Which Former NFL Player Is Competing on ‘Survivor 44’?

CBS reality TV series Survivor is advertised as a strenuous physical competition—which can also describe several professional sports. With that in mind, it’s not shocking that several professional athletes have dabbled in outmaneuvering and outmaneuvering over the years.

The last to throw his hat (or is that helmet) in the ring is Brandon Cottom. The 30-year-old from Newtown, Pennsylvania is part of the Ratu tribe Survivor 44. However, it will look familiar to sports fans for another reason.

Years before they installed it Survivor, Brandon had an interesting career in the National Football League. However, his experience as a defender is no guarantee of success on the island. Although he probably won’t have to take on his fellow castaways, he has new challenges to test his strength and skill.

Continue reading to learn more about his NFL career and how he fits into the long list of NFL veterans and other professional athletes who have competed in Survivor since it started over 20 years ago.

Brandon immediately went down and got dirty with the rest Survivor 44 stars in the March 1 premiere, “Can’t Wait to See Jeff.” His physical strength came in handy even when the Ratu tribe came up short in the first challenge of the season.

Hopefully, his Survivor tenure won’t be as tumultuous as his NFL career. After graduating from Purdue University, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2015—but was waived by the team by August 2015.

He was picked up by Seattle and waived two more times in September 2015 and August 2016, before finally being released from the team in 2017.

After leaving the NFL, Brandon briefly signed with the Salt Lake Stallions of the minor league American Football Association (AAF) and was a member of the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football League before the AFL folded due to bankruptcy in 2019.

Brandon joins a long list of athletes who have competed Survivor to test their mettle, including several NFL veterans. The first NFL player to join the show was Survivors 7‘s Gary Hogeboom, who came in seventh after playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals.

Hall of Fame professional trainer Jimmy Johnson made an appearance Survivor 21but the current Fox Sports analyst quickly exited at No. 18.

Another Cowboys alum, Steve Wright, finished 10th Survivor: Redemption Island at the age of 51. He was joined that season by Grant Mattos, who played for three NFL teams before going eighth.

Retired NFL player Brad Culpepper appeared in two seasons (Survivor 27 and Survivor 34). His casting was notable because his wife Monica had already appeared Survivor 24.

Both Brad and Monica acquitted themselves well; she was the runner-up Survivor 27 and finished second Survivor 34.

Alan Ball and Danny McCray also competed Survivor after their NFL careers, with former Cowboys and Chicago Bears alum Danny reaching the Top 6 in Survivor 41. The lesson seems to be that if you played for the Dallas Cowboys, then you have a good chance of ending up at Survivor after!

Although Brandon has never been a Cowboy, he still has a chance to impress his fellow ships and become the first NFL player to win Survivor.

Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8pm on CBS.