CB Ajene Harris, S Deontay Anderson, QB Kurt Benkert, and WR Jahcour Pearson all figured in the future plans of former XFL teams.
The UFL released information regarding the league’s dispersal draft this past Monday. Since then, fans have been poring over rosters to see what players they’ll be rooting for come the end of March. But that’s not all: A super dispersal draft will be held this Monday, followed by free agency starting the next day. Before that happens, here’s a look at some superlatives coming out of the first phase of the dispersal draft, beginning with the XFL conference.
Arlington Renegades
Surprise protected: He put up gaudy numbers in his last two years of college, averaging over 6.0 yards per carry in 2021 and 2022, but RB Dae Dae Hunter will have an uphill battle to crack the opening day roster in Arlington. The Renegades protected their top two backs from last year in De’Veon Smith and Leddie Brown, then added the leading rushers at the position for their respective teams in 2023 from Seattle (Morgan Ellison) and Orlando (Devin Darrington) in the dispersal phase.
Surprise unprotected: Though he was thought to be retiring this offseason, DT TJ Barnes has indicated on social media that he plans on playing in 2024. A stout presence in the middle of Arlington’s talented defensive line, it’ll be tough to replace the 330-pound run-stopping menace.
Best dispersal pick: Somewhat quietly, CB Ajene Harris led the XFL in interceptions last season, earning a spot on the league’s All-XFL Team. The Renegades’ DB room may look a little different next year, but the acquisition of Harris will help solidify what was already a strength of the team.
Underrated dispersal pick: Offensive linemen don’t grab a lot of headlines, but hardcore fans of spring leagues know their importance. G Chris Owens comes over from Seattle with the flexibility to play guard and center. Cameron Hunt is back and he too can play both positions. Regardless which of those positions he finds himself playing, Owens is likely to step into a meaningful role right away.
QB depth chart update: Arlington used the first overall pick in the dispersal draft on Lindsey Scott, poaching him from the now-defunct Houston team. They also protected returning starter Luis Perez, last year’s hero, and Holton Ahlers, who had two stints on the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks this fall . This after they had at one time six quarterbacks on their off-season roster. This will be one of the deeper QB depth charts in the UFL, with Scott potentially playing a D’Eriq King-like role in his first year. With Ahlers and Scott, both rookies, Arlington may already be preparing for life after Perez.
Positions of strength: Quarterback, obviously. The Renegades return its three core special teamers. Running back is four-deep and their linebacker room improved. Holdovers Donald Payne, Edmond Robinson and Willie Taylor are back, joined by Tuzar Skipper (in a summer trade with Seattle) and Noah Taylor (as a rookie UDFA). Pass-rusher extraordinaire Vic Beasley, drafted from the Vegas Vipers, is icing on the cake.
Positions of need: As strong as their interior offensive line appears, I have questions about the tackles. They currently have just three on the roster. I’m not sure they got a lot more dynamic at wide receiver. The defensive line is aging a bit, though they did add a potential stud in DT Roderick Perry, originally a letter of intent signing to Houston.
DC Defenders
Surprise protected: Offensive linemen out of Iowa are always well-coached and technically-sound. That’s the upside of OT Jack Plumb, a rookie draft pick of the Defenders who was protected here. The downside is he was never a full-time starter in college and DC already has five offensive tackles you can imagine will be ahead of him on the training camp depth chart. There’s nothing wrong with steeling yourself against injury along the line, but each position protected comes at the cost of not protecting someone at another spot.
Surprise unprotected: Another rookie draft select, WR CJ Johnson, was not among the six receivers protected by the Defenders. Johnson’s size (6’0″, 220 lbs) is attractive, but he ran just a 4.67 40-yard dash at his pro day. Johnson, who signed with the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft, could fit the mold of what other UFL teams are looking for at the position.
Best dispersal pick: The Houston Roughnecks tallied 35 sacks last season – LBs Trent Harris and Tim Ward combined for 14.5 of them. The dynamic duo are now both Defenders. Don’t underestimate the experience the two have working together as a pass rush tandem – look for that experience to be exploited by veteran defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
Underrated pick: Not much went right for the Vegas Vipers last year, though at times their defense was respectable. S Deontay Anderson was a leader on that side of the ball, finishing second on the team in tackles while starting all 10 games. There’s going to be some serous competition for playing time in DC’s defensive backfield based on their current roster.
QB depth chart update: DC did not protect any quarterbacks – the only team not to – and drafted just one, in the person of Orlando’s Deondre Francois. Francois appears more to be a replacement for D’Eriq King, who is unlikely to return after being promoted to QB coach at SMU, than he is to be a replacement for starter Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu’s future plans are unknown: He was released to join the Minnesota Vikings in August but has yet to sign an LOI to return to the Defenders. Perhaps DC’s brass knows his plans even if we don’t. Regardless, expect DC to add another QB in the super dispersal draft.
Positions of strength: As stated earlier, the DBs, especially the safeties, look to be strong in the capital city for 2024. They’re bringing back quite a few receivers from last year. The offensive line, a top one in the league in 2023, appears to be solid again. Rookie Paxton Brooks replaces Dan Whelan at punter. He was a good “get” to go with their returning kicker (Matthew McCrane) and long snapper (Trae Barry).
Positions of need: Something has to give at the QB position sooner rather than later. DC had some off-season departures along the defensive line – with potentially more to come (DE Davin Bellamy reportedly has CFL offers) – so they’ll have to sort things out there. The XFL’s leading rusher, Abram Smith, is back, but there are question marks behind him. Starting TE Ethan Wolf is gone, though the team retained both of his backups.
