Several former Packers players and coaches are on teams in the new XFL.
The eight teams for the new XFL released their opening rosters of the 2020 season on Monday.
Here are the former Green Bay Packers on the rosters and coaching staffs:
Dallas Renegades
CB Donatello Brown
CB Josh Hawkins
LB Greer Martini
LB James Folston
OLB Johnathan Calvin
G Josh Allen
Offensive line coach Jeff Jagodzinski
DC Defenders
WR Malachi Dupre
RB Jhurell Pressley
Houston Roughnecks
LB Beniquez Brown
LB Carl Bradford
Los Angeles Wildcats
Head coach Winston Moss
Offensive line coach Jerry Fontenot
WR Adonis Jennings
RB DuJuan Harris
OG Nico Siragusa
New York Guardians
WR Colby Pearson
P Justin Vogel
WR Teo Redding
QB Marquise Williams
G Anthony Coyle
DL Joey Mbu
WR DeAngelo Yancey (IR)
St. Louis Battlehawks
RB Christine Michael
RB Keith Ford
OL Dejon Allen
DL Khyri Thornton (IR)
Seattle Dragons
C Dillon Day
Tampa Bay Vipers
QB Taylor Cornelius
P Jake Schum
OL Jordan McCray
OL Andrew Tiller
The XFL opens its first season on the weekend of Feb. 8-9.
Saturday, Feb. 8: Seattle Dragons at DC Defenders
Saturday, Feb. 8: Los Angeles Wildcats at Houston Roughnecks
Sunday, Feb. 9: Tampa Bay Vipers at New York Guardians
Sunday, Feb. 9: St. Louis Battlehawks at Dallas Renegades
The Super Bowl is set for this Sunday but do not fret football fans, a new spring league promises to help quench your thirst for gridiron battle.
With the XFL set to kick off in two weeks, the eight teams announced the cut down to their own 52-man rosters. Out of the 416 players set to take the field, about 25-30 have ties to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here’s a full former Eagles and where they landed:
***
Dallas Renegades
WR Freddie Martino
CB Josh Hawkins
LB Asantay Brown
DE Winston Craig
***
DC Defenders
WR DeAndre Thompkins
RB Donnel Pumphrey
C Jon Toth
OL Malcolm Bunche
DT Elijah Qualls
***
Houston Roughnecks
S Trae Elston
CB Ajene Harris
RB De’Angelo Henderson
OL Toby Weathersby
DT Gabe Wright
***
Los Angeles Wildcats
S Jerome Couplin
LB Quentin Gause
***
New York Guardians
QB Luis Perez
QB Matt McGloin
LB Ryan Mueller
***
St. Louis BattleHawks
WR Carlton Agudosi
RB Matt Jones
WR Harold Jones-Quartey
***
Seattle Dragons
S Godwin Igwebuike
***
Tampa Bay Vipers
QB Aaron Murray
WR Seantavius Jones
The 2020 season officially begins on Saturday, February 8.
Rahim Moore was among six former Broncos players who were cut by XFL teams earlier this week.
Rahim Moore was among six former Denver Broncos players who were cut when XFL teams trimmed their rosters from 71 players down to 52 players earlier this week. The safety failed to make Washington, D.C.’s final roster.
In addition to Moore, defensive lineman Sealver Siliga (Dallas), offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio (Seattle), tight end Orson Charles (Dallas), wide receiver Steven Dunbar (Dallas) and cornerback Lorenzo Doss (New York) were also cut by their XFL teams.
Former Denver wide receiver Jordan Leslie, linebacker Josh Banderas, wide receiver John Diarse and wide receiver Durron Neal were part of the XFL draft pool but went unselected in October.
Ex-Broncos cornerback Brendan Langley was drafted by the XFL’s Houston-based team but he left the league to sign with the Seahawks’ practice squad during the NFL playoffs. After Seattle’s season ended, Langley’s contract expired and he was not re-signed.
