Mark Thompson #8 of the Houston Roughnecks hurdles Brandon Sebastian #38 of the St. Louis Battlehawks during the first quarter at The Dome at America’s Center on May 04, 2024 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Michael Thomas/UFL/Getty Images)
When you finish 1-9, last in the league, and hire a new general manager, plenty of roster changes can be expected.
What’s not necessarily expected is for those changes to happen all at once.
The Houston Roughnecks on Tuesday turned over nearly one-third of their roster, waiving 16 players and agreeing to terms with 16 to take their place. These releases did not just feature back-of-the-depth-chart players; the wholesale changes included starters and a former All-Pro.
Recently, Houston formally announced the hiring of a new general manager, Will Lewis, to replace the retiring Lionel Vital. Likely in concert with head coach Curtis Johnson, Lewis has wasted little time reshaping the roster in the hopes of improving the team’s chances of competing in 2025.
Unfortunately, the announcement of these moves came with some controversy that reflected poorly on Houston leadership and the league: TE Braedon Bowman posted on “X” that he had not been contacted by anyone from the team about his release and was concerned about his insurance coverage as his son was in need of open-heart surgery.
The 16 players waived, and key notes from 2024:
*TE Braedon Bowman: Played in 10 games, started five, had eight receptions.
*TE Woody Brandom: Finished season on IR; played in four games, starting three.
*S Jamari Brown: First-year player began season on IR; was activated and played final five games.
*G Shamarious Gilmore: Started first two games, but was a weekly inactive after that.
*RB Ezra Gray: Signed late in season, was a deep reserve who didn’t get a carry.
*S Mister Harriel: Third-string safety brought in at end of May, didn’t play any snaps on defense.
*LB D’Juan Hines: Another late signing, played final three games after Gabe Sewell went on IR.
*LS Logan Klusman: The long snapper for all 10 games.
*P Hunter Niswander: Had several punts blocked, hurting his stats.
*CB Jai-Nunn Liddell: A former XFL Showcase player was inactive for all but three games.
*S Donald Rutledge, Jr.: 10-game starter arguably the biggest surprise on this list; tied for team lead in tackles.
*LB Christian Sam: Signed in mid-May, played exclusively on special teams.
*LB Gabriel Sewell, Jr.: Ended season on IR; prior to that, started four of seven games played.
*TE Clint Sigg, Jr.: Saw little time on offense. Played six games, starting one.
*RB Mark Thompson: The offense didn’t exactly turn around as expected when he came back from preseason injury. Started just three of seven games played.
*S Rashad Torrence II: Signed after week one, played in nine games in a reserve role.
If you’re scoring at home, that’s 90 games played and 28 starts out the door in this batch of releases, and there’s reason to believe Houston isn’t done yet. Tight end, linebacker and safety were the positions hit hardest by this wave, a window into where Lewis may believe the weaknesses of 2024 were. Only two of the offensive players landed in the top 15 highest-graded players on that side of the ball for Houston per Pro Football Focus, while only one of the top 15 defenders was let go.
Lewis’s past as part of the 2023 San Antonio Brahmas is evident in the replacement signings: Four former Brahmas were a part of the incoming class. The team already has two of its 10 College Draft picks agree to terms, including first round pick DE Eyabi Okie-Anoma. A little bit more on the new Roughnecks:
*G Calvin Ashley: Released by Stallions in March after starting nine games for New Jersey Generals in 2023.
*RB Brian Burt: Third-string back with Vegas Vipers in 2023, has some pass-catching skills.
*LB Ben Davis: Edge rusher had 15 tackles, eight special teams tackles with Brahmas in 2023.
*WR Felton Davis: After being released by Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, played in CFL with Calgary.
*RB Dezmon Jackson: Tried out in New York Giants rookie minicamp in 2023 after going undrafted.
*LB Jamir Jones: Had injury issues with Brahmas in 2024, then was waived at end of April.
*LB Juwan Mitchell: Rookie played at four schools, finishing in 2023 at Colorado.
*CB Chu Ogbonna: Tall corner had limited stats in three years at Akron.
*DE Eyabi Okie-Anoma: Has high ceiling if he can produce to his potential.
*LS Marco Ortiz: One of the top snappers to come out this year; went to minicamp with LA Chargers.
*S Shawn Preston, Jr.: Hula Bowl alum tried out with New Orleans Saints; over 200 tackles, five picks with Mississippi State.
*P Mike Rivers: Played at North Carolina A&T prior to ending up at Troy in 2022.
*LB Mike Scott: Brother of Brahmas’ Delontae, Mike had two sacks as a San Antonio reserve in 2023.
*LB Vaughn Taylor, Jr.: Morehead State standout played 2023 for USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers.
*G Maea Teuhema: Wasn’t protected by new Brahmas management in Dispersal Draft; most recently in CFL.
*CB Marquis Wilson: Purdue by way of Penn State had minicamp invite from Miami Dolphins in May.
It remains to be seen how many of the new players will stick with Houston in 2024. It’s clear, however, that Lewis and Johnson are taking the rebuild of this team seriously and are not waiting around to improve the roster. They have been the most active team in what appears to be the first week that terms are allowed to add and subtract for 2025, and with good reason: Coming off a 1-9 season, they should be active in that department.
