NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Pro Football Hall of Fame has documented 261 sets of brothers in the NFL, the AFL and the All-America Football Conference. Finding a pair like Kevin and Andre Dyson of the Tennessee Titans is much more rare.
They are only the fourth set of brothers to be drafted and play for the same team at the same time. It doesn't surprise Kevin, the oldest of the Dyson brothers.
"There's 31 teams. Everybody's got different body types and plays different positions. Me and my brother play different positions," Kevin, the receiver, said about Andre, the cornerback.
When Tennessee drafted Kevin out of Utah in 1998 with its top pick, the team desperately needed a receiver. It so happened the Titans wanted a cornerback last April, and they grabbed Andre at No. 60.
"He wasn't supposed to last as long as he did," Kevin said.
Their debut together was held up when Andre broke the big toe on his right foot in training camp. But the cornerback likely will play his first NFL game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, working on special teams and in passing situations.
Preparing for that moment has kept Andre far too busy to think about the rare pairing.
"I'm just happy to get an opportunity to play with my brother. I'm just happy to be in the NFL. We're just blessed that we both got to play," Andre said.
The Titans have half of the most productive brother duo in NFL history in offensive lineman Bruce Matthews. He has played 282 games, while his linebacker brother Clay played 278 for Cleveland and Atlanta.
The best-known brothers in the NFL right now probably are identical twins Tiki and Ronde Barber. Tiki is a running back with the New York Giants, while Ronde is a cornerback for Tampa Bay.
The last brothers to play together were Dewey and Lee Roy Selmon with Tampa Bay between 1976 and 1982. Cincinnati had the other brothers with Archie and Ray Griffin between 1978 and 1982 and Jim and Ross Browner in 1979 and 1980.
Kevin, four years older at age 26, was the man of the house while they grew up in Utah, and they had the chance to be teammates once before at the University of Utah.
He loved seeing the Titans draft his younger brother, touting his speed and instincts. He gave Andre a place to stay over the summer and answered his questions. But football rarely comes up away from work.
"This is what helps us get to where we want to be," Kevin said. "We struggled coming up. Football's just a little part of what we do."
Kevin is under contract through the 2002 season, and he wants to prove himself worthy of being drafted ahead of Randy Moss in 1998.
"It's more or less us getting on the field and try to help this team win. That's the key right now," he said.