Wide receiver/returner Kelvin McKnight was selected by Dallas in the XFL draft but left the league in December to sign a reserve/future contract with the Broncos. He spent part of last season on Denver’s practice squad.
Punter Shane Tripucka, the grandson of Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback Frank Tripucka, was part of the XFL draft pool but went unselected. He worked out for the Broncos in December but was not among the players Denver signed to reserve/future contracts.
Wide receiver Max McCaffrey, the son of former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, was selected by D.C. in the XFL draft but he left the team earlier this month to join his father’s coaching staff at Northern Colorado. The younger McCaffrey will coach UNC’s wide receivers this fall.
The XFL will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 8 when D.C. hosts Seattle at 12 p.m. MT on ABC. That game will be followed by L.A. at Houston on Fox.
Cardale Jones, Doran Grant, and Tracy Sprinkle, all former Ohio State Buckeyes, will be playing in the re-booted XFL for the same franchise.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have a plethora of players in the NFL. Across the board, they have some of the top talent ranging from Michael Thomas to Ezekiel Elliott to Marshon Lattimore.
However, not all Ohio State Buckeyes are instant stars at football’s highest level. That said, the creation of a new but old football league, the XFL, will provide a home to some players left off NFL rosters.
With the initial rosters crafted, three former Buckeyes all made the list.
The trio includes Cardale Jones, Doran Grant, and Tracy Sprinkle — all playing for the DC Defenders. Jones is easily the most notable household name, being drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2016, but never really catching on during stops also in Los Angeles and Seattle on the practice squad. He was eventually released.
Also a fourth-round pick just a year earlier in 2015, Doran Grant, a cornerback, is also 27. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and spent time on mostly practice squads there and in several other cities before also being cut loose.
Lastly, 24-year-old defensive end Tracy Sprinkle went undrafted and only spent time on the Panthers and Browns’ practice squads.
Now all three will get a shot to play again together in this crazy second-take of the rebooted XFL.
Check out which former Cardinals are still playing football, only now for the XFL.
The XFL will debut its season on February 8, once the NFL season is over. Its eight teams have finalized their 52-man rosters.
A number of players who spent time with the Arizona Cardinals can be found littered across the rosters.
Who are they and when they spend time with the Cardinals?
WR Rashad Ross
David Wallace/The Republic via USA TODAY NETWOR
Ross plays for the D.C. Defenders. The former Arizona State Sun Devil was on the Cardinals practice squad briefly in December 2017 and spent the 2018 offseason with the team before getting released during the preseason.
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.
Michigan State has four former players who will are on active rosters in the XFL to start the season.
[jwplayer fg15QU4s-PROpJzTY]
With the NFL season now complete, you know what that means! It’s XFL time baby! No, seriously, it’s XFL time. For the first time in 20 years, the XFL will kick off with a newly redesigned league on February 8th. MSU Football had six players drafted back in October, and of those, four of them are on rosters to start the season.
Here is every former Michigan State player who will be lacing up cleats for the XFL this season:
QB Connor Cook, Houston Roughnecks
LB Taiwan Jones, Los Angeles Wildcats
S Demetrious Cox, New York Guardians
WR Keith Mumphery, St. Louis Battlehawks
Note: Kurtis Drummond and Miguel Machado were both drafted, but are currently not listed on any rosters.
It’s definitely an interesting group of players, headlined by former Big Ten Quarterback of the Year Connor Cook. Cook was a fourth-round draft pick of the Raiders who since bounced around the league, never seeming to find a place, for one reason or another. He is currently listed as the backup for the Roughnecks and former Temple quarterback Philip Walker…
Former Third Team All-Big Ten safety Demetrious Cox also spent some time on a few different NFL teams but will now try his hand in Vince McMahon’s league.
Taiwan Jones played a couple games for the New York Jets back in 2015-16, but never really stuck in the NFL. He recently had tried out for WWE but now will look to find a fit with their sister organization in the XFL.
