This is part two of what will be an eight-part look at each XFL’s team’s 2023 season. The plan is to post two parts per week over the next month.
Part one featured the Orlando Guardians, and can be found here.
What went right
If games ended at halftime, Vegas would’ve made the playoffs: They were tied or leading at the half in seven of their 10 games. The Vipers closed the season with 18 takeaways on defense, almost two per game. Despite their 2-8 record on the season, Vegas finished at or near the middle of the pack in most offensive and defensive statistical categories. If it weren’t for some mental mistakes, poorly-timed turnovers, and just plain bad luck (they seemed to play in more rough weather conditions than any other team), their record could’ve looked very different. Like Orlando, Vegas played hard until the end, competing in very close matchups with playoff-level teams in weeks eight and nine.
What went wrong
In building their roster, the Vipers gambled on big-name NFL veterans and lost. Wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Geronimo Allison, who combined to play 93 regular season games in the NFL, together had just 36 receptions and one touchdown. Former Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick Vic Beasley, a prolific pass rusher, managed just a half sack. And quarterback Brett Hundley, brought in a little more than two weeks before the season began, never found his groove and ended up backing up Jalan McClendon by the end of the year. Many of these players likely won’t return in 2023 either by their choice or otherwise.
Offensive coordinator Duane Taylor was canned after week three, an early exit for a first-year staff. Receivers coach and longtime NFL assistant Ray Sherman replaced him, but the offense averaged only one point more per game with Sherman calling plays than it did with Taylor. Vegas was outscored in the second half of games 160-90, scoring more points than their opponents in that stanza just once. Though no fault of their own, their home stadium, Cashman Field, proved to be a visual disaster.
Offensive MVP
The most effective weapon in Vegas’s offense in 2023 was WR Jeff Badet. The speedster led the team in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, ranking near the top of the XFL in those categories as well. He has become the quintessential AAAA player: Really good in an alternative league like the XFL, but just not quite good enough to stick on an NFL roster. If that trend continues in 2023, the Vipers would be happy to have him back in 2024.
Defensive MVP
It’s hard to disagree with the XFL’s coaches and directors of player personnel, who crowned LB Pita Taumoepenu the XFL Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday. He was a pass rush force for the Vipers, with 7.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He earned a shout-out from former NFL scout and current Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy on Twitter, who wrote that Taumoepenu showed “legit NFL rush talent” and that his agent “should expect calls from pro scouts with stuff like this on tape.”
Special Teams MVP
Because Vegas’s offense struggled for much of the season, getting advantageous field position was key. KR Cinque Sweetingprovided just that, averaging over 24 yards per kick return. He took over the job after DeAndre Torrey was placed on injured reserve at the end of March.
Most Likely to Succeed (in getting NFL opportunities)
Taumoepenu has to be at the top of the list – he was head-and-shoulders the best player on the team this year. RB John Lovett showed some explosion in the pass game that could intrigue some teams. QB Brett Hundley has been through the NFL wringer and while he didn’t take the XFL by storm, his previous NFL experience could offer him another look. S Deontay Anderson was a ten-game starter and has the size to be a LB/S hybrid at the next level, a position that is becoming more en vogue for teams.
QB concern level for 2024 (1-5)
Vegas started three quarterbacks in Luis Perez, Brett Hundley, and Jalan McClendon. Perez began the season as starter, presumably keeping the seat warm for Hundley, who was still trying to pick up the offense as a late camp arrival. Hundley started a couple games mid-season but got banged up. Eventually Perez was traded to Arlington, and Head Coach Rod Woodson decided to go with McClendon as the starter beginning in week seven. I have a hard time believing Hundley will return in a backup spot; perhaps he and McClendon can duke it out in training camp. If not, Vegas should look to add a QB to compete with McClendon, because he didn’t show enough to warrant a free pass next year. In the final game against Seattle, his accuracy still left a lot to be desired, even if he displayed the ability to make plays with his legs. The Vipers have offensive weapons; they just need to find a quarterback to take advantage of them. Right now, this is a 3.5.
Head coach hot seat rating (1-5)
Woodson hit the panic button in firing Taylor three games into the season. To give him the benefit of the doubt, there may have been other issues behind-the-scenes we’re not privy to; with no reporters on the beat, it’s hard to know what’s happening day-in and day-out with a team. He’ll have to decide whether to keep Sherman as OC for next year or move in a different direction, as Sherman didn’t move the needle all that much in Taylor’s stead. Woodson seemed to make some bad decisions in the heat of the moment on the sidelines, such as making challenges that he wasn’t going to win. With a first-year head coach comes growing pains, and Woodson felt them this season. He’ll get a shot to show improvement next year, making this only a 3.
Offseason needs for 2024
The length of the XFL’s offseason is not conducive to someone like Jalan McClendon improving at the level Vegas needs him to in order to be ready to start a full season in ’24. So perhaps he can get together with the XFL’s QB guru, Jordan Palmer, this summer and fall; or perhaps Vegas will need to look for a more finished product to start at the position next season. Some of the veterans on the roster who did not produce may have to be replaced, specifically at wide receiver. Defensively, the Vipers need an infusion of playmakers, especially if their sack leader Taumoepenu moves on to the NFL.
