The following is a team-by-team recap of UFL free-agency signings from Jan. 22 and 23. Please note that this will not include players protected going into the Dispersal Draft process who have “agreed to terms” with the UFL, or players selected during one of the Dispersal Drafts who have “agreed to terms” with the UFL – as these players have already been listed on their respective teams’ rosters and do not fit under the category of free-agent signings.
Arlington Renegades
LB Marquel Lee
WR Matt Landers
OT Noah Henderson
DT Trevon Coley
Marquel Lee, out of Wake Forest, was selected in the fifth round by the Oakland Raiders in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was productive with the Raiders through his first two seasons of professional football – recording 93 tackles, including five for a loss, in 29 games. Unfortunately, Lee couldn’t build on his early NFL success – missing most of the 2019 season due to a season-ending injury before being released in 2020 with a failed physical. He has since had two stints with the Buffalo Bills and a separate stint with the Raiders in 2021.
Matt Landers saw limited action through four years at the University of Georgia before moving to Toledo in 2021. With the Rockets, he made 20 catches for 514 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games. Following the season, he transferred again to the University of Arkansas for his final year of eligibility. Landers burst onto the scene with the Razorbacks in 2022 – leading them with 47 catches for 901 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games. The speedster ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine, posting a 4.37.
Noah Henderson reunites with some of his former collegiate teammates by joining the Renegades, who recently also signed former East Carolina quarterback Holton Ahlers and wide receiver Isaiah Winstead. Henderson earned the starting right tackle job with the Pirates midway through his sophomore season and remained in the role through his final collegiate year in 2022. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent last year.
Trevon Coley recorded 80 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and 2.5 sacks in two seasons with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic. Coley, who was a starter during much of his second season with the Browns in 2018, was surprisingly waived by Cleveland less than a year later as part of final roster cutdowns and has since bounced around six different NFL organizations.
Outlooks: Lee and Coley both bring valuable NFL starting experience to the Renegades’ defensive unit. While it has been a couple of years since they have seen live-game action, they get the opportunity to resurrect their professional careers in the UFL. Meanwhile, Landers and Henderson are two young additions for Arlington on offense and can continue developing while putting out tape.
Birmingham Stallions
CB Ike Brown
Ike Brown was a shutdown corner with the New Orleans Breakers in 2022 – recording 14 tackles and two interceptions, including a pick-six, in seven games. Following the season, he signed with the Oakland Raiders, where he stuck around on their practice squad for about a year. During his collegiate career, Brown spent four seasons at Florida International from 2016 to 2019 – totaling 102 tackles, 29 passes defended, and five interceptions in 41 career games.
Outlooks: Brown will be in the running to fill one of the Stallions’ open cornerback spots, with both of last year’s starters not returning. Birmingham has also brought in 2022 All-USFL cornerback Channing Stribling and former Baylor standout cornerback Mark Milton, among others, to compete for starting jobs.
D.C. Defenders
RB Darius Hagans
WR Trea Shropshire
LB Ferrod Gardner
DB Sam Kidd
OG Sadarius Hutcherson
Darius Hagans, Trea Shropshire, and Sam Kidd were all acquired by the Defenders via free agency on Jan. 22. Ferrod Gardner, who wasn’t on the Defenders’ roster before Monday, re-signed with the team following a stint over the summer with the Washington Commanders. I already recapped each of these signings in a previous article.
Sadarius Hutcherson was a three-year starter at South Carolina on the offensive line from 2018 to 2020. He closed out his collegiate career with Second-Team All-SEC honors for his redshirt senior-season performance, which saw him log a 78.0 PFF pass-blocking grade and a 72.8 PFF run-blocking grade on 669 snaps. He landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent but suffered a torn ACL during the preseason.
Outlooks: Hutcherson has a hefty 6-6 320 lbs frame, which he uses to his advantage in the trenches. He adds depth to a Defenders’ offensive line that allowed a league-best 10 sacks in 2023.
Houston Roughnecks
QB Nolan Henderson
WR Steven Dunbar Jr.
OT Brandon Haskin
OC Braylon Jones
LB Ayinde Eley
LB Marvin Moody
CB Shahman Moore
Nolan Henderson threw for 6,429 yards and 56 touchdowns over his five-year collegiate career at Delaware. He was a two-time All-CAA selection and entered his final collegiate season in 2022 on the Walter Payton Watch List – coming off a season-ending abdominal injury that limited him to just four games in 2021. The dual-threat also ran for 418 yards and eight touchdowns in his collegiate career. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent last year but was released after about a month.
Steven Dunbar Jr. joins the Roughnecks from the CFL’s Edmonton Elks, where he recorded 39 catches for 536 yards and five touchdowns last season. Before that, Dunbar was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for two seasons and earned 2022 CFL East All-Star honors. He was also on the Dallas Renegades in 2020 but saw no action due to injury.
Brandon Haskin started six games with the New Jersey Generals last USFL season – helping to create holes for one of the league’s best rushing attacks. He also played for the Seattle Dragons in 2020 – appearing in three games on special teams. The football veteran started his collegiate career at Independence Community College back in 2009 before transferring to Tennessee State after two seasons.
Braylon Jones signed with the Arizona Cardinals after starting six games with the Houston Gamblers in 2023. Jones appeared in 11 games as a true freshman at the University of Houston before becoming a full-time starter with the Cougars in the following season. As a starter on the interior offensive line, he allowed just four sacks on 2,553 snaps over the next four seasons.
Ayinde Eley spent three seasons at Maryland to begin his collegiate career – totaling 111 tackles, including five for a loss, in 25 games. Following his redshirt junior season, Eley transferred to Georgia Tech, where he became an instant starter. He racked up a staggering 208 tackles, including 13 for a loss, four forced fumbles, and three sacks over 23 games with the Yellow Jackets. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors for his redshirt senior performance in 2022.
Marvin Moody spent training camp with the St. Louis Battlehawks last year but was released as part of final roster cutdowns. Moody logged 243 tackles, including 19 for a loss, and four sacks in 59 games over his five-year career at Tulane. He went undrafted in 2022.
Shahman Moore was claimed by the Orlando Guardians over the summer but came out of the UFL Dispersal Draft process as a free agent. Moore spent his collegiate career at three different schools, starting at El Camino Community College for three years, then transferring to Washington State for a season where he didn’t appear in any games, and then moving to West Florida for his final season of eligibility – posting 15 tackles and one pass defended in 10 games. He was most recently with the IFL’s Arizona Wranglers.
Outlooks: Dunbar highlights this group of free-agency signings with his recent success in the CFL. Henderson joins the Roughnecks as their third quarterback and will compete against returning starter Kenji Bahar and newcomer Jarrett Guarantano during training camp. On the offensive line, Haskin has experience at all five spots, while Jones is fresh off an NFL stint.
Defensively, Eley stands out as a promising linebacker out of Georgia Tech but will need to prove himself during training camp if he wants to be part of the Roughnecks’ stacked linebacker mix led by Reuben Foster. The same goes for Moody as a linebacker and Moore in the secondary.
Memphis Showboats
S Antonio Reed
Antonio Reed re-signed with the Showboats after initially signing with the New Jersey Generals during USFL free agency. The Memphis native recorded 30 tackles and one interception in five starts with the Showboats during the 2023 season. He had similar production with the Tampa Bay Bandits during the previous USFL season – totaling 29 tackles. Reed spent his four-year collegiate career at the University of Nebraska from 2015 to 2018.
Outlooks: Reed’s experience in the Showboats’ system under defensive coordinator Carnell Lake should give him a leg up on the competition during training camp.
Michigan Panthers
QB E.J. Perry
E.J. Perry joined the Panthers late during the 2023 USFL season and got his first start in a game where the stakes couldn’t be higher, as Michigan needed a win in its regular-season finale to make the playoffs. In the game, Perry threw for 121 yards and scored a six-yard rushing touchdown during the fourth quarter, which was the difference-maker in the Panthers’ 23-20 playoff-clinching victory. In the next game, the USFL North Championship, Perry threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers fell in overtime to the eventual 2023 USFL runner-ups.
Outlooks: Perry had stints with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars over the offseason but is now back with the Panthers. He is ready to see what he can do with a complete cycle of training camp and games.
San Antonio Brahmas
QB Reid Sinnett
DE Delontae Scott
CB Mac McCain III
Reid Sinnett appeared in just one contest with the Brahmas last year – starting against the Renegades during week five of the 2023 XFL season. In the game, Sinnett threw for 97 yards and one touchdown. Following the season, he spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Delontae Scott was an All-XFL linebacker and a vital piece on the Brahmas’ shutdown defensive unit in 2023 – totaling 36 tackles and 7.5 sacks in eight games. Following the season, he earned an opportunity with the Atlanta Falcons but was released during final-roster cutdowns. Scott spent his five-year collegiate career at Southern Methodist – capping it off with a redshirt senior campaign that saw him post an impressive 39 tackles, including 18 for a loss, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 13 games. His performance earned him 2019 Second-Team All-AAC honors.
Mac McCain III was a standout at North Carolina A&T for three seasons. His best year came as a true freshman, solely due to the fact that his two other impressive seasons were cut short due to season-ending injuries. Regardless, he earned All-MEAC honors in all three seasons he played for the Aggies. His school also canceled its 2020 season due to Covid, which would’ve been his senior campaign. In just 20 collegiate career games, he totaled a staggering 113 tackles, 30 passes defended, and eight interceptions, including four pick-sixes. McCain has spent time with four different NFL organizations since going undrafted in 2021.
Outlooks: Sinnett joins a six-person quarterback room and will also need to learn a new system with former Roughnecks offensive coordinator A.J. Smith taking over.
Defensively, McCain is an extremely promising HBCU prospect and has potential to be an impact player in San Antonio’s secondary if he can stay healthy. Meanwhile, Scott is a key retention for the Brahmas from last season, but he will need to learn a new system with former Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips now at the helm.
St Louis Battlehawks
K Andre Szmyt
Andre Szmyt was a Unanimous All-American kicker and the 2018 Lou Groza Award recipient as a redshirt freshman at Syracuse. Szymt is Syracuse’s all-time leader in points (454) and career-field goals made (85). He is also the most accurate kicker in program history – converting on 81% of his career field goals. The two-time All-ACC selection landed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but was released during training camp.
Outlooks: Szymt is currently the only kicker on the Battlehawks’ roster, and that likely won’t change – considering his pedigree.
