We continue our look at how XFL 2020 and 2023 players performed in the NFL in 2023 with those who competed on non-playoff NFC teams.
S Micah Abernathy, Atlanta Falcons (Dallas Renegades)
In 2023: Starting the year on the practice squad, Abernathy was eventually elevated to the active roster in mid-October. He was active for every game from there on out as one of Atlanta’s core special teamers. He finished the season with three tackles on defense, four on special teams. Despite missing the first month of the season, Abernathy still ranked fourth on the Falcons in special teams snaps.
What PFF tells us: While he played 14 games on the season, Abernathy saw defensive snaps in just three, for 24 total. He mostly lined up as a free safety (17 snaps) but also came down in the box in the traditional strong safety spot as well (four snaps). His defensive grade was 57.5 (60.0 is average), just a few ticks below his 2022 score of 60.0. He was a core-four special teamer, playing 50-plus snaps on punt and kick coverage as well as punt and kick returns. He was also a part of the extra point/field goal block team. He was credited with one missed special teams tackle while also committing three penalties on the unit.
2024 outlook: Abernathy is under contract for 2024. Should he make the team next year, he’ll become an exclusive-rights free agent in 2025 (If an NFL team extends a qualifying offer to an ERFA, they retain that player’s rights. Basically, ERFA players have no negotiating power). While Abernathy showed his special teams value in 2023, those players are often on the bubble, challenged yearly by younger players and rookies. A new coaching staff will be in place in Atlanta, so holdovers like Abernathy will have some added pressure on them.
WR Chris Blair, Atlanta Falcons (DC Defenders)
In 2023: Blair signed with the Defenders at the end of January and became a key player in the team’s run to the championship game. He signed with the Falcons, but in August, was placed on injured reserve. He was released from IR and the Falcons liked enough of what they saw when he was healthy to bring him back to the practice squad in September. He was elevated for one game, in week 12 against the New Orleans Saints. It was his NFL debut.
What PFF tells us: Blair played just eight offensive snaps in that one game, registering a PFF grade of 56.8. He also played 10 special teams snaps, six on the kick return team and four on kick coverage.
2024 outlook: By signing a futures contract after the season, Blair is locked-in with the Falcons for the off-season. There are four receivers set to become unrestricted free agents, so Blair has a chance to latch on at the end of the roster. It all depends on the numbers Atlanta adds at that position in free agency and the draft.
S Lukas Denis, Atlanta Falcons (St. Louis Battlehawks)
In 2023: St. Louis saw several members of its defensive backfield sign NFL contracts this summer, and Denis was one of them. He joined a number of former XFL players in Atlanta. Denis didn’t make the team out of training camp but was soon signed to the practice squad. He spent the entire season there, though he was not elevated for any games.
2024 outlook: Special teams will be Denis’s ticket to making the team in 2024. He may be competing with another former XFL player in Micah Abernathy for the final safety spot. If he doesn’t make, it’s not unrealistic to think he may find himself on the practice squad once again.
In 2023: The defensive tackle out of Oregon started all 10 games with the Sea Dragons in 2023. He stayed in the Emerald City by signing with the Seahawks. Off-season knee surgery landed Faoliu on Seattle’s physically-unable-to-perform list until November. At that point, he was signed to the practice squad. Faoliu was elevated for two games late in the season. He made three tackles in those games.
What PFF tells us: Faoliu played 22 snaps across weeks 17 and 18 of the season. He had an above-average grade of 64.5 in those snaps. Faoliu also participated on six field goal/extra point block snaps. PFF credited him with one missed tackle. In terms of alignment, 10 of the 22 snaps came as a nose tackle (A gap) and 12 came in the B gap, as defensive tackle.
2024 outlook: Interestingly, Faoliu has yet to sign a futures contract with the Seahawks. The team has only signed seven to futures deals so far, so perhaps they’re in no hurry to ink those players for whatever reason. Like Atlanta, Seattle will also have a new head coach and staff for players to make an impression upon.
LB Frank Ginda, Atlanta Falcons (New York Guardians)
In 2023:From All-USFL to the NFL, Ginda notched over 100 tackles for the Michigan Panthers in 2023 before signing with the Falcons. A late training camp signing, Ginda did enough to to get noticed in a short period of time, including the final game of the preaseason, where he had eight tackles and two special teams stops. When the Falcons were seeking LB help in November, they brought Ginda onto the practice squad. He did not play during the regular season.
2024 outlook: The Falcons have signed 16 players to futures contracts to this point; Ginda is not one of them. A return to the Panthers and the UFL in 2024 may not be out of the question, but another team could always sign Ginda to a futures contract if Atlanta doesn’t agree to terms with him in the coming weeks.
