In five of the last six years, spring football players have used either the XFL, USFL or UFL as a springboard back into the NFL. Some 70 players that ended the season on UFL rosters this past year made it into NFL training camps, with a host more earning tryouts, putting themselves back on the NFL’s radar.
Now that cut-down day has come and gone and practice squads have been formed, many spring football players have survived the cruelest time of the year in the sport. As of Thursday evening, 17 spring football players are on active 53-man rosters, while 21 are on practice squads (this only counts players that ended the season with USFL, XFL or UFL teams).
From 2025, DT Perrion Winfrey of the Birmingham Stallions, now with the Dallas Cowboys, is the only UFL player to make the active roster out of camp. Ten others were signed to practice squads. Last year, following the first season of the UFL, two players made 53-man rosters out of camp and 18 were signed to practice squads. Rosters are of course fluid and these numbers can and will change as the season progresses, perhaps even before the first week’s games. Here is a look at all 38 players and where they landed.
Active Roster
*K Brandon Aubrey (Stallions) and WR Kavontae Turpin (Generals) are two of four USFL players on NFL rosters. Aubrey is a great story and has turned into one of the best kickers in the league. He pairs with Turpin, a top returner in the NFL, to make a formidable special teams tandem with the Dallas Cowboys. With a new head coach, Turpin will look to be involved more with the offense this season as he climbs up the receiver depth chart in 2025.
*LS Mitchell Fraboni (Maulers) will continue serving up longer than normal snaps for his third full season on the job for the Denver Broncos.
*On the roster bubble for much of camp, DT Jeremiah Pharms (Maulers) had to impress a new coaching staff led by defensive guru Mike Vrabel to stick. He did just that and will find time as a rotational piece along the defensive line.
*Five graduates of XFL 2020 are still kicking around the league, and three of them are long snappers. LS Nick Moore (Tampa Bay Vipers) made a full recovery from an Achilles tear that cost him his 2023 season, snapping in all 17 regular season games last year for the Baltimore Ravens. He’s back at it again this year. So is LS Christian Kuntz (Dallas Renegades) with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had an early challenge in camp from USFL vet Tucker Addington, but Kuntz won that battle. A late pre-season injury has put his status for week one in jeopardy, however. And LS Scott Daly (New York Guardians) had a scare when he was released at final cuts. A day later, he was re-signed in some clever roster gymnastics from the Chicago Bears. He also had to win the job in camp, beating out rookie Luke Elkin to do so.
*The Miami Dolphins allowed S Elijah Campbell (Defenders) to see the field more on defense last season. However, he’s most known for his special teams prowess, where he’s a key cog in South Florida.
*Rounding out the XFL 2020 group is QB Josh Johnson (Wildcats), who just may play forever. On his 14th team, Johnson had a so-so preseason that brought into question his roster status with the Washington Commanders. In the end, he’ll hold the clipboard as the third QB on the roster, though if Washington needs flexibility at another position during the season, Johnson may find his role expendable.
*Two XFL 2023 players are currently on NFL rosters. P Daniel Whelan (Defenders) will try to continue to improve, now in his third year as punter for the Green Bay Packers. Though he played some in 2023, DT Lacale London (Battlehawks) didn’t see any game action last year for the Atlanta Falcons and was stuck on the practice squad. He was somewhat of a surprise keep this year as the fifth defensive tackle on the team.
*The UFL’s first season saw two players make NFL teams out of camp, but currently five from that year are on active rosters. Yes, three of them are special teamers. K Jake Bates (Panthers) earned headlines for his kicks both long and clutch for the Detroit Lions last season. He quickly became a fan favorite in the Motor City. His UFL rival, K Andre Szmyt (Battlehawks), upset veteran Dustin Hopkins to win the job in Cleveland this year. As a relative unknown, he may have a short leash. Snapping to him will be LS Rex Sunahara (Brahmas), who took over the job early last year after an injury to the Browns’ regular snapper.
*Aside from special teams, defense is represented from UFL 2024 with DE Jalen Redmond (Renegades) of the Minnesota Vikings and LB Dondrea Tillman (Stallions) of the Denver Broncos. Both developed as the 2024 season wore on and earned more playing time while also producing more for their respective teams.
*The lone UFL 2025 representative on an NFL 53-man roster is DT Perrion Winfrey (Stallions), who made the Dallas Cowboys. Winfrey is a 14-game NFL veteran who is a former fourth round draft pick, so he has the pedigree to be successful. He will start toward the back of the depth chart, one of six tackles kept by Dallas.
Practice Squad
*Strange to think there are more USFL players on active rosters than on practice squads. But only two landed here: WR Maurice Alexander (Stars) with the Chicago Bears and WR Kaden Davis (Panthers) with the Cleveland Browns. Both have been on-and-off rosters since their UFL stints and both went to camp this year with the teams that signed them to the practice squad. They have special teams value as well, which could make them attractive activation possibilities on gamedays.
