Tag: brandon reilly

XFL Week 4: Former Bills WR Brandon Reilly stock rises while others fall

Recap of former Buffalo Bills players in the XFL from Week 4 of action.

After not really being an impact player for the St. Louis Battlehawks early in this XFL season, former Bills preseason standout receiver Brandon Reilly had his best game-to-date this past weekend.

Reilly was second on his team with two catches for 25 yards, while also notching one carry for three yards last week. Prior to that, he hadn’t been featured on their offense. In Week 4, he followed that up with three catches for 46 yards on five targets. He had one nice grab along the sidelines, too:

Reilly’s efforts helped his team top the Seattle Dragons 23-16. In that outing, another former Bills receiver, Austin Proehl, had a down game with one catch for one yard on five targets. Proehl has proven to be up-and-down in the XFL.

On the positive side for Seattle, former Bills tight end Evan Rodriguez only had one catch for the second-straight week. This time it went for a 10-yard touchdown, though.

In other wideout down-swing news, the league’s best wideout through three weeks was Cam Phillips and for the first time in a Houston Roughnecks game, he was relatively ineffective. On three targets, Phillips only had one catch for nine yards.  He’s already a two-time XFL Player of the Week, but he did enter the game with an ankle injury. His team stayed undefeated with a win over the Dallas Renegades, 27-20.

In some of the most disappointing XFL news from Week 4, the DC Defenders and former Bill Cardale Jones were bad once again. After starting the year as a potential MVP candidate, they’ve lost their past two games and were shutout 25-0 this week against the Tampa Bay Vipers. Rashad Ross, who had a cup of tea with the Bills, had three catches for 18 yards but Jones didn’t complete many passes. He was 9-for-22 passing for 72 yards with an interception. Defensively, Sharmarko Thomas had three tackles for the Defenders while linebacker AJ Tarpley added another six.

XFL Week 3: Is former Bills WR Cam Phillips the league’s best?

Former Buffalo Bills player roundup recap of from the XFL’s Week 3.

In our Week 2 XFL recap of former Buffalo Bills players, we had Cam Phillips and Cardale Jones lead the way. Both were big stories again in Week 3, but they’re trending in different directions now.

Phillips is currently the Jerry Rice of the XFL. Yes, the former Bill is probably the best receiver the league is seeing and he’s going to get calls for NFL training camps after the season. Jones is still one of the better quarterbacks the XFL has, but he came back down to earth after two big games.

Here’s your full breakdown of former Bills players from the XFL’s third week of action:

Feb 22, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Cam Phillips. Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports

Phillips is leading the XFL in receiving yards after three weeks, averaging more than 100 yards per game. He has 324. Nelson Spruce of the LA Wildcats has 256, good for second in the league, so Phillips has a sizable edge.

In Week 3, Phillips once again… yes, once again, scored three times. He scored three times once already this season, so he has more three-touchdown games than non-three score games this season. That’s impressive.

His eight catches on 10 targets for 194 yards and three scores helped the Houston Roughnecks hang onto their undefeated record. They topped the Tampa Bay Vipers, 34-27.

The Roughnecks are the lone undefeated team left because Jones’ DC Defenders lost and lost big. The Wildcats topped them 39-9 and Jones was not good. On 26 pass attempts, Jones only completed half of his passes for 103 yards. He also had a whopping four interceptions.

Not only was it the Defenders’ first loss of the season, it was the first time Jones lost a football game since high school after his brief Ohio State and non-existent NFL career, to this point.

While Jones struggled for the Defenders, another former Bill semi-stood out as tight end Khari Lee was his leading receiver with three catches for 38 yards. Along with Jones, his struggles transferred over to Malachi Dupre, as the wideout who had one catch in Week 2, was held without a target in Week 3. Defensively, safety Shamarko Thomas had two tackles for the Defenders as well.

DC Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Out in Seattle with the Dragons, another former Bill wide receiver had a good game, a bounce-back one of sorts. Austin Proehl scored the first touchdown in the XFL’s season in Week 1 then was quiet in Week 2. This past weekend he led his team with six catches for 81 yards with a touchdown. That brought him to 168 yards on the season, making him the No. 5 target in the league, in terms of receiving yards.

