The Ultimate Guide to Philadelphians Watching the XFL
CARSON, CA - MARCH 08: Palm trees are seen behind an XFL banner before the XFL game between the Los Angeles Wildcats and the Tampa Bay Vipers at Dignity Health Sports Park on March 8, 2020 in Carson, California.
Maybe you’re not ready quite yet for more football.
In the aftershocks of an Eagles’ Super Bowl loss, no one would blame you if you have no interest in watching football.
However, if you are in the mood to casually watch a little football this weekend as a way of therapy, to distract yourself from the local hockey club or ignore the NBA All-Star Game, there is some tossing of the pigskin on your television this weekend.
The XFL is back and since Philadelphia is not hosting a team, there are a number of ways to select your team for this season.
Here’s our official guide to each team and the pros and cons of being a Philadelphian who supports them.
Arlington Renegades
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- LB Isaiah Graham-Mobley (Temple/Boston College, King of Prussia, PA) is from the Delaware Valley and was a leader on Temple’s football team for a number of years before transferring to Boston College. The Upper Merion grad spent time with the Carolina Panthers this past season and is likely to be a part of a linebacker rotation.
- Former Eagles:
- DB De’Vante Bausby (Pittsburgh State) started a game for the Eagles during the 2018 season and played in a total of six games. Through a four year NFL career, he played in 26 games and broke up eight passes. The 30 year old defensive back will see some big playing time.
- DB Cre’Von LeBlanc (Florida Atlantic) was another member of that 2018 Eagles secondary, playing with the Eagles for three years. His most memorable moment was a playoff interception of Drew Brees in the 2018 Divisional Round playoff game against the Sains. Between Bausby and LeBlanc, the 2018 Eagles are well represented in Arlington.
- TE Alex Ellis (Tennessee) bounced up and down from practice squad to active roster with the Eagles in the 2019 season before being waived in the summer of 2020. The Delaware native had three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown in the 2019 preseason.
- DL Bruce Hector (South Florida) played for the Eagles in 2018 and 2019, registering 0.5 sacks in 11 total games.
- RB Adrian Killins (Central Florida) was an electric running back in college, rushing for 2,459 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career. He leapt up and down from the practice squad during the 2020 season before being released by the Eagles in August 2021.
- Big Name:
- Head Coach Bob Stoops returns to football for the first time in a full-time basis since his extended run as the head coach of the University of Oklahoma ended in 2016.
- Punter Marquette King is on the Renegades, which seems to be fitting since this quarterback room appears to be the weakest in the XFL. King, 34, spent six seasons in the NFL and was a Second Team All-Pro in 2016.
Cons
- Location
- Arlington, Texas makes this team the XFL equivalent of the Dallas Cowboys. It would be funny, however, if they had success that overshadowed that of the Cowboys.
DC Defenders
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- RB Ryquell Armstead (Temple) was a force at Temple University and seemed to be primed to stick around in the NFL for at least a few seasons before multiple hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in 2020. The Millville, NJ native ran for over 2,800 yards in college and 34 touchdowns.
- Former Eagles:
- WR Josh Hammond (Florida) spent a few months with the Eagles during the summer of 2022.
- Big Names:
- QBs D’Eriq King (Houston/Miami), Eric Dungey (Syracuse) and Jordan Ta’amu (Ole Miss): King was once a highly touted QB for Miami, Dungey graduated the all-time leader in passing yards from Syracuse and Jordan Ta’amu was a star of the most recent iteration of the XFL in 2020.
- Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams was once the mastermind of “Bountygate” for the New Orleans Saints and spent a year suspended from the NFL. He’s served as a DC for the Rams, Browns and Jets since then.
Cons
- Location
- Another XFL team in NFC East territory, but again, it would be fun to see the Washington Commanders outdone by an XFL team.
Houston Roughnecks
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- RBs Dejoun Lee (Delaware) and Brycen Alleyne (Delaware State) both played their college ball in Delaware.
- WR Aaron Nelson (Delaware Valley) played his college ball at Delaware Valley.
- Former Eagles:
- WR Deontay Burnett (USC) was once a part of the rotating cast of characters that surrounded Carson Wentz in the 2019 season. His big moment was the Week 17 game against the Giants where he had two catches for 48 yards as the Eagles’ clinched the NFC East. He remained with the Eagles through the 2020 season.
- CB Ajene Harris (USC) spent the 2019 preseason with the Eagles, registering eight tackles in their finale against the Jets. He was brought back on the practice squad during the season, but didn’t see action.
- DL Elijah Qualls (Washington) was a sixth round pick of the Eagles in the 2017 draft and won a ring with the Eagles as a member of the 2017 team. He was waived in 2018 and has bounced around football, including a stop in the previous iteration of the XFL in 2020, ever since.
- Big Names:
- Head Coach Wade Phillips is back and sure to underdeliver for another Texas football organization.
Cons
- Not a ton of top end talent, disappointing 2.0 version of a team that had PJ Walker as its QB in the 2020 iteration of the league.
Orlando Guardians
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- N/A
- Former Eagles:
- N/A
- Big Names:
- QB Paxton Lynch (Memphis) was a first round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2016 NFL Draft. The heir apparent to Peyton Manning was always going to be brutal situation for someone to inherit, but Lynch especially struggled at the NFL level. He played in the USFL last year for the Michigan Panthers.
- WR Eli Rogers (Louisville) went from an inspiring undrafted story to a football journeyman pretty quickly. The wