NFL Players Who Should Consider Taking Advantage of New CFB Eligibility Rules

Several NFL players are set to make history as the first group to go through an NFL offseason and return to college.

According to ESPN's Dan Murphy and Pete Thamel , a Louisiana state court granted several former Ole Miss players a temporary restraining order that allows them to return to college football for another season.

Tight end Dae'Quan Wright, defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and safety Wydett Williams Jr. are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NCAA. Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns before Cleveland waived him on Aug. 24; the New Orleans Saints waived Harris on Aug. 8. Williams remains on the Arizona Cardinals' roster. All three played at Ole Miss last season.

The temporary restraining order permits the trio to play while the eligibility dispute proceeds.

As NCAA conferences move to bar players who have signed professional contracts from returning to college football, former NFL executive Andrew Brandt said he had heard of a few players asking their NFL teams to cut them sooner than expected so they could pursue a return to college.

"Now hearing of a few players going to their NFL teams and asking to be cut now (instead of likely being cut in two weeks) to go play in college again," he said. "What a time this is."

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter , the NFL has clarified that a player who signs an NFL contract and is later cut becomes a free agent after clearing waivers. The player may sign with another NFL team, join the CFL or return to college, but cannot re-enter a future NFL draft.

With all that in mind, here are six players who should take advantage of the fifth-year collegiate eligibility ruling. All of these players are long shots to make NFL rosters.

The Denver Broncos added Dallen Bentley to a crowded tight end room. This offseason, they re-signed Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins. In April, Denver drafted Justin Joly and Bentley in the fifth and seventh rounds, respectively. Evan Engram leads the group.

Despite a breakout 2025 collegiate year, hauling in 48 passes for 620 yards and six touchdowns, Bentley still has room for growth as a pass-catcher.

Bleacher Report scout Daniel Harms noted Bentley needed to improve in the nuances of playing the position in a receiving role.

" Bentley struggles to defeat man coverage and lacks the short-area quickness, consistent physicality, and route nuance to shake defenders. Has the size and frame to dig out defenders as a blocker, but needs to refine his hand placement, pad level, and power to do so ."

Bentley should consider returning to the collegiate level to further refine his skill set and build on his productive 2025 campaign at Utah.

The Green Bay Packers entered the offseason with a glaring need at cornerback. They released Nate Hobbs, signed Benjamin St-Juste and drafted Brandon Cisse and Domani Jackson.

As a second-round pick, Cisse will have opportunities to play in his rookie year. Jackson may not make the 53-man roster in part because he's missed extensive time.

The Athletic's Matt Schneidman explained why he didn't include Jackson in the Packers' cornerback room in his most recent 53-man depth chart projection.

" Jackson, the former Alabama and USC corner, has the advantage of being a recent draft pick, but the rookie sixth-rounder has been behind the eight ball after offseason core muscle surgery and just made his preseason debut. The Packers also have four outside corners above him on the depth chart ."

Jackson played at powerhouse collegiate programs, but he posted pedestrian coverage numbers. With another year in college, the 6'0", 194-pound defensive back could develop into more of a playmaker.

On a roster in desperate need of running back help, Jam Miller may have been able to work his way into a backfield rotation. He's earned praise from head coach Mike Vrabel for his preseason debut performance.

" It was good to see Jam come out and have some nice runs. I felt like he ran with his pads down and had a couple physical runs, and was happy for him. This is a great evaluation. We can start to figure out guys that can and start to figure out guys that can't, too ."

Miller finished that game with 14 carries for 55 yards. He followed up with 11 rush attempts for 36 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

However, New England may favor special teams veteran Hassan Haskins for the No. 3 running back spot behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Keep in mind that he played under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

With experience running against NFL defenders, Miller could have a true breakout collegiate season. He led Alabama's ground attack in 2025 but logged 130 carries for 504 yards and three touchdowns. Rather than remain on the practice squad, the 5'10", 209-pound ball-carrier could raise his stock with another strong year on his college resume.

Players Who'll Make or Break Fantasy Teams

The Kansas City Chiefs revamped their running back room, signing Kenneth Walker and Emari Demercado and selecting Emmett Johnson in the fifth round of the draft. They also signed Jaydn Ott, who went undrafted.

Given the veteran talent on the Chiefs' running back depth chart, Johnson's productive preseason and Brashard Smith in his second season with the team, Ott has an uphill climb to make the roster.

Ott has had a modest showing in the preseason, recording two receptions for 40 yards without a carry. The 23-year-old should consider another year in the collegiate ranks, where he can rack up far better numbers than in his 2025 campaign as a backup at Oklahoma.

After a promising 2023 collegiate term at California, when he logged 246 rush attempts for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns, Ott recorded 137 carries for 443 yards and four scores over the previous two years with the Golden Bears and Sooners.

If Ott earns a lead role in a return to college, he could have a better chance at an NFL roster spot following a standout year.

Three teams have signed Kobe Prentice over the course of the offseason, but he's unlikely to make it through roster cuts because of constant movement across the league at a crucial time for rookies.

The Carolina Panthers signed Prentice after he went undrafted. In July, they waived him two days after the start of their training camp program. The New England Patriots claimed the 22-year-old off waivers, and he had a chance to make an impression.

In two preseason games, Prentice hauled in four of his seven targets for 47 yards, but the Patriots waived him after their second exhibition contest.

The New York Giants claimed Prentice, but he's a long shot to secure a roster spot, even though the team lost wideout Calvin Austin III for the 2026 season because of a serious knee injury.

Barring an all-time performance in Big Blue's preseason finale, Prentice won't be able to make up ground on the other wideouts who have been with the team over the summer. In Austin's absence, Darnell Mooney and rookie third-rounder Malachi Fields will likely have key roles alongside Malik Nabers (when healthy) and Darius Slayton. On the roster bubble, Odell Beckham Jr. could hang around.

Prentice played through three collegiate campaigns at Alabama before transferring to Baylor. With his modest receiving numbers in college, another year could help boost his free-agent market value on a fourth try with another NFL team in 2027.

The Buffalo Bills selected Toriano Pride Jr. with their first of three seventh-round picks. At 5'10", 185 pounds, he projects as a slot defender on the pro level, though the rookie has seen time on the boundary in the preseason.

Pride plays with enough physicality to be a nickelback on the pro level, but the Bills replaced Taron Johnson with Dee Alford.

Assuming defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson is ready for the season after dealing with a calf strain, he can also line up in the slot. A fifth-rounder from last year's draft, Jordan Hancock could play the role as well. He suited up for 13 games last season.

Typically, backup nickelbacks don't see much time on the field. So, Pride would need to convince the Bills that he could thrive on the boundary. ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg left him off her latest Bills 53-man depth chart projection.

If the Bills cut Pride, he could return to college to boost his resume as a versatile playmaker.

College football statistics are provided by cbstats.com .