This NFL puzzle ran on Aug 7, 2026. The task was to connect Josh Reynolds to Joe Royer with a chain of real players. The objective: “Your chain must include a Georgia Tech alum.” Par was 3 links.
Josh Reynolds (WR) played in the NFL from 2017 to 2025. Career stops: the Los Angeles Rams (2017 to 2020), the Detroit Lions (2021 to 2023), the Tennessee Titans (2021), the Denver Broncos (2024), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2024), and the New York Jets (2025). College: Texas A&M and Tyler JC. As the Start of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Joe Royer (TE) played in the NFL during the period The Chains covers. College: Cincinnati and Ohio State. As the Finish of the chain, a household name like this gives you a lot of teammates to branch from, which makes it a friendly place to begin.
Josh Reynolds and Joe Royer do not share a team or a college, so there is no direct link. You need at least one connector in between, and the objective decides which ones are allowed to count.
This was a college objective. The chain has to pass through a player from the named school at some point, not necessarily as a link to the Start or Finish. Of the 17,973 players in the pool, 147 satisfy it. The best known are Calvin Johnson (WR, 2007 to 2015), Demaryius Thomas (WR, 2010 to 2019), Keith Brooking (LB, 1998 to 2012), Jahmyr Gibbs (RB, 2023 to 2026), Pat Swilling (LB, 1990 to 1998), and Daryl Smith (OLB, 2004 to 2016).
44 of those players share a team or college with Josh Reynolds, and 0 share one with Joe Royer. With one side that thin, the route has to be built outward from the other end.
One shortest chain found by searching the full player pool, preferring the best known names at every step:
Many other chains work. Scoring rewards lower-profile connectors, so the best-known route is rarely the highest scoring one.
Want more? Browse the full NFL puzzle archive, read the strategy guides, or see how scoring works on How to Play.