St. Louis fans lived up to the hype, coming out in full force for all five Battlehawks home games and creating perhaps the best atmosphere in the league inside the Dome at America’s Center. St. Louis easily paced the XFL in attendance, drawing over 33,000 every game. At 7-3, the team did well on the field, led by veteran NFL quarterback AJ McCarron. He finished first in my final MVP race column (though it appears the XFL will not be giving out that particular award this season). McCarron and the Battlehawks set a number of offensive league records in their final game, a 53-28 win over the Orlando Guardians.
What went wrong
Despite the 7-3 record, St. Louis was left out of the playoffs. A week nine loss to Seattle, at home, crushed their chances. It was a win-and-in situation and the Battlehawks came up empty. They were also done in by two losses to the DC Defenders. If they had just split the season series, they would’ve made the postseason. It was a McCarron injury suffered in week seven that may have severely hampered St. Louis’s playoff chances: When McCarron returned in week nine after a one-game absence, he didn’t look himself when they needed him the most.
Offensive MVP
Though St. Louis prided itself on having a balanced attack on offense, QB AJ McCarron was clearly the straw that stirred the drink. HIs veteran savvy was on display often, whether it was going through his progressions or finding just the right time to take off from the pocket. Competent QB play was at a premium in the XFL in 2023 and McCarron avoided the significant number of turnovers that plagued his fellow competitors at the position. After turning down opportunities to be a backup in the NFL in 2022, McCarron has to decide if he wants to return as a starter to the XFL in 2024, or take an offer to get back into the NFL that will likely come his way this summer.
Defensive MVP
It was a group effort on defense where no one player stood out head-and-shoulders above the others. LB Travis Feeney played on the edge for most of the season and led the Battlehawks in sacks, tackles for loss, and had the highest overall defensive grade on the team from Pro Football Focus. The 2016 sixth-round NFL draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers provided pass rush juice for a team that finished seventh in the league in sacks on the season. He also paced the team in forced fumbles (three) and tied for first in fumble recoveries (two).
Special Teams MVP
This goes to the XFL Special Teams Player of the Year, as voted on by league head coaches and directors of player personnel: KR Darrius Shepherd. Shepherd was the league leader in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, averaged over 24 yards per return. The XFL’s emphasis on bringing kick returns back into the game necessitates having a quality kick returner, and the Battlehawks were able to find one in Shepherd, who’s been doing this at a high level for a long time: As a senior in 2018 at North Dakota State, he made the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team as a return specialist.
Most likely to succeed (in getting NFL opportunities)
It wouldn’t be surprising to see close to a dozen Battlehawks in NFL camps this summer. Many have already received tryout invitations to NFL minicamps. As I wrote above, McCarron will have some decisions to make about what his future in football holds. Shepherd could follow a similar path to the USFL’s KaVontae Turpin, who now makes his bones as a returner for the Dallas Cowboys. St. Louis has a few linebackers that might be of interest to teams, like Carson Wells and Mike Rose. Same with their defensive backs. Even a few of their offensive linemen could get long looks from NFL teams, and I can’t say that about every XFL team.
QB concern level for 2024 (1-5)
McCarron beat out Ryan Willis for the starting quarterback job in training camp, leading to Willis’s release and relocation to the USFL. Unheralded Nick Tiano became the backup and won St. Louis a key week eight game against Vegas with McCarron sidelined due to injury. If McCarron moves on to the NFL or to another phase of his life after football, Tiano, with a year in offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski’s system, showed he could handle starting duties. Assuming McCarron returns – it obviously meant a lot to him and his family to get to actually play in the XFL – St. Louis should be comfortable with its quarterback room one thru three, including third stringer Manny Wilkins. Therefore, under the assumption McCarron returns, this is a 1.
Head coach hot seat rating (1-5)
The gregarious Anthony Becht embraced the city of St. Louis from the time it was revealed he would be leading the Battlehawks. He wisely, and frequently, encouraged fans to show up and show out to the Dome for home games, knowing how eager fans were in 2020 for a football team of their own again. Becht was also the most prolific social media user of the eight head coaches in the XFL, utilizing that platform to speak directly to fans and to get the Battlehawk brand out there. On the field, he turned in the best results of any of the four first-time head coaches hired by the league. From afar, Becht seems like the perfect fit for the St. Louis team. This is also a 1.
Offseason needs for 2024
The wide receiver room runs deep for St. Louis, so even if they lose a man or two to the NFL, they should be good at that position. While Brian Hill and Mataeo Durant provided capable running back play, neither was really a breakaway threat (the Battlehawks were second-to-last in 10+ yard runs, and had just one rush of over 20 yards on the season). A speedster at that spot would give the offense another dimension. Despite starting all 10 games, RT Juwann Bushell-Beatty was exposed by speed rushers, with one player late in the year even telling the sideline reporter on TV that they felt they could take advantage of that spot on the line. St. Louis could look to upgrade there.
Defensively, the Battlehawks finished last in run defense, in part due to the 200+ yard game that Abram Smith hung on them in the team’s rematch against the Defenders. Getting tougher and more physical up the middle of the defense could be a priority. K Donny Hageman won the Battlehawks a few games and hit the longest field goal of the season in the XFL at 59 yards; however, he was just 67% on field goals and with as many close games as the league saw in 2023, St. Louis would be wise to at least bring in competition for Hageman in camp in 2024.
