As 2019 comes to a close, and the XFL mini camps have all wrapped up, it’s time to take a serious look at more of the Roughnecks roster going into training camp which starts on January 4th and ends with roster cuts on January 22nd in anticipation of the upcoming season. We’ve already taken a look at the Quarterback position and looked at a number of the Wide Receivers and Running Backs that Head Coach June Jones will have to build up offensive firepower this season. This third in a series of articles takes a better look at some of the players in the trenches who will determine success or failure at the line of scrimmage on offense. The fourth article will be devoted to the Roughnecks defensive depth chart.
Wide Receiver Corps: We’ve already introduced some of the great WR’s that the Roughnecks have added to their roster, including NFL veterans such as Sammie Coates and Jalen Saunders, but this organization has stocked up with an entire WR corps that will no doubt provide additional explosive capabilities to the Roughnecks offense. Players such as Blake Jackson, a DIII national champion and All-American at Mary Hardin-Baylor will move over from QB to WR. Another well-known receiver is Kahlil Lewis from the University of Cincinnati. WR’s such as Rhyeem Malone from Louisiana-Lafayette bring experience, having been with the Indianapolis Colts in minicamp, and Tim Wilson out of East Stroudsburg (PA) also brings additional experience having been in camp with the Philadelphia Eagles. Other receivers such as Sam Mobley are coming over from the Alliance of American Football (AAF) having played with the Salt Lake Stallions. As I mentioned in my previous article, Cam Phillips and Hunter Sharp have NFL playing time with the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, respectively. The Roughnecks wide receiver corps is well stocked and will no doubt be fully ready to roll come January 4th in preparation for what many people expect to be a high-powered, high scoring offense.
Offensive Line: While many of the offensive “skill” players normally get the credit for great plays and scoring touchdowns, the success or failure of every single play starts on the O Line, and Roughnecks have amassed a strong depth chart at these positions. The O Line will be anchored with Ryan Anderson at Center; Anderson enjoyed a very successful career at Wake Forest and spent time with the Miami Dolphins organization before being drafted by the Roughnecks. Another lineman with connections to the NFL is OT Gerhard de Beer from the University of Arizona. De Beer is originally from South Africa and came to the United States in order to play American football. De Beer had time with the Green Bay Packers and brings that NFL playing time with him to the Roughnecks O Line. Other linemen including Nick Callender out of Colorado State, Terry Poole out of my alma mater San Diego State, Demetrius Rhaney from Tennessee State and Toby Weathersby from LSU all bring AAF playing experience to the Roughnecks. Further connections between the Roughnecks O Line include Avery Jordan out of New Mexico (younger brother to DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets), Kelvin Palmer from Baylor and Demetrius Rhaney all have played at one time in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, which of course is where Coach Jones came from before accepting the head coaching job with the Roughnecks. There is no doubt that the Roughnecks will have a strong O Line ready to go by February 8th and the depth chart is deep and experienced at the professional level.
