Day one of the inaugural season of the new and improved XFL is in the books and it appears to be a raging success. While everyone was focused on former NFL quarterbacks, Cardale Jones and P.J. Walker lighting up the stat sheet, a few fans were recognizing names from Cleveland past.

Elijah Campbell

Most fans won’t remember Campbell. He was mostly just a camp body as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Iowa, but he is still young, has solid size and runs in the 4.3s. Campbell was lock-down in his XFL debut for the DC Defenders and recorded one tackle with two pass deflections. He also blocked a punt.

Sammie Coates

This one hurts. The Browns traded for the speedster in 2017 and I like many were excited to see what he would do, but the answer was nothing. He was released before the 2018 season. Coates hurt me once again as I saw his name listed as the number one for the Houston Roughnecks and I immediately slapped him in every daily lineup I had. Coates saw the most targets on the team with nine, but his inconsistent hands-only allowed him to snag two of those for 26 yards.

Blake Jackson

Jackson was a former fan favorite for the Browns during the 2018 training camp as the former division-three quarterback is an exciting athlete that displays a tireless work ethic and he was etched in as a starting receiver for the Houston Roughnecks. Jackson has a realistic skillset to make it back in the NFL, but Saturday was a rough showing; he did not show up on the stat sheet at all and had a pretty upsetting drop in the end zone.

Pepper Johnson

Johnson was not only a former Ohio State Buckeye but was also a linebacker for the Browns from 1993-1995. Although he has coached in the NFL, the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats provided Johnson his first defensive coordinator opportunity. The season opener was not kind to Johnson’s defense as the Houston Roughnecks pounded the Wildcats, 37-17.

Rahim Moore

Moore never suited up in an actual meaningful game for Cleveland, but most will remember his signing in 2016 and his surprising release right before the start of the season. At 29 years old, it is unrealistic for Moore to receive another NFL shot, but it is pretty cool to see his rare athleticism on display as he notched the first interception in XFL history.

Gabe Wright

Like Moore, Wright is likely not going to receive another shot in the NFL, but the former Browns defender was able to tally a tackle and a pass deflection for the Houston Roughnecks in the season opener. Wright was in Cleveland during the 2016 and was released before the 2017 season.

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