Attempting to break into the big league, RB Anthony McFarland (Brahmas) attended a workout hosted by the Chicago Bears. Picture here, Anthony Mcfarland #41 runs against the St. Louis Battlehawks during the third quarter of the XFL Conference Championship Game at The Dome at America’s Center on June 09, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/UFL/Getty Images)
Tryouts
It’s rare for a player to receive their first tryout this late in the process, but that’s what happened on Monday with LB J.T. Tyler (Roughnecks), who tried out for the New York Jets. Tyler finished third in tackles for Houston this spring, adding a tackle for loss and two pass break-ups.
On the other end of the spectrum on Tuesday was yet another workout for RB Anthony McFarland (Brahmas), hosted by the Chicago Bears. It is the sixth known workout for McFarland, which leads UFL players.
Left-footed punters continue to have a busy calendar early in the NFL season. Thursday, P Brad Wing (Brahmas) worked out for the Indianapolis Colts and P Brock Miller (Panthers) for the Los Angeles Chargers. In week four, both teams would face left-footed punters, so calling in Wing and Miller helped their returners get a feel for the ball coming off a different foot. It seems like a lot of effort for something so mundane, but teams take this seriously. This was also Wing’s first tryout of the 2024 season, bringing the total number of reported UFL players to work out for NFL teams to an even 100.
Transactions
After working out for the Indianapolis Colts last week, DT Josiah Bronson (Showboats) signed to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. Another big fella signed that day as well, with DT Matthew Gotel (Brahmas) re-upping with the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks. Gotel spent much of last season on Seattle’s practice squad but was cut early in training camp (August 8) this year. CB Nehemiah Shelton (Showboats) was waived from the Chargers’ practice squad, also on Tuesday, spending just a few short weeks there.
LB Anthony Hines (Defenders) signed with the practice squad of the New York Jets on Friday. He spent a bit of time with them in training camp this summer. Hines was summoned after LB Brandon Smith, who just recently signed with the team, was placed on practice squad IR.
XFL
*DT Bruce Hector (Renegades) received his first practice squad elevation of the season for the New York Jets. With rookies Braiden McGregor and Leonard Taylor down, Hector was needed to fortify the D-Line against the Denver Broncos. He ended up leading the position groups in tackles with three (one solo, two assist) despite playing the fewest snaps (11, or 18%). He was injured in the third quarter, but returned to the game on the same drive.
*Miami Dolphins starting S Jordan Poyer was injured in the first half of Monday night’s game against the Tennessee Titans. While S Elijah Campbell (Defenders) did not replace him, Campbell did manage six snaps on defense during the game, in addition to playing 71% of the special teams snaps. He registered an assisted tackle on punt coverage.
*The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got good news this week as DT Vita Vea returned to action. That meant fewer snaps for DT C.J. Brewer (Roughnecks), who played on 25% of the defensive snaps compared to 35% last week. Brewer didn’t make the stat sheet.
*In the Baltimore Ravens rout of the Buffalo Bills, LS Nick Moore (Tampa Bay Vipers) played nine uneventful snaps on special teams.
*Because the Sunday night game got out of hand, Baltimore pulled starting QB Lamar Jackson for the final drive of the game, inserting QB Josh Johnson (Wildcats) for his first action of the 2024 regular season. He completed one pass for one yard, to RB Derrick Henry.
*It was a quiet day for Chicago Bears LS Scott Daly (New York Guardians), filling in for regular LS Patrick Scales for the fourth game in a row. Scales is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be ready.
*Credited with a 74-yard punt when returner Jalen Nailor muffed a 59-yarder, recovered by the Green Bay Packers at the three-yard line, P Daniel Whelan (Defenders) had a fantastic statistical day beyond that one. In total, he punted three times for a 60.0 gross average and 56.7 net, landing two inside the 20 (including the turnover). More concerning for the Packers: The kicker for whom Whelan holds, as rookie Brayden Narveson missed two field goals.
*Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert was able to get healthy enough during the week to start on Sunday after QB Taylor Heinicke (Battlehawks) had to relieve him last week. Herbert played the entire game, leaving Heinicke on the bench.
*A smooth game was had by LS Christian Kuntz (Renegades) of the Pittsburgh Steelers. No stats registered and no issues detected.
*Starting at right tackle in place of the injured Kaleb McGary, OT Storm Norton (Wildcats) played all 56 snaps of the game. Atlanta ran for 5.8 yards per carry and QB Kirk Cousins was sacked only once on the way to a 26-24 victory for the Falcons over division rival New Orleans.
USFL
*Though he ended up missing his first field goal of 50+ yards in his career (he was 16-of-16 before that), K Brandon Aubrey (Stallions) still wowed Thursday Night Football viewers by hitting from 60 yards out, his second field goal from at least that distance this season. He also made one from 40 yards in Dallas’s 20-15 win over the New York Giants.
*It was a quiet night for WR Kavontae Turpin (Generals), as all six of Greg Joseph’s kickoffs went for touchbacks, not allowing for a Turpin return. He also fair caught the only punt of the night against the Giants. Turpin only played 12% of the snaps on offense, and didn’t see a target come his way in the pass game.
*Playing in his first NFL regular season game, RB Aaron Shampklin (Gamblers) was elevated from the practice squad by the Pittsburgh Steelers for Sunday. Shampklin was summoned due to an injury to Jaylen Warren. In his first game, he also notched his first carry, running for five yards late in the second quarter. He out-snapped Cordarelle Patterson at the position, 13 to nine, while adding six special teams snaps.
*Another rotational spring football defensive lineman, DE Jeremiah Pharms, Jr. (Maulers), made an impact with two tackles in a reserve role for the New England Patriots. He had one solo and one assist, both on runs by San Francisco 49er RB Jordan Mason. He played 44% of the defensive snaps and 50% on special teams.
*The Carolina Panthers started DE LaBryan Ray (Stars) for the second game in a row. Ray had four tackles, three solo and one assist. All four stops were made in the run game, limiting the back to 10 total yards on those plays. Ray was a workhorse, seeing action on 75% of the defensive snaps, second among linemen.
*Making his first tackle of the season, Denver Broncos LS Mitchell Fraboni (Maulers) stopped punt returner Xavier Gipson of the New York Jets after a 10-yard gain. Fraboni was on the field frequently against the Jets, snapping on eight punts, two field goal attempts, and an extra point.
*Special teams ace S Micah Abernathy (Gamblers) led the Atlanta Falcons in tackles in that phase of the game with two, both assisted, on kickoff returns. As usual, all of Abernathy’s action came on special teams, where he played 79% of the total ST snaps.
*In the Houston Texans’ come from behind win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, DT Khalil Davis (Stallions) made one assisted tackle on 22% of the defensive snaps, plus 17% on special teams.
UFL
*Though he didn’t attempt any field goals, K Jake Bates (Panthers) was six-for-six in point-after tries in the Detroit Lions’ 42-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. It’s the consistency the team has sought from him since training camp. Bates was the last line of defense in making a tackle on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter that ultimately came back due to a holding penalty on Seattle.
*As the Minnesota Vikings continue to perform as one of the surprise teams of 2024, DT Jalen Redmond (Renegades) was active, though he didn’t make any tackles. He played only seven defensive snaps (9%), the fewest of anyone who saw the field on that side of the ball for Minnesota.
*The Broncos found themselves in a 10-9 slugfest against the Jets, and LB Dondrea Tillman (Stallions) provided some of that defensive firepower on the side of Denver. Though he couldn’t replicate his two-sack performance of a week ago, Tillman managed to make both a tackle on defense and a tackle on special teams. Despite his stellar week three performance, his snap share decreased from 35% last week to 22% this week (adding 46% of the special teams snaps).