San Antonio Brahmas
Surprise protected: After initially spurning the XFL last season, QB Kurt Benkert suited up for the Brahmas after being traded from the Roughnecks when injuries struck the QB position in San Antonio. Benkert was viewed as a savior of sorts by Brahmas fans who still harbored hopes of making the playoffs. Unfortunately, Benkert was felled by an injury after just one start, putting him on the shelf for the rest of the season. Given his hesitancy about playing at all last year, he wasn’t being counted on as a factor in 2024. Yet there he was, on the Brahmas protected list. One of the most active players on social media, I don’t believe Benkert has said anything publicly about his plans for the 2024 season.
Surprise unprotected: It seemed like a real coup when DT Boogie Roberts left the USFL and signed an LOI with the XFL and the Brahmas a few weeks ago. A 10-game starter last year for the league’s runners-up, Roberts made 28 tackles to go along with three sacks. However, Roberts went unprotected by San Antonio. It’s hard to question a defensive guru like Wade Phillips, but this feels like a notable omission.
Best dispersal pick: San Antonio had a lot of problems, both injury and performance-related, along its offensive line last year. So the selection of C Alex Mollette seems worthy of the spotlight. Mollette started every game at the pivot for Houston in 2023. He was also the third-highest graded offensive player on the team per Pro Football Focus. Interestingly, last year’s center for the Brahmas, Luke Juriga, was also protected. He was the one constant on the line as he too started all 10 games. Juriga is listed on the roster as an offensive tackle, so he may be switching positions.
Underrated dispersal pick: LB Tavante Beckett didn’t get the pub of his teammates Tim Ward and Trent Harris. All Beckett did was lead the Roughnecks in tackles and return an interception for a touchdown. He won’t generate big sack totals and thus won’t get as much attention. Combining him with LB Jordan Williams, who led the XFL in tackles last season, gives the Brahmas arguably the best run-stuffing pair of LBs in the league.
QB depth chart update:Three quarterbacks were kept in Benkert, Jack Coan, and Matthew McKay. They didn’t add any through the draft. If Benkert does indeed report to camp, he and Coan could end up competing for the starting job. Coan had an up-and-down 2023, let down at times by his supporting cast. Despite his lack of experience in an offense like AJ Smith’s, Coan has what it takes to succeed in that style.
Positions of strength: There’s a lot of uncertainty with the roster as it stands because there’s been such a stark turnover at nearly every position – only 14 of the 42 protected Brahmas actually played for the team last season. The front seven should be good again. There’s some potential breakouts from the wide receiver group, especially if Calvin Turner can stay healthy. And Cody Latimer will play more of a receiver role than true tight end in this offense. The offensive line already appears stronger than it did at the end of last season.
Positions of need: I think fans would be more comfortable if San Antonio added another QB to the fray. While the offensive line is improved, there’s still room to grow. RB Kalen Ballage is coming off a torn Achilles and Brycen Alleyne may not be an every-down back. None of San Antonio’s specialists appear to be returning (yet); they added a young, quality kicker in Christopher Dunn, but lack a long snapper and punter at this moment.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Surprise protected: Tight end seemed like a position St. Louis could improve upon in the dispersal draft. Instead, they protected three, including rookie draft pick TE Kemore Gamble. Gamble didn’t put up eye-catching stats at UCF and instead was used more as a blocker. Given last year’s production from the position, that’s mostly going to be his role with the Battlehawks. However, a role like that is generally replaceable and for a team with a roster as deep as that of St. Louis, you wonder if that protected spot could’ve been better used elsewhere.
Surprise unprotected: St. Louis upgraded its WR room, but it was still a little surprising to see WR Austin Proehl left off the protection list. Proehl was third on the team in receptions last year while also serving as the punt returner. Oh, and his dad is/was the receivers coach (we won’t know for sure if he’s back in 2024 until the league releases team coaching staffs). Jahcour Pearson is likely to step into Proehl’s spot in the slot.
Best dispersal pick: It has to be WR Jahcour Pearson, right? The leading receiver in the XFL in 2023 heads to the land of Kaw-Kaw. He may not know who’s going to be throwing him the ball yet, but Pearson will have an extra chip on his shoulder after he went unsigned by NFL teams following the 2023 XFL season. His production may decrease in a more traditional offense under coordinator Bruce Gradkowski; he’ll still draw the attention of defenses, though.
Underrated dispersal pick: The Battlehawks picked up one of the top guards in the league in G Jack Snyder. Both starting guards from last season (Vadal Alexander and Steven Gonzalez) return to St. Louis for 2024, both of whom started every game. Snyder should at least push one or both in training camp for a full-time spot along the line.
QB depth chart update: AJ McCarron, currently of the Cincinnati Bengals, becomes a free agent on March 13 – will he look for another NFL job or return to the XFL? St. Louis did not add a QB in the draft, opting to protect last year’s backup, Nick Tiano (who won them a game while McCarron was hurt) and third-stringer Manny Wilkins, who was elevated to second-string late in the year when Tiano went on injured reserve. All options seem to be on the table, from waiting for McCarron, to turning to Tiano, to adding another starter at some point.
Positions of strength: Already a strength, wide receiver got even stronger with the drafting of Pearson and Blake Jackson from Seattle. Linebacker and interior offensive line both appear to be deep. Five of the 12 dispersal draft selections were defensive backs, so that spot clearly improved.
Positions of need: Quarterback, first and foremost. St. Louis did not retain Donny Hageman, so they now need a kicker and long snapper (Alex Matheson could return after a brief stint with the LA Rams). Tight end has major question marks beyond starter Jake Sutherland. A couple offensive tackles were added via the draft, but more could be done there as well.
