Texas Longhorns quarterback Matthew Caldwell is hoping to continue his journeyman career at the professional level after the 2026 NFL Draft. While experienced and trustworthy, Caldwell will have to make a roster as an undrafted free agent.
With stints at four different schools, Caldwell epitomizes what it means
to be a journeyman. He’s played in different schemes, for different coaches, in very different roles. At the Texas Pro Day, Caldwell was throwing routes to Michael Taaffe as a result of no wide receivers being available. And while his stats don’t jump off the page and he only threw 11 passes last season, Caldwell is hoping the skills he fine tuned in Austin will give him a chance to prove that deserves an NFL roster spot.
“I’ve been developed more over the last eight months to a year than I have in four years of playing college football,” Caldwell said. “I wouldn’t have this preparation if it wasn’t for making the decision to come to Texas.”
Caldwell will banking on the idea that the impact he made during those 11 throws will persuade NFL front offices to give him a chance. In overtime against Mississippi State, Caldwell entered the game for Arch Manning and threw a 10-yard game-winning touchdown.
This moment is the type of plug-and-play ability that Caldwell will be using to sell himself. He’s also got the benefit of learning to mesh with players and coaches numerous times.
After being unranked as a high school recruit, the 6’4, 212-pound quarterback signed with Jacksonville State, where he played in three games as a true freshman, completing 14-of-30 passes for 136 yards and rushing five times for 27 yards and a touchdown.
After the 2021 season, Caldwell transferred for the first time, selecting Gardner-Webb as his destination of choice. As the backup quarterback, Caldwell played in six games while completing 33-of-55 passes for 374 yards and a touchdown and rushing for two touchdowns. The following season, Caldwell played in four games, completing 81-of-128 passes for 709 yards and five touchdowns while rushing 20 times for 83 yards and a touchdown.
After two years as a Runnin’ Bulldog, Caldwell transferred to Troy, where he posted the best season of his college career. In six starts, Caldwell completed 141-of-223 passes for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns with eight interceptions and five rushing touchdowns, the most by a Trojans quarterback since 2017.
Caldwell threw multiple passing touchdowns in four straight games, including four against Louisiana, and earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Georgia Southern, a game in which he completed 26-of-32 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for two more scores.
With Caldwell at the helm, Troy averaged 35.8 point per game, including ranking 19th nationally in yards per game during the month of November at a whooping 449.8.
After his success at Troy, Caldwell opted to join Sarkisian and Co. in Austin to provide depth and experience to starter Arch Manning. So while he didn’t get to showcase his skills during many games, he’s confident that NFL coaches will recognize his abilities during those snaps and at the Texas pro day.
“That’s what I needed today is a pro day to show that I can play even though I hadn’t played many snaps,” Caldwell said. “I can play. I’ve been practicing for a long time. The first thing in the NFL is rookie minicamp, and that’s practice. I’m pretty good at that. I’ll make the most of whatever opportunity is given to me.”
As a prospect, Caldwell has good size — he’s 6’4 and listed above 210 pounds. He also possesses sneaky athleticism, posting a 4.62 40 and a 34-inch vertical.
Combined with his innate knowledge of the game and ability to learn new schemes, there’s a chance Caldwell can carve a role in the NFL. It may be improbable, but that hasn’t stopped him yet.