In addition to Proehl, former Bills tight end Evan Rodriguez had one catch for Seattle as well in their 24-12 loss to the Dallas Renegades.

Wrapping things up in St. Louis with the Battlehawks, they topped the New York Guardians 29-9. Former Bills wide receiver Brandon Reilly finally made an impact on a game in St. Louis’ first home game. Reilly was second on his team with two catches for 25 yards, while also notching one carry for three yards.

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Former Bills make mark in XFL’s opening weekend

Here’s how several former Buffalo Bills fared in the opening week of XFL action.

The second edition of the XFL has given an opportunity for several former Bills to continue their professional football journey. A few of the players who frequented Buffalo’s roster in the past made some history in the XFL this weekend.

Here’s how several former Bills players fared in the opening week of XFL action:

DC Defenders

DC Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Defenders had several familiar faces to those who have suited up with the Bills over the past number of years. Quarterback Cardale Jones made the most of his time on the field, going 16-of-26 passing for 235 yards and a passer rating of 116.7. He also rushed the ball nine times for 28 yards. 

Former practice squad candidate Tyree Jackson played sparingly, rushing the ball once for five yards and not throwing a pass during the game. His brief time on the field was mostly a change-of-space for the Defenders offense. 

Tight end Khari Lee and wide receiver Malachi Dupree were involved in the aerial attack. Dupre caught two passes for 14 receiving yards. Lee, who played primarily as a blocking tight end for the Bills, was on the receiving end of a 39-yard touchdown reception which was a trick play also involving Jones: 

Former Buffalo prospects were also on display on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker A.J. Tarpley, who retired from the NFL in 2015 due to concerns about concussions, returned to the field in the AAF and continues his comeback in the XFL. He registered five total tackles on the day. Cornerback Bradley Sylve returned an interception for a touchdown as well:

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Which former Bills players are on XFL rosters?

Former Buffalo Bills players on XFL roster.

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, which means the start of the new XFL will soon follow.

The re-born, eight-team league starts a 10-week season on Feb. 8, just a few days following Super Bowl LIV.

On the team rosters released on Monday, there are some recognizable names from the recent memory of the Buffalo Bills.

Here’s a quick rundown of former Bills players suiting up for the XFL:

DC Defenders

Buffalo Bills quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

QB Cardale Jones

Cardale Jones was a bit of a surprising mid-round pick by the Bills, a fourth rounder in 2016. He was a lightning rod when he “played school” at Ohio State, appearing in minimal games, but winning a national title. With the Bills, he never made an impact, appearing in one game in 2016 and tossing an interception. He briefly followed former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the Los Angeles Chargers after his one season in Buffalo.

QB Tyree Jackson

Tyree Jackson was surprisingly a cut by the Bills before their most recent season, but it was probably the right call. He signed a max-UDFA contract, and the extremely raw prospect out of the University of Buffalo didn’t make many inspiring plays in the preseason and the Bills cut him.

S Shamarko Thomas

A fourth-round pick out of Syracuse by the Steelers in 2014, Thomas joined the Jets after his rookie contract expired in 2017. They cut him that September, and soon after he joined the Bills, playing a backup and special teams role. He jumped around to the Colts and Broncos after and then signed with the New York Guardians, only to be traded to the DC Defenders just last week.

WR Malachi Dupre

While only 24, Malachi Dupre jumped around a lot of practice squads, including the Bills in 2017 and 2018. As a 2017 seventh rounder by the Packers, he also jumped around to the Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals and Chargers.

OL De’Ondre Wesley

De’Ondre Wesley also only saw time on the Bills practice squad, but had two tenures there. First from 2017 to early in 2018, before returning in the 2019 offseason. He was waived with an injury settlement last August.

TE Khari Lee

As a backup tight end, Khari Lee was known more for his blocking ability rather than his pass-catching skills. He was on Buffalo’s roster from 2016-2018 and was active on game day 18 times, but only hauled in one catch for five yards in his final season with the Bills.

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