Earlier today, the D.C. Defenders waived nine players, including three 2023 starters, per the wire: TE Ethan Wolf, DT Caraun Reid, and DE Jacub Panasiak.
Defenders release three 2023 starters
Ethan Wolf, 28, missed three regular-season games last season due to injury. But even when he was healthy, he didn’t receive a significant target share in the Defenders’ spread offense. He caught 13 of 21 targets for 106 yards and one touchdown in 2023.
Briley Moore-McKinnley and Alex Ellis, who spelled Wolf last season, remain on the Defenders roster. D.C. has also added former USC TE Josh Falo and a 2019 third-round NFL draft selection in TE Kahale Warring. As a matter of fact, the Defenders drafted Warring in the November 2022 XFL Draft, but he opted not to play in 2023.
The Defenders’ choice to drop Wolf is undoubtedly an interesting one, but Wolf’s injury history could have played a role.
Jacub Panasiuk and Caraun Reid were starters on the Defenders’ defensive line in 2023 but have been released. Panasiuk, out of Michigan State, recorded 19 tackles, including two for a loss and one sack through the Defenders’ 10 regular season games and two postseason contests. Reid, a 2014 fifth-round draft pick out of Princeton, put up similar figures: 18 tackles, including two for a loss and ½ a sack.
Earlier this offseason, the Defenders claimed DT Robert Windsor off of waivers from the Vegas Vipers. They also added DT Dennis Johnson from the combine to their 90-man roster. Both are players who can replace Reid’s interior presence. Meanwhile, if Fadol Brown stays healthy, he and 2023 All-XFL DE Davin Bellamy can be a problem for opposing offensive lines off the edge in lieu of Panasiuk.
Defenders release three more defensive pieces from 2023
Along with the two starters released on defense, D.C. released DT Jarrell Owens, CB Travon Fuller, and S Joshua Allen.
While he wasn’t a starter, Jarrell Owens, 29, was a key rotational piece on the Defenders’ defensive line. During the 2023 season, he tallied four sacks – ranked third-highest on the Defenders. As mentioned, newcomers like Windsor and Johnson can replace him on the depth chart in 2024. In a 4-3 alignment, either one will likely play alongside Joe Wallace, another Defenders defensive tackle, who recorded 21 tackles, including six for a loss and 2.5 sacks in 2023.
There are certainly other XFL teams who could use an interior defensive lineman like Owens on their roster.
Last season, Travon Fuller recorded nine tackles for the Defenders. Six of which came in his only start of the season, where he filled in for an injured Michael Joseph against the San Antonio Brahmas during Week 10.
The Defenders have added CB Gareon Conley, a 2017 first-round draft pick out of Ohio State, and rookie CBs Bentlee Sanders and Jahlil Brown out of Nevada and Central Connecticut State, respectively, to bolster their secondary for 2024, with Fuller now out of the mix.
The 2023 XFL season was quite a roller coaster for Joshua Allen. He made three tackles all season, all of which ironically came during the Defenders’ Week 2 matchup against the Vipers, who traded for him just days later. Vegas waived him later on in the season, and the Defenders subsequently added him back to their roster, where he finished the season. Allen didn’t see game action during his second stint with the Defenders, as guys like D.J. Swearinger and Santos Ramirez overshadowed him on the depth chart.
Remaining releases
The Defenders also released OT Dare Rosenthal, who was signed during the late stages of the 2023 regular season and didn’t see game action.
OC Warren Ericson and OT Alex Jensen were rookies claimed by the Defenders during the Rookie Draft process in June. However, Ericson signed with the USFL Philadelphia Stars instead, while it’s not entirely clear won’t play for the Defenders. It’s worth noting that the Birmingham Stallions claimed his rights in February.
