game he led the team in receiving (7 catches for 96 yards) and rushing (50 yards on 2 carries), but the Spartans lost their homecoming game to Northwestern 29-19. Here are Felton's highlights from the game:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncn2hephOlc .....
One play that unfortunately was not included in the video was the play 2 plays prior to his 2nd TD. Davis would have had the TD on that play on 3rd and 8 had not the beaten Northwestern DB grabbed his dreads to prevent him from getting open in the end zone. An interference penalty was called, moving the ball from the 18-yard line to the 3. I've tried almost every Google search imaginable but have been unable to find either a video or photo of the play. So if you know where one is available, please let us know.

.

111. Let's wrap up Part 1 with a couple more shots of the awesome dreads of Felton Davis. In MSU's Big 10 opener vs. Indiana in Week 4 Davis made 3 catches in a span of 5 plays late in the 2nd quarter. This was the second of them. After reaching for a pass thrown behind him on 1st and 10, the ball and CB Andre Brown arrive at the same time; but Felton makes the catch (right photo) and hangs on as he goes down at the 30-yard line for a gain of 16. Three plays later the Spartans scored a TD to increase their lead to 21-7. Davis had 3 catches for 51 yards on the drive and 5 for 79 for the game as the Spartans improved to 2-1 and handed the Hoosiers their 1st loss of the season 35-21. Then late in the 4th quarter in Week 7 and with the Spartans one play away from having to settle for a game-tying FG attempt, Davis beats Penn State CB and NFL draft pick to be Amani Oruwariye on a fade stop route and, after making the catch at the 3-yard line, leans forward and into the end zone (left photo) for a 25-yard TD with 19 seconds to play. Felton, who had a career high 181 yards in the Spartans' 2017 win over Penn State, finished with 8 catches for 100 yards as MSU upset Penn State again, this time at Beaver Stadium, 21-17.
You can see the catch vs. Indiana at the 2:17 mark and the TD vs. Penn State at 7:16 of this video of Davis' 2018 highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwQdF6u712A
With 31 catches for 474 in the first 6 games, Davis was on track for a season that would earn him All-Big 10 honors; but that all came to a crashing halt when, sadly, he suffered a devastating Achilles tendon injury in the 2nd quarter of the Spartans' next game in Week 7 game vs. Michigan.
.

That's all for Part 1 of DG177. If you haven't had enough already, there'll be even more photos in Part 2.