DT Matthew Gotel, Seattle Seahawks (San Antonio Brahmas)
In 2023: At a hulking 341 pounds, Gotel provides an interior force along the defensive line. He did so for the Brahmas in 2023, playing in all 10 games before moving on to the Falcons. He lasted just three days there, but was later picked up by the Seahawks. He had two stints on their practice squad, including an elevation to the active roster for the final game of the season. He was active, but did not play.
2024 outlook: Even though he was re-signed to the practice squad late in the season, on January 1, Gotel was an early futures deal signing by the Seahawks. With Pete Carroll out as head coach, it’ll be wait-and-see in terms of what defense a new coordinator will run, and whether that system will accommodate someone of Gotel’s girth.
DT Jack Heflin, New Orleans Saints (Houston Roughnecks)
In 2023: In week six, Heflin took over as a starter along the defensive line for the Roughnecks. He showed enough to impress the Saints in the preseason to earn a role on the practice squad. He stayed there all season, elevated for one game, in which he made one tackle.
What PFF tells us: Though it occurred in limited snaps, Heflin registered the highest PFF grade of his three-year career, at 57.1. He played 17 snaps in his only regular season action in week 14. PFF credited Heflin with two QB hurries in those snaps. They had him lining up the majority of his snaps (13 of 17) in the B gap (between the guard and tackle).
2024 outlook: A recipient of a futures deal with the Saints, Heflin will apparently be back in 2024. The Saints aren’t schedule to lose any interior defensive linemen in free agency, so unless there are cap casualties there, Heflin will be competing with a lot of familiar faces for a spot on the team.
QB Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta Falcons (St. Louis Battlehawks)
In 2023: The quarterback position was a mess for the Falcons in 2023, and it wasn’t always the fault of the players under center. Both Desmond Ridder and Heinicke were named starters – multiple times – throughout the season. With a new head coach in 2024, Atlanta will also likely be starting from scratch in their search for a long-term solution at the position. Heinicke started three of the five games he played, battling an ankle injury down the stretch. He won just one of those starts and finished the season 74-of-136 passing (54.4%) for 890 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed 15 times for 124 yards (8.3 avg.) and one TD.
What PFF tells us: Pro Football Focus didn’t think too highly of Heinicke’s season: He ranked 66th among quarterbacks with a grade of 52.5. His rushing grade actually significantly helped his overall grade, as his passing grade was a paltry 48.5. He was most successful in the screen game and surprisingly scored higher on non-play action passes as opposed to play-action. On passes 20+ yard beyond the line of scrimmage, Heinicke was just 2-of-15.
2024 outlook: Heinicke is under contract for 2024, but the team can save $7 million by cutting him. While Heinicke has shown he can be a decent backup, that money savings has to be tempting for a team that will likely revamp the position completely, especially with a new coaching staff entering the picture. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Heinicke back on the free agent market in the spring.
In 2023: Two of DC’s top three receivers in 2023 stuck in the NFL in Chris Blair and Jackson. Jackson was signed and released by the Vikings a few times during the season, but he persevered and ended up signing to the 53-man roster at the end of the season. He had been elevated twice to the gameday roster before that. In total, Jackson played in three games on the season.
What PFF tells us: In an odd coincidence, Jackson played one offensive snap in each of the three games he played. His PFF grade was 57.5 in those three opportunities. He played two of those snaps in the slot. Jackson also played on special teams, mostly as a blocker on return teams. Specifically, 19 of his 32 snaps came on kick returns.
2024 outlook: An ERFA in 2025, Jackson is under contract for 2024. His main roster signing came when injuries struck Minnesota’s receiving corps, and that’s likely the best hope for Jackson to make an impact again this year.
TE Tyree Jackson, New York Giants (DC Defenders)
In 2023: Staying in the NFC East, Jackson was released by the Philadelphia Eagles at the end of training camp, only to sign with the practice squad of the rival Giants the next day. Jackson was elevated twice in November when starting TE Darren Waller was injured. He was then promoted prior to the last game of the season.
What PFF tells us: Eighteen snaps is all Jackson played across those two games. Every snap was on offense, as he did not play special teams. He saw three snaps from the slot; the rest were in-line. His PFF grade was just 46.8. A blocker on 13 of those 18 snaps, Jackson did not see any targets in the pass game.
2024 outlook: The Giants can save $1 million if they release Jackson, who becomes a restricted free agent in 2025. No one at the position is scheduled for free agency for New York, so if Jackson is back in camp, he’ll have to leap a few players ahead of him on the depth chart.
