Tag: Longhorns in the XFL

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson becomes part owner of XFL

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, Gerry Cardinale, and RedBird Capital Partners have teamed up to buy the XFL for $15 million. 

The XFL was five weeks through their “rebirth” season before the league was shut down due to COVID-19. One month later, the league’s parent company, Alpha Entertainment LLC, filed for bankruptcy, leaving the XFL without an owner.

Insert Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is now a minority owner in the league.

Johnson, his business partner Dany Garcia, Gerry Cardinale, and RedBird Capital Partners have teamed up to buy the XFL for $15 million.

“The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things — my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans,” Johnson said.

Four former Longhorns played in the XFL last season, spanning across three different teams.

Defensive end Cedric Reed and guard Patrick Vahe played for the Los Angeles Wildcats, while Kent Perkins was a starting guard for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Wide receiver Jerrod Heard wrapped up former Texas players in the league, playing for the Dallas Renegades.

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With XFL now cancelled, what’s next for former Longhorns?

Now that the XFL has followed suit and cancelled their season, what could be the next stop for three former Texas Longhorns?

The XFL was part of every major sports league that cancelled their season due to the outbreak. The XFL released a statement on the cancellation.

It was a great gesture by the league to pay their players the base salary plus benefits despite the league cancelling the remainder of their first season. With their season now in the books, what is in the future for the three former Texas Longhorns who were still on active rosters?

Cedric Reed and Patrick Vahe of the Los Angeles Wildcats and Kent Perkins of the St Louis Battlehawks will now have an opportunity to get another shot at the NFL if a team should look their way for training camp rosters in the 2020-21 NFL seasons.

Vahe was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens following the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent the entire offseason and training camp with the team prior to the beginning of the season. He was a roster cut casualty before being picked up the following October for the XFL Draft. He should garner some interest this offseason.

Perkins was a part of the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals as part of their practice squad, moving up to the active roster late in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He, much like Vahe, was an undrafted free agent after not being selected in the draft. He was released after announcing retirement from the NFL. He resurfaced in the XFL, so could he apply for re-instatement into the NFL? That will be one situation to monitor.

Both Vahe and Perkins could provide interior depth for the upcoming seasons provided they are brought onto training camp rosters. Both should still be eligible to be on practice squads for the upcoming season.

The third member of the former Longhorns who could make the jump back to the NFL is Cedric Reed. He was an undrafted free agent from the 2015 NFL Draft class. Reed signed with the Buffalo Bills and spent the 2015 season as a member of their practice squad.

He was released the following July and picked up by the Miami Dolphins. He would be released prior to the 2016 season as part of roster cuts. Reed didn’t play football again until he was picked up in the XFL Draft. As a member of the Wildcats, Reed accumulated 13 tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss and five quarterback hits in five games.

The hope for Reed, Vahe and Perkins is that they put enough quality tape together for NFL teams to become interested. The possibility for the former Longhorns is there, just a matter of monitoring the situation at this point.

 

WATCH: Former Longhorn Cedric Reed forces fumble

Former Longhorn Cedric Reed helped the LA Wildcats secure a victory thanks to his first forced fumble. You can watch the play here:

Leading by six late in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Wildcats needed a defensive stop to secure a victory on Sunday. Not only did they get a stop, but the Wildcats were able to add onto their lead, thanks to Cedric Reed.

The former Longhorn ran right by the right tackle, making his way for Tampa Bay Vipers’ quarterback Taylor Cornelius. Once hit, Cornelius lost the ball, leaving it for Boogie Roberts to scoop it up for a touchdown.

You can watch the play here:

Los Angeles went on to win the game 41-34, with the difference coming from Reed’s force fumble. It was the second win of the season for the Wildcats, moving to 2-3 on the season.

Reed has been a key contributor all season, having the second-most sacks in the league this season. Added on to his three sacks are 13 total tackles, five quarterback hits, and this forced fumble.

You can watch Reed and the Los Angeles Wildcats again this weekend, as they will face the Seattle Dragons on Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN2.

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