Two questions each non-playoff team should seek to answer in the next two weeks, with an eye toward 2025

After eight weeks of UFL action, the four playoff teams are set. Enough will be written about them over the next several weeks that I wanted to instead focus on those teams that have been eliminated from championship contention. With two games left, all they’re playing for is pride.

These final weeks give them an opportunity to look ahead to 2025. It’s never too early to self-scout and evaluate the players already on your roster. Who will be back in 2024? What positions need to be improved the most in the off-season? These are some of the questions Houston, Memphis, D.C. and Arlington could look to answer over the next fortnight.

Individually, though, each team has specific areas to address with an eye toward next season. Here are two questions the non-playoff teams should be looking to answer in their final two contests.

Houston Roughnecks (1-7)

Is next year’s starting QB on the roster right now?

All three quarterbacks on Houston’s roster have earned playing time in 2024, and all three have had their moments. None has stood out above the others, however, in a way that locks them into the starting spot next season. Houston may decide to give all three a shot in the last two games as an audition for 2025. Playing two of the QBs for a half each this week against Michigan, and then playing two for a half against Memphis in the finale would be one way to evaluate these three.

Even if none of them prove to be starter material, it wouldn’t hurt to retain one or two as backups. The Roughnecks will still be playing to win as the season winds down, so even if they don’t give a share of playing time to each QB, the player they go with will tell us a lot about who they view as a possible starter for the future.

Is Curtis Johnson the right man to lead the Roughnecks in 2025?

Through two USFL seasons and one XFL season, no coach has been dismissed, at least publicly, solely for on-field performance reasons. Could that change this off-season? If so, the most likely to go may be Houston’s Curtis Johnson. His squad is the most penalized team in the league and teammates almost came to blows on the sideline a few weeks ago. The failures of the team don’t rest at Johnson’s feet completely – after all, Houston was projected by many, myself included, to be the worst team in the UFL this year. That may buy Johnson and general manager Lionel Vital another year to reshape the roster.

The fact that Johnson was 5-5 with the Houston Gamblers in 2023 is another mark in his favor to stick around. Despite being out of it, the Roughnecks put up a fight against Birmingham in week eight, showing that Johnson hasn’t lost the locker room. If they perform admirably again in weeks nine and ten, and perhaps even pick up a win or two, it could go a long way in helping league management make the decision to keep Johnson for another year.

Memphis Showboats (1-7)

Are the defensive problems attributable to personnel or defensive coordinator Carnell Lake?

When head coach John DeFilippo came to Memphis from New Orleans in the off-season, he retained Carnell Lake as his defensive coordinator. The results have not been pretty: The Showboats have given up the most average yards per game, and have given up over 30 points per game, six points more than the next closest team.

The Showboats’ roster is devoid of difference-makers on the defensive side of the ball. Even so, coordinators often take the fall in situations such as this. The fact that Lake was a hold-over from a previous regime makes it less likely he’ll be kept given the performance of the defense. As DeFilippo and general manager Dennis Polian begin to evaluate the roster, they may instead decide an infusion of talent is what’s needed most.

Is the franchise’s future in Memphis?

Granted, this isn’t a question that can be answered by the players or coaches. With two home games remaining in the last two weeks, will fans come out for a 1-7 team no longer in playoff contention? The Showboats have struggled drawing fans all season and when the topic of relocation comes up among fans, Memphis is usually at the top of the list.

There are extenuating circumstances at play here, including a potential owner rumored to be interested in buying the franchise. Until then, the league’s finances will dictate whether they can afford to wait to sell, or if they need to move the Showboats somewhere else so that it can become more viable. Whether fans show out over the final two weeks may help guide that decision.

D.C. Defenders (3-5)

How can the run game issues get solved?

After riding RB Abram Smith to a 9-1 record and a berth in the XFL Championship game last year, D.C.’s running game crashed to earth this season. The team is averaging just 80.5 yards per game on the ground, and 3.7 yards per carry. That lack of success in the run game has been a major contributor to the team’s 3-5 record. The reasons for this downturn are numerous: Smith’s injury; failing to adequately replace departed offensive linemen; negative game scripts forcing the team into throwing the ball more often than they’d like; a lack of D’Eriq King to open things up; and stronger defenses league-wide.

Getting a healthy Smith back in 2025 would be huge, but there’s no guarantee he returns. Cam’Ron Harris was tabbed to be the bell-cow back in Smith’s stead; he himself has seemingly been replaced as starter by Darius Hagans after struggling to the tune of 2.8 yards per rush. If both Jordan Ta’amu and Fred Kaiss are back next year, they’ll need to figure out a solution to the run game as that’s the key to making this offensive engine run. D.C. should be focused on running the ball and running the ball and running the ball the last two weeks to give them as much tape on the OL, RBs, and TEs to decide who stays and who needs to be replaced next year.

What to do about all of those missed tackles?

Similar to the run game, D.C.’s defense has not been the dominant force it was in 2023. They rank sixth in the UFL in total defense and last in rush defense, 120 yards behind the seventh place team. The Defenders also have the fewest takeaways after being one of the most opportunistic defenses in that category last year. The run D has been hampered by poor tackling – per Pro Football Focus, they have the second-most missed tackles in the league at 10 per game.

The amount of live tackling done in training camp is likely pretty low, but by this point in the season, players should be well-acclimated to the form required to bring down ball-carriers. What he has witnessed on the field in this department may help inform head coach Reggie Barlow about how to better structure preseason practices in the future. The next two games will be important for bubble guys – if they can show some tackling technique, it’ll give them a leg-up over some of their teammates when decisions are made about who to bring back in 2025.

Arlington Renegades

What’s the future at QB after Luis Perez?

This is not to say Perez won’t return next year. It’s possible he does. But Perez has his eyes on the NFL. He didn’t get any opportunities last year after winning the XFL Championship and if he doesn’t this year after posting the numbers he has, that could be an indication his NFL window has closed. Will Perez be content to ride out his days as the football version of a AAAA player in baseball, one who excels in the minors but doesn’t stick in the big leagues? Or will he want to move on to another phase of his life?

Perez will be 30 in August, ancient for spring football. He has two young, hungry quarterbacks nipping at his heels on the depth chart in Lindsey Scott, Jr. and Holton Ahlers. Scott has seen spot duty as a change-of-pace QB this season, while Ahlers has spent all eight games to this point as the emergency third quarterback. Will Arlington want to take a look at either of them in extended game action to prepare for the eventuality of life after Perez, whenever that day comes?

Why has the defense so drastically underperformed?

It’s understandable why Memphis and Houston are 1-7. Both teams have major deficiencies up and down their rosters. But Arlington, and specifically its defense, should be much better than it is. They are seventh in both passing and rushing defense. This with pass-rush mavens like former NFL first-round draft pick Vic Beasley and Willie Taylor. They have XFL 2023’s league leader in interceptions in Ajene Harris as well as the man who finished tied for second in Joe Powell. They have tackle machine Donald Payne at ILB.

The reality is, had a couple more bounces gone their way, this team could easily be approaching a .500 record and few would be pointing fingers at the very same defense. But when you’re 1-7, everyone is ripe for scrutiny. Defense is close to the heart of head coach Bob Stoops, who played defensive back in his salad days. It would help to end on a high note with that side of the ball tightening up over the final two weeks to give the coaching staff confidence things could change in 2025 without the need for a personnel – or coaching – overhaul.