Keith Mumphery had, without a doubt, the most successful NFL career of anyone on this list, playing 27 games with the Houston Texans. However, Mumphery was released from the Texans after a report came out about an alleged sexual assault while he was at Michigan State. He should be the most impactful former Spartan playing in the XFL this season if Connor Cook remains the backup.
Some former Bengals players are now suiting up in the XFL.
The XFL announced rosters ahead of its 2020 season and as expected, there are a few notable former Cincinnati Bengals players throughout the rebooting league.
Call it an interesting list. Quinton Flowers was a training camp favorite who had a stellar collegiate quarterback career before transitioning to running back.
Kent Perkins was one of the depth stashes before telling the Bengals he was retiring before last season, so they waived him.
Derron Smith was a high-upside safety taken in the sixth round back in 2015 and was a polarizing dismissal during a numbers game at a cutdown.
And Will Clarke might be the biggest name here, as the Bengals had used a third-round pick on him back in 2014 but he mustered just four sacks over three seasons with the team while not really growing into a meaningful role.
The Seattle Dragons will go into their first XFL season with six former Seattle Seahawks on the roster.
Football in Seattle is not over, even though the Seahawks fell to the Packers in Green Bay in the NFC Divisional Round a few weeks ago.
On February 8, one week after the Super Bowl, the XFL’s Seattle Dragons will kick off their inaugural season against the DC Defenders in Washington DC, before hosting their first home game at CenturyLink Field on February 15 at 2:00 p.m. PT. against the Tampa Bay Vipers.
While fans will immediately notice some differences in gameplay between the NFL and the XFL, namely in the pace of play and extra point rules, they may see some familiar names – at least for those who root for the Seahawks.
The Dragons released their final 52-man roster (54 if you count the two players on injured reserve) Monday morning, just 12 days before their season opener.
Headlined by receivers Keenan Reynolds and Kasen Williams, the roster features six former Seahawks and a handful of local players.
Reynolds was in training camp with the Seahawks this past season, after spending most of 2018 on the practice squad. He did not make the team out of camp this year, and because he was out of options on the practice squad he was released and found his way to the Dragons via the XFL draft.
Williams caught fire in the 2017 preseason, but was ultimately released and caught on with the Browns before fizzling out and joining the XFL.
Quarterback B.J. Daniels, cornerback Mohammed Seisay, tackle Isaiah Battle and defensive tackle Tani Tupou (who was placed on the IR) round out the former Seahawks who will suit up for the Dragons in 2020.
Garrett Hartley, the kicker who helped win Super Bowl 44 with the New Orleans Saints, officially signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL.
Here’s big news from one former member of the New Orleans Saints: Garrett Hartley, the kicker who sent the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV with his overtime field goal against the Minnesota Vikings, has signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL. Funnily enough, it’s the same mascot as represented him at Southlake High School in Texas. Hartley announced his big move in posts from his official Instagram account.
Hartley, who turns 34 in May, last kicked professionally in 2014 with the Cleveland Brown, though he spent the 2015 preseason with the Pittsburg Steelers before a hamstring injury ended his year. He’s spent the years since trying to stay in shape and preparing for his next opportunity, while also logging a lot of hours in his turkey blind. He’s clearly grateful for this shot in the XFL.
Now, he’ll get to compete again as a professional football player when the XFL kicks off its 2020 season on Feb. 8, with Hartley’s Dragons starting on the road against the D.C. Defenders (in a game that will be broadcast on ABC). Their home opener is scheduled for Feb. 16 and will take place at CenturyLink Field, also the home of the Seattle Seahawks. More than 20,000 tickets have reportedly already been sold, and the game will be broadcast nationally on FOX, so Hartley will have quite the audience when it’s his time to shine. It’ll be easy to cheer for him and the other Saints players trying their hand at the startup league, which includes Dallas Renegades XFL draft picks Hau’oli Kikaha and Tommylee Lewis.
