Offensive Lineman T.J. Storment, former TCU Horned Frog, has been traded from the DC Defenders to the Orlando Guardians. (Photo: AP/Brandon Wade)
The XFL announced two trades on Monday evening. Both of which included the D.C. Defenders. The first sent offensive tackle T.J. Storment to the Orlando Guardians for tight end Alex Ellis in a three-way deal. The second gave the Defenders offensive tackle Antonio Garcia from the Vegas Vipers in exchange for safety Joshua Allen.
TRANSACTION: The Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders, and Orlando Guardians have announced a trade.
— XFL Communications Department (@XFL_PR) March 6, 2023
Three-way swap
The Defenders trading away their highest-drafted offensive lineman in T.J. Storment definitely comes as a surprise considering the hardships the position group has already faced with injuries and all. Storment who played college ball at five different schools earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors for his super senior performance at Texas Tech, just about five hours away from his new home field, Choctaw Stadium.
In return, the Defenders received tight end Alex Ellis. With the acquisition, the Defenders now have two former Tennessee Vols tight ends with Ethan Wolf being the other. Wolf the underclassman had more catches and receiving yards than Ellis in the two years their collegiate careers overlapped. This comes as no surprise considering Ellis’ role was more suited towards blocking and will continue to be with the Defenders. Ellis the NFL journeyman played on eight different teams from 2016 to 2022 before landing a spot with the Renegades as their eighth-round pick in the Offensive Skill phase. He recorded no receptions with them through two weeks and was inactive last week with a shoulder injury.
For now, the Defenders have four tight ends on their roster. But Trae Barry’s primary role is as long snapper, while Briley Moore missed last week with an ankle injury. No official designation has been made regarding Moore’s status.
To add, the Renegades got receiver Javonta Payton from the Guardians as part of the three-way deal. The playmaker hauled in 3 receptions for 47 yards including one for 32 against the San Antonio Brahmas in week two.
Trade with Vegas Vipers
The Defenders went out and made another trade this time acquiring offensive tackle Antonio Garcia for safety Joshua Allen. I will not question the move, but essentially the Defenders traded away one first-round offensive tackle for another and gained a backup tight end & lost a backup safety in doing so.
The Defenders played the Vipers just nine days ago during their week two matchup. Perhaps they saw something they liked in the former Troy Trojan. Maybe the Defenders were looking for some more agility at the tackle position with Garcia only at 305 lbs compared to Storment – 320 lbs. Expect both to be instant starters and to make immediate impacts on their new teams’ respective offensive lines.
As for Allen, he adds depth to a Vipers secondary that has struggled thus far. He ironically made all three of his tackles on the season against them and was drafted in the fifth round of the Defensive Backs portion by the Defenders.
