With cutdown day on the horizon, there’s been somewhat of a “calm before the storm” sense with the few XFL transactions that have taken place over the last few days. Before this period, the Defenders were very active both in free agency and the trade market, having a league-leading three trades. The following is a rundown of the D.C. Defenders’ trades (so far):
Roughnecks trades
D.C. made two separate trades with the Roughnecks last weekend. The first one sent LB Caliph Brice to Houston in exchange for OL Sam Cooper. You can read more about it here. On Sunday, @XFL_PR on Twitter announced that the Defenders swapped DT Josh Avery with the Roughnecks for DE Tariqious Tisdale.
TRANSACTION: The Houston Roughnecks and D.C. Defenders have announced a trade.
Tisdale, the JUCO product, played his freshman season at Northwest Mississippi CC before transferring to Ole Miss in 2018. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 12 games tallying 33 tackles, including three for a loss and one sack. He put up similar figures during his junior year before injuries limited him to just 11 games combined in his senior and super-senior seasons.
The Lexington, KY native signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in May 2022 but couldn’t stick. In November, the Roughnecks selected Tisdale in the seventh round of the Defensive Front Seven Phase of the XFL Draft.
Sadly, we’ll never know where he’d be now had it not been for the nagging injuries that plagued his upperclassmen years. But his 6-5 290lbs frame and 35 ¼ ” arms, accompanied by his athleticism, make him an intriguing prospect off the edge for the Defenders. Having said that, his tackling woes and unfamiliarity with DC Gregg Williams’ 4-3 scheme could hold him back and be the reason he’ll be no more than a reserve with D.C.
Trade with Arlington
On Monday, the Defenders dealt WR Zimari Manning to the Arlington Renegades for DB Cameron Lewis.
At 6-1 195lbs, Lewis could be potent in stopping the run while providing a physical presence in pass coverage at the strong safety position for D.C.
He had a slow first two years at LSU after redshirting in 2016. Though he played in all 15 games during the 2019 season when the Tigers won the national championship, his production was limited and even took a hit the following year. That all changed in 2021. Granted one more year of eligibility due to Covid, he made the best of it as he racked up 55 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
The undrafted free agent has worked out with multiple NFL squads but was never signed by one, making the XFL the perfect league for an athlete like Lewis to make a name for himself.