*While no XFL 2020 players currently sit on practice squads, five from 2023 do. And only two XFL teams supply those players. From the Houston Roughnecks are DT Jack Heflin, WR Michael Bandy and DT C.J. Brewer. Heflin is with the New Orleans Saints for a second season after spending some time with the Los Angeles Rams. He did get into one game with the Saints in 2023, one of three he has played in during his career. Since July 2023, Bandy has been signed and released by the Denver Broncos at least four times. This is his third straight year on the team’s practice squad. A tough cut for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brewer played in 12 games last year when injuries struck Tampa’s defensive line. Rookie fifth round pick Elijah Roberts may have knocked Brewer off the roster.
*The other two are from the D.C. Defenders, and if you follow the UFL-to-NFL pipeline, it should come as no surprise that both are receivers: Chris Blair and Lucky Jackson. Blair had 12 catches for nearly 200 yards in three pre-season games this August and very nearly snuck onto the team. Instead, he’s one of three WRs on the practice squad for the Atlanta Falcons. With injuries and thin depth in Minnesota, Jackson at one time felt like a safe bet to finally crack the 53-man after three years of trying. Instead, a poor end to the exhibition season for him and the acquisition of Adam Thielen dropped him to the practice squad once again.
*Four players from UFL 2024 are on practice squads. The only player to be on the practice squad of a different team than the one he went to training camp with is QB Adrian Martinez (Stallions). After losing out on the number three job with the New York Jets to rookie free agent Brady Cook, Martinez was signed by San Francisco to be their #3 as they were unsatisfied with the play of Carter Bradley and Tanner Mordecai in the battle for their third-string job during the pre-season.
*Injuries required WR Kevin Austin, Jr. (Stallions) to play more down the stretch last year than the New Orleans Saints would’ve liked – he even started two games. Inconsistent quarterback play took a toll on his stats. He’ll give it another go, starting again on the team’s practice squad in 2025.
*Over the past several years, the Jets have been one of the most active teams in signing spring football players. They kept two on their initial practice squad this year in G Kohl Levao (Brahmas) and WR Brandon Smith (Defenders). Both had strong pre-seasons and Smith in particular seemed like he had the inside track on a roster spot. Alas, both men find themselves in familiar territory: Both were on the Jets’ practice squad last year as well.
*Spring football is a place for overlooked players to make their mark, but it’s also a place for second chances. Such was the case for CB Damon Arnette (Roughnecks), a former first round draft pick whose legal issues led to his departure from the NFL. He was able to work his way back via the UFL and was one of the first to sign in this cycle, with the Houston Texans. Though he didn’t make the team, the Texans kept him on the practice squad, keeping that dream of redemption alive.
*Both late additions to the Jacksonville Jaguars, OT Ricky Lee (Renegades) and CB Keni-H Lovely (Panthers) showed the new regime enough to earn practice squad contracts. Lee signed with Jacksonville in early August after earning several NFL workouts; Jacksonville was Lovely’s second team this summer, signing on August 13 after a brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals.
*Joining Austin and Heflin in New Orleans is CB Jayden Price (Renegades). Price excelled in the UFL with Arlington in 2025 and made five tackles in the pre-season. He’s one of just two corners on the practice squad, the other being a rookie free agent this year, so Price may be the first man up at the position.
*Historically known for its defense, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept DT Kyler Baugh (Battlehawks) on the practice squad. Baugh had a sack for the Steelers during exhibition action.
*A player many UFL fans have been rooting for to get an NFL opportunity the last two years is RB Jacob Saylors (Battlehawks). Saylors didn’t get much of a chance in camp with the New York Giants after an impressive 2024 season in St. Louis. Saylors returned to the Battlehawks in 2025 and for the second year in a row, finished second in the league in rushing. Detroit took a chance on him this summer and this time, Saylors managed to stick.
*K Harrison Mevis (Stallions) beat out one fellow kicker for the job with the Jets and it seemed like smooth sailing…until they handed the keys to veteran Nick Folk. Mevis didn’t show the consistency needed to be the starting kicker, so he’ll provide insurance for the 40-year-old Folk on the practice squad.
*Memphis’s offensive line improved in 2025 and C Alec Lindstrom (Showboats) was a steadying presence at the pivot in his second year on the team. It was a homecoming of sorts for the Massachusetts native when he signed with the New England Patriots on July 30. Waived at final cuts, Lindstrom was brought back on the practice squad the following day.
*QB Adrian Martinez will be throwing to another UFL alum in WR Malik Turner (Panthers) on San Francisco’s practice squad. After a monster UFL Championship Game performance, Turner spent only two weeks in San Francisco before the summer ended. The team must’ve liked what they saw in that short time to sign him to the practice squad.
*In 2020 and 2021, TE Sal Cannella (Renegades) played in The Spring League. He signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2021 but was later let go. In 2022, he went to the USFL and turned that into a contract with the Green Bay Packers, albeit a short one. In 2023, the Arlington Renegades of the XFL came calling and after another successful season, he once again was signed by an NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks. Once again, it didn’t amount to much. The Renegades in 2024 led to the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2024 – only for training camp. Finally, after a third season with the Renegades in 2025, Cannella got his first practice squad deal with the Cleveland Browns. The poster child for persistence paying off.