OT Jaryd Jones-Smith, Washington Commanders (St. Louis Battlehawks)
In 2023: Jones-Smith protected the blind side of QB AJ McCarron with the Battlehawks, earning him a look with the Washington Commanders. He signed for training camp but was let go at final cuts. Soon after, he was scooped up for their practice squad, where he remained all season. He never got a call-up for a gameday activation.
2024 outlook: Curiously enough, Jones-Smith has yet to sign a futures deal with the Commanders. Usually that’s a no-brainer for someone who spent the entire season on the practice squad. Did Jones-Smith heed his XFL head coach’s advice in spurning a futures contract to play spring football? We’ll find out soon enough.
DE Niko Lalos, New Orleans Saints (Seattle Sea Dragons)
In 2023: If the XFL had been a feeder league for the NFL, it would’ve operated similarly to the trajectory of Lalos’s 2022 and 2023: Lalos was signed to the practice squad of the Saints the same day he was drafted by the Sea Dragons. He proceeded to not sign a futures contract at the end of the year, instead starting all 11 games (including the playoffs) with Seattle. With that experience under his belt, he was re-signed by the Saints for 2023. He spent the entirety of the season on the practice squad, without a gameday call-up.
2024 outlook: Lalos signed a futures deal with the Saints. He hasn’t played an NFL regular season game in three years and his time is likely running out to make an impact in the league. Luckily, he’d have several suitors in the UFL if he were to choose that route.
DT LaCale London, Atlanta Falcons (St. Louis Battlehawks)
In 2023: The second XFL 2023 player to be signed to a 53-man roster after P Daniel Whelan made the Green Bay Packers out of training camp, London began the season on Atlanta’s practice squad. He was signed to the active roster in late October and in his first game as a permanent member of the team, suffered an injury that landed him on short-term injured reserve. London returned in mid-December for the last few weeks. For the year, he played in seven games, making 13 tackles (six solo, seven assist) and two tackles for loss.
What PFF tells us: London’s PFF grade on the season was 65.9, aided by a stellar run defense grade of 72.5. His season-high snaps in a game was 41 in week eight against the Tennessee Titans – also his worst-graded game at 34.8. The total was 204 defensive snaps, with nine on special teams on the XP/FG block team. Digging deeper, London played all of his snaps but one on the interior of the defensive line (broken down as 83 in the “A” gap on the nose, and 120 in the “B” gap). He even dropped back into coverage twice. Of his tackles, nine were considered “stops,” defined as “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense.”
2024 outlook: Atlanta found a talented depth piece in London. With the same coaches in 2024, London would have a real shot to make the roster out of camp. Instead, a new staff will be ushered in and London, as with so many others on the bubble, will have to prove himself all over again.
OT Storm Norton, Atlanta Falcons (Los Angeles Wildcats)
In 2023: After struggling in his last few seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Norton found refuge with the Falcons. He had to work to make the team in training camp, earning a backup swing tackle role similar to that in which he played with the Chargers. Norton was called upon for three starts to fill in when right tackle Kaleb McGary suffered an injury. He played in 14 of the team’s 17 games in 2023.
What PFF tells us:Norton bottomed out with a 43.0 grade last season, but shot up to a 68.3 this year. He played 283 snaps, five as an extra blocker on the offensive line, and saw action on an additional 53 snaps on the field goal/extra point protection team. Over the course of 153 pass blocking snaps, Norton allowed just one sack and five hurries, for a pass block efficiency of 97.6 (out of 100). That would’ve put him in the top 10 in the league in that category if he had enough snaps to qualify. On the offensive line, all of his snaps but two occurred at right tackle – the other two he filled in at left tackle. Norton committed just one penalty all season.
2024 outlook: Norton is an unrestricted free agent this off-season. In other words, it was a good time for him to have a good year. In normal circumstances, he’d be likely to re-sign with Atlanta (especially with a reasonable price tag: He made just over $1 million last year, so even with a raise he won’t break the bank). As mentioned many times already throughout this piece, though, new coaches will be brought in, and as an offensive lineman, his future is dependent upon what blocking scheme will be used. His full-time starting days are probably over, but Norton can carve out a nice career as the first offensive tackle off the bench.
OT Barry Wesley, Atlanta Falcons (Seattle Sea Dragons)
In 2023: The former Colorado State walk-on started six of eight games played for the Sea Dragons. He was among the first wave of XFL players to sign into the NFL in May. After signing to the practice squad to begin the season, Wesley was placed on practice squad injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. It was apparently a serious one, because he spent all year on IR.
2024 outlook: Brought back on a futures contract after the season, Wesley will be back to battle for a job in training camp. How quickly he can recover from the injury and get back into football shape may determine how long he sticks around.
