The last two USFL Conference teams made their final roster cuts on Saturday. All eight teams in the UFL are now at the 50-man regular season limit. Below is a look at the USFL Conference cuts and the makeup of each team’s initial rosters.
Cuts: S Bubba Bolden, WR Slade Bolden, C Cohl Cabral, OL O’Shea Dugas, LB Maalik Hall, WR Myron Mitchell, DE Chauncey Rivers, DE Anree Saint-Amour
Most surprising cut: C Cohl Cabral: Cabral started all 10 regular season games for the Stallions last season. The team doesn’t have another center listed on the roster, but Cole Schneider has extensive experience at the position and would be the most likely candidate to start there. Schneider is a former Green Bay Packer out of UCF.
Most surprising keep: LB Damon Lloyd: One of two Indiana University of Pennsylvania players to make the Stallions, Lloyd was signed during the 2023 season but didn’t register any stats. The type of player expected to be squeezed out of a job by the merger, Lloyd showed enough to hang on to a roster spot for 2024.
Analysis: Birmingham went light at receiver compared to other teams, and heavier at defensive back. They only have three players specifically listed at safety; the rest are corners or are given the versatile “DB” designation. The Stallions are another team that has yet to officially name a starter at the quarterback position. As expected, Birmingham had several surprising cuts due to their depth; After Cabral, WR Slade Bolden stood out among the others. Once thought to be a future super slot WR in the NFL, compared to the likes of Julian Edelman and Wes Welker coming out of Alabama, Bolden is now a free agent.
Houston Roughnecks
Cuts: S Manny Bunch, DE Isaiah Chambers, LB Ace Eley, DT Jeffery Johnson, G Jair Joseph, OL Robert Myers, TE Rodell Rahmaan III, OT Marcus Tatum
Most surprising cut: S Manny Bunch: The ax fell on another All-USFL player from 2023, as Bunch notched an interception, two sacks, and 54 tackles with the Gamblers last season. His cut was a surprise until Bunch later announced he was retiring from football.
Most surprising keep: CB Jai Nunn-Liddell: Participating in the XFL’s 2023 HBCU Showcase earned Liddell a spot at the league’s Combine in July. No XFL team acquired his rights thereafter, but the Gamblers signed him to a deal in late August.
Analysis: There’s no mystery here: Head Coach Curtis Johnson already revealed that Jarrett Guarantano won the starting QB job. Houston enters the season with three running backs despite the knee sprain suffered by Mark Thompson, perhaps a sign that he won’t miss much more time (though WR Kirk Merritt may end up playing some RB as well). Last year, the Gamblers kept four tight ends; that’s down to three this year. Aside from Bunch, another notable cut is LB Ace Eley, who finished the NFL season on the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.
Memphis Showboats
Cuts: TE Dominique Dafney, CB D.J. Daniel, WR Rashard Davis, G Chance Lytle, WR Ryan McDaniel, LB Shaheed Salmon, CB Tye Smith, TE Cam Sutton
Most surprising cut: CB D.J. Daniel: Another All-USFL selection to not make a UFL squad, Daniel had three interceptions and 30 tackles for the New Jersey Generals in 2023. Acquired by the Showboats in the dispersal draft, Daniel, the former Georgia Bulldog, may not be out of work for long.
Most surprising keep: LB Malik Lawal: This was a tough choice, as Memphis has a pretty deep roster. Head Coach John DeFilippo brought over several New Orleans Breakers players that he is familiar with after coaching that team last season. Lawal is one of the Memphis holdovers who retained his job. A part-time starter in 2023, Lawal made 27 tackles with no sacks or interceptions.
Analysis: DeFilippo sounds like he’s going to make everyone wait until opening day to see who will start at QB for the Showboats. The team’s press release announcing the 50-man roster breaks down the positions a little further than others; for example, of the eight defensive backs, five are listed as safeties. Some safeties are adept at playing nickel and dime corner, which may be the case here. Another oddity: two players are listed at center, five at offensive tackle and two at the general “offensive line.” No one is listed specifically at guard. Cam Sutton had a rough week: First, he was mistaken for NFL CB Cam Sutton, who was wanted for domestic violence in Florida; then he got released by Memphis.
Michigan Panthers
Cuts: LB Jerod Fernandez, DE Vantrel McMillan, DT Jamal Milan, WR Samson Nacua, LB Nasir Player, OT Gene Pryor, RB Toa Taua, CB Alex Thomas
Most surprising cut: LB Jerod Fernandez: It sounds like a broken record, but Fernandez was another All-USFL player released; he garnered those honors in 2022. Over the past two seasons with the New Orleans Breakers, Fernandez made a combined 150 tackles. Fernandez was drafted by the Panthers in the dispersal phase of the reallocation process.
Most surprising keep: LB DeGabriel Floyd: One of two NFL Draft-eligible players to make the initial roster of UFL teams, Floyd’s road to the UFL has been long and winding. His persistence has paid off, beating out more accomplished players like Fernandez for a roster spot.
Analysis: One of the few teams to carry four running backs up to the last cut, Taua was bested by Matthew Colburn, Wes Hills and Nate McCrary. Samson Nacua’s cut leaves just one Nacua on the roster: His brother, Kai. Three cuts came from Michigan’s 2023 roster in McMillan, Milan and Taua. Pryor was a 10-game starter along the offensive line for the Panthers. As the offensive lines have improved in the wake of the merger, we’ve seen a lot of full-time starters last season, for both leagues, getting left out of the roster dance.
