As NFL free agency begins to heat up, players who hoped to better their stock by playing in the XFL are now looking to cash in on their risk.
The league, which prematurely concluded its season last week due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has informed players that they are free to sign with NFL teams if they so choose, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
As first-and-second-tier free agents begin to ink deals with new franchises this week, teams may start to look to XFL alumni to add competition to their roster.
Though the Buffalo Bills have wasted no time in adding elite talent to its roster this offseason, there are a few XFL veterans who could prove to be interesting and valuable additions.
Here are five former XFL players that the Bills should pursue.
QB P.J. Walker
When put up against fellow NFL rejects and cast outs, P.J. Walker shined.
He was dubbed ‘the Patrick Mahomes of the XFL’ by many, finishing the inaugural XFL season with a 65 percent completion percentage and a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Walker dominated the XFL news cycle throughout the entirety of the season, leading the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 start. Had the league been able to conclude its campaign, Walker likely would have been named MVP at year’s end.
He was the reason why many people tuned into the XFL each and every week. Despite this, don’t expect the 25-year-old to continue his stretch of dominance should he ultimately land on an NFL roster. Walker is a talented quarterback who showed exceptional athleticism and intelligence throughout his short stint in the XFL.
He did so, however, when facing off against teams made up of NFL camp bodies and those looking to prolong their professional football careers. Walker, himself, was once an NFL camp body, spending the 2017, 2018, and 2019 preseasons with the Indianapolis Colts, never making the team’s 53-man roster.
Walker undoubtedly showed upside in the XFL, but it’s important to note the context in which he showed this upside. Though he was the best player in the spring league by a longshot, don’t expect an NFL team to bring him in and allow him to compete for its starting quarterback job.
Though it’s unrealistic to expect the uncrowned XFL MVP to win a starting job in the NFL anytime soon, he’s still an incredibly intriguing option for teams looking to improve their quarterback room.
This is why Buffalo should have some interest.
The Bills currently have just three quarterbacks on their roster – Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, and Davis Webb, a now fourth-year signal-caller who spent the 2019 season on Buffalo’s practice squad. Though one could argue that Walker would not be an upgrade at the bottom of the depth chart, his play-style makes the idea of his addition intriguing,
Walker is an instinctive quarterback. Throughout the XFL season, he consistently showed confidence in the face of pressure and wasn’t afraid to improvise when plays broke down, often using his athleticism to buy time for a receiver to get open or to simply pick up yardage with his legs.
Though one would never physically mistake the 5-foot-11 Walker for the 6-foot-5 Allen, the impromptu nature of both of their games is what makes Walker a potential fit in the Bills’ offense.
Walker is at least more instinctive and athletic than Barkley, a relatively immobile passer who failed to impress in limited action last season. Though Webb is far from a poor athlete, he lacks the on-the-fly decision-making ability that made Walker the player that he was in the XFL.
Given his instinctive nature and underrated arm strength, Walker is perhaps more similar to Allen than either Barkley or Webb, something that would allow Buffalo’s offense to continue in rhythm should Allen ever be forced to leave the field for an extended period of time.
The Bills’ offense, at times, benefits from Allen’s improvisation. Having a backup quarterback who is capable of an at-least similar level of impromptu play certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea.
There’s no risk in allowing Walker to compete for the Bills’ backup quarterback job. If he’s unable to supplant Barkley and Webb on the depth chart, Buffalo can release him at the end of the preseason – no harm, no foul.
If he ultimately wins the team’s backup role, however, he’d be a high-upside safety net that would allow the team’s offense to semi-normally operate in the event of an Allen injury.