Three from Belleville made their NFL debuts. How did they do?

Three metro-east players got their first taste of the National Football League during the last few days.

Belleville East graduate Chase Allen had six tackles, including four solos, in the Miami Dolphins’ 23-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday in the preseason opener for both teams.

Allen, who played at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and signed with Miami as an undrafted free agent, could have seen his chances of making the team increase after the season-ending ACL injury suffered by Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan.

One of Allen’s tackles was against Falcons rookie running back Brian Hill, a Belleville West graduate who starred at the University of Wyoming.

Hill, a fifth-round draft choice, had nine carries for 10 yards.

Another player with metro-east links, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, formerly of Belleville East, had three tackles — all solos — in the Tennessee Titans’ 7-3 loss to the New York Jets on Saturday.

Jackson, a first-round draft choice out of Southern Cal who skipped his senior year to enter the NFL, also had two punt returns for 6 yards. He is battling second-year cornerback LeShaun Sims for the starting spot opposite Logan Ryan.

Jackson grew up in Belleville and played his freshman season at East before moving on to California to live with his sister.

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Three from Belleville made their NFL debuts. How did they do?."