The 2024 UFL season is in full swing entering week four, and we have already seen a number of transactions from each team on a weekly basis.
In this article, I break down each player transaction made throughout week four before the upcoming slate of games.
Chase Garbers Injury
In arguably the most notable development of the week, the Brahmas moved starting quarterback Chase Garbers to the Injured Reserve with a potentially season-ending wrist injury suffered last week. Garbers is currently the UFL’s passing touchdown leader (six touchdown passes) and had emerged as an early MVP candidate before his injury.
Former Orlando Guardians Quinten Dormady will replace Garbers as the Brahmas’ starting signal-caller, while the team also signed 31-year-old NFL veteran Kevin Hogan as its emergency quarterback.
Dormady went 140-for-205 passing with 1,507 yards and ten touchdowns in seven games, including four starts with the Guardians last season. While his team recorded one win while he started, he proved himself toward the end of the season as Orlando’s quarterback of the future. Then, of course, the XFL-USFL merger happened and the Guardians disbanded, allowing San Antonio to scoop him up during a dispersal draft.
The Brahmas have been above average offensively this season, averaging 280.0 total yards and 23.6 points per game. Beginning this week against the Panthers, we will see how the quarterback change affects San Antonio’s offensive production.
Return of Jahcour Pearson
Battlehawks wide receiver Jahcour Pearson, the 2023 XFL receiving leader, has been activated off the Injured Reserve and is slated to make his season debut against the Showboats this weekend.
The Battlehawks made room for Pearson on their roster by releasing wide receiver Jeff Thomas. The former Miami Hurricane, Thomas, had not seen the field with St. Louis before being waived.
Nonetheless, Pearson, an exciting offseason pickup for the Battlehawks, suffered an injury early on during training camp. Now that he has recovered, the wide receiver trio he forms with Marcell Ateman and Hakeem Butler should be imposing. Ateman and Butler are fourth and tenth UFL-wide in receiving yardage, respectively.
Showboats & Roughnecks Moves
The struggling Showboats (1-2) and Roughnecks (0-3) have been the busiest teams on the transaction wire this week, as their seasons have gotten off to rough starts.
Memphis waived tailback Trey Williams and offensive tackle Terry Poole after falling to the Stallions, 33-14, last Saturday.
Williams took his first carry of the season for a two-yard gain in last week’s loss, but that’s all the action he received. In a corresponding move, the Showboats signed tailback Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who played under Head Coach John DeFillipo last year with the New Orleans Breakers.
The Showboats’ rushing attack has struggled thus far, averaging just 55.3 yards per game. Cyrus Habibi-Likio is slated to be in a depth role with Memphis behind Darius Victor—if he can stay healthy—and Titus Swen.
Amidst offensive line struggles, Terry Poole was replaced by offensive tackle Marcus Tatum, who was a starter with the Breakers during the 2023 USFL season. Poole had started in the Showboats’ season opener against the Roughnecks but let up two sacks and was benched after that.
Tatum is currently listed as a backup at both right tackle and left tackle for Memphis’ week four contest against the Battlehawks. As he gets into the swing of things, though, his role with the Showboats may grow.
Meanwhile, the Roughnecks released wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. and cornerback Jeremiah Johnson following their week three loss. Both of whom were backups for Houston.
It doesn’t stop here, the Roughnecks also moved starting wide receiver Kirk Meritt and defensive tackle Olive Sagapolu to the Injured Reserve earlier this week.
Merritt had looked like Jarrett Guarantano’s top target before he injured himself in week two, while Sagapolu was a key figure on the Roughnecks’ defensive line.
To make matters worse, nose tackle Carlo Kemp abruptly announced his retirement from football on Tuesday. Kemp was also a notable player on Houston’s defensive line.
With open roster spots, Houston reactivated cornerback Kiondre Thomas from suspension and re-signed defensive tackle Jeffery Johnson, who spent training camp with the Roughnecks.
Per Ace of United Football Media (UFM), Houston GM Lionel Vital believes that Thomas is the best cornerback on the team’s roster. Thomas has spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers and Green Bay Packers since going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2021.
More Transactions
In other news, the Brahmas signed former Seattle Sea Dragons tailback Morgan Ellison and moved starting offensive tackle Greg Eiland to the Injured Reserve.
Ellison struggled with injury during the 2023 XFL season. Nonetheless, he recorded 252 yards and one touchdown on 52 carries in the five games that he played. He is listed as San Antonio’s third-string running back for the team’s week four contest against Michigan.
Meanwhile, the Brahmas replaced an injured Greg Eiland with Julién Davenport, a 2017 NFL fourth-round draft pick out of Bucknell. Davenport is inactive for San Antonio this week.
San Antonio also moved cornerback Cameron Dantzler, who the team acquired just last week, to the Suspended List. Dantzler was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. His “suspension” timetable is unknown.
The Defenders moved starting tight end Briley Moore to the Injured Reserve with a knee injury. Moore had seven receptions for 48 yards and one touchdown before sustaining an injury during the Defenders’ week three contest versus the Renegades.
An injury to Stallions kicker Chris Blewitt prompted Birmingham to sign former Pittsburgh Maulers kicker Ramiz Ahmed. Amed hit the longest field goal in USFL history, a 61-yarder against the New Jersey Generals in week eight of the 2022 season.
