The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed more XFL players than any other team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed more former XFL players than any other team in the league.
Wide receiver Saeed Blacknall became the sixth player inked to the Steelers from the now-defunct league on Monday.
Blacknall joins offensive tackle Jarron Jones, defensive tackle Cavon Walker, defensive tackle Dewayne Hendrix, safety Tyree Kinnel and long snapper/linebacker Christian Kuntz.
There will be more XFL players who sign NFL deals and get a look in training camp — so far there have been 15. When the Alliance of American Football folded in 2019, more than 50 players signed NFL contracts, but less than half ended up making a team’s roster or practice squad.
So, why are the Steelers attracted to the league’s former players?
Due to the scouting restrictions and challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, post-draft college free agency is going to be chaotic, which is partially why general manager Kevin Colbert was a proponent of expanding the 2020 NFL Draft by three rounds — a suggestion that was shot down by the NFL.
Colbert feels more comfortable in signing former XFL players because of access to medicals, game footage, and recent scouting reports.
“It was good that [XFL] players are made available to us because going through this draft as we are with some limited information, that could curtail some of the college free agents that we’re able to sign just on a knowledge of who they are type basis,” Colbert said in a recent Steelers Nation Unite Huddle.
“So, knowing these players a little bit better, we feel it was important to add as many as we thought could help us in terms of being competitive players for training camp.”
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had signed former XFL defensive lineman Cavon Walker to a contract. Walker led the XFL with 4.5 sacks and should come in and compete for a roster spot right away.
Walker played his college ball at Maryland where he was known more as a run stopper. The addition of Walker puts him in competition with guys like Dan McCullers and Chris Wormley to be part of the Steelers defensive line rotation.
The addition of Walker brings the total number of former XFL players signed to the Steelers to five. It makes sense Pittsburgh would want to sign players with current game film and medical checks in a time when free agency is a challenge.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed their fourth XFL player to add depth to their roster
Mark Kaboly of The Athletic Pittsburgh reported that the Steelers are signing outside linebacker Christian Kuntz. Most recently, he was a long snapper for the XFL Dallas Renegades.
Steelers signing OLB Christian Kuntz, per a source. Kuntz went to Char Valley, Duquesne and most recently the XFL. He spent some time in camp with the Steelers last year.
Kuntz was part of the Steelers in the 2019 offseason and provided depth at OLB. He made five tackles and a sack in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
An LB at Duquesne University, Kuntz earned All-America honors three times. He added long snapper to his resume after graduating from Duquesne.
Kuntz entered the NFL in 2017 as a free agent with the New England Patriots. He also spent time with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The signing of Kuntz marks the fourth XFL player the Steelers have added. On Wednesday, Pittsburgh signed safety Tyree Kinnel, offensive tackle Jarron Jones, and defensive tackle Cavon Walker.
The Pittsburgh Steelers add depth to their lines via the XFL
The Steelers added depth both sides of the ball Wednesday with defensive tackle Cavon Walker and offensive tackle Jarron Jones, both formerly of the XFL New York Guardians.
The Steelers added more depth to their defensive line by signing XFL sack leader Cavon Walker to a one-year deal. Listed at 6-2, 284 pounds, Walker led the XFL with 4.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits as a member of the New York Guardians. The Maryland… https://t.co/EWINaSNRjT
Jones spent time with several NFL teams, most notably the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills.
Depth at the interior of the Steelers defensive line was thin after losing nose tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh previously added defensive lineman Chris Wormley via a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Now that XFL players are free to sign with NFL rosters, here are five players the Buffalo Bills should pursue.
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.
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.
