Ahead of the 2024 UFL regular season, the D.C. Defenders finalized their roster last Thursday, reducing it to 50 players. Below is a breakdown of the defensive players on the Defenders roster. Please note that without an official depth chart, this roster is always subject to change, and any starters projected are not definitive.
Defensive Line/Edge Rushers
T.J. Barnes
Davin Bellamy
Malik Fisher
Trent Harris
Dennis Johnson
Andre Mintze
Derick Roberson
Niles Scott
Joe Wallace
Under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Defenders employed a versatile scheme last season, utilizing various different fronts and formations. That’s expected to continue into the 2024 season.
Joe Wallace and T.J. Barnes, both starters on their respective teams’ defensive lines during the 2023 XFL Championship, will make up the Defenders’ interior defensive line out of 4-3 fronts.
Wallace enters his second season with the Defenders—having recorded 21 tackles and 2.5 sacks last year—while Barnes joins from the XFL champion Arlington Renegades, where he totaled 18 tackles and 2.0 sacks during the 2023 season. Barnes has one of the biggest frames in the UFL—at 6-7 345 lbs.
With an injury, Niles Scott missed the entirety of 2023 for the Defenders but is back and healthy for this season. Scott is listed as the team’s nose tackle. Scott, out of D-II Frostburg State, has been part of nine different NFL organizations since going undrafted in 2018.
Arguably, the scariest part of this defense will be its edge rushers. Last season, Trent Harris and Davin Bellamy were forces to be reckoned with off the edge for the Houston Roughnecks and Defenders, respectively. Harris led the XFL in sacks with 9.5 last season, while Bellamy was tied for fifth league-wide with 5.5 sacks. Both earned 2023 All-XFL honors for their performances.
Now, with Harris and Bellamy on the same team, expect to see them lining up on opposite sides of the defensive line. Also, expect many protection issues for opposing offensive lines against these guys.
Returning edge rusher Andre Mintze is another player to watch out for on the Defenders. Mintze recorded 3.5 sacks with D.C. last season.
To wrap it up, defensive tackle Dennis Johnson adds depth to the interior, while Malik Fisher and Derick Roberson are depth pieces as defensive ends.
Linebackers
Francis Bernard
Ferrod Gardner
Anthony Hines
Reggie Northrup
Mohamed Sanogo
There’s not much turnover within the Defenders linebacking corps from last season. Starters Francis Bernard and Reggie Northrup are both back for a second season, along with Ferrod Gardner and Anthony Hines. Gardner had spent time with the Washington Commanders over the summer.
Former Louisville Cardinals linebacker Mohamed Sanogo is the only newcomer to this group. Sanogo emerged as one of the 10 players selected by D.C. in the 2023 XFL Rookie Draft held last June. Now, he stands among the trio from that draft class who have secured a spot on the Defenders 50-man roster.
All five Defenders linebackers are hard-hitting. In 2023, Bernard was the starter at middle linebacker, while Northrup, Hines, and Gardner were rotated on the outside. Bernard and Northrup were first and second on D.C. in total tackles, with 51 and 47, respectively.
2023 XFL D.C. Defenders #15 DB Michael Joseph
Defensive Backs
Deontay Anderson
Deandre Baker
Gareon Conley
Isaiah Johnson
Michael Joseph
Anthoula Kelly
Montae Nicholson
Santos Ramirez
Nydair Rouse
D.J. Swearinger
The Defenders cornerback group will be led by 2023 All-XFL cornerback Michael Joseph, along with former first-round NFL draft picks Gareon Conley and Deandre Baker.
Last season, Joseph was tied for second in the XFL with interceptions (four) and was the league leader in pick-sixes (two). On the other hand, Conley and Baker were once highly touted NFL prospects out of college. They started their professional careers off strong before injuries and off-field issues hindered them.
It has been a couple of years since Conley or Baker have taken the field.
Conley, out of Ohio State, spent three seasons in the NFL before taking multiple years to rehab nerve damage in his ankle. He was last rostered by the Houston Texans in 2020. Meanwhile, Baker, from the University of Georgia, started 15 games as a rookie with the New York Giants in 2019 but was released after being arrested in the offseason. He later landed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent two seasons but didn’t see much live-game action.
Both Conley and Baker are high-upside corners for the Defenders. We will see what Gregg Williams can get out of them, possibly in their last chance of getting back into the NFL.
The remaining cornerbacks for the Defenders consist of returning players from last year’s team: Anthoula Kelly, Isaiah Johnson, and Nydair Rouse, who all fulfilled depth positions in 2023.
Meanwhile, Deontay Anderson, D.J. Swearinger, and Santos Ramirez will be critical pieces of the Defenders safety rotation this season.
Ramirez and Swearinger are returning players for the Defenders, while Anderson was snagged during the Post-Merger Dispersal Process.
Ramirez totaled 48 tackles (third on D.C.) and two interceptions last year with the Defenders, while Swearinger recorded 15 tackles and one interception after joining the team midway through the season. Despite joining late, he finished the season with D.C. as a key defensive contributor.
Ramirez and Swearinger are both strong safeties and, alike, were effective in defending against the pass and the run for D.C. last season. These will be the extra defenders in the box in single-high coverage for the Defenders.
Anderson, an All-XFL safety, recorded 52 tackles with the Vegas Vipers in 2023. As he was last season, it looks like he will be starting at free safety, this time for the Defenders.
Montae Nicholson, who also joined the Defenders midway through last season, looks like he will again be a backup at safety. He recorded six tackles in three games – missing a couple due to injury.
Special Teams
Trae Barry
Paxton Brooks
Matt McCrane
Matt McCrane returns for his second season as the Defenders kicker, with Trae Barry at long snapper. Neither faced competition at their respective positions during training camp. On the punting end, former Tennessee Vol Paxton Brooks will take over for Daniel Whelan, who earned an opportunity with the Green Bay Packers last summer and has stuck with the team since.
Meanwhile, the Defenders have a couple of candidates with solid experience as return specialists. Pooka Williams and Keke Coutee stand out the most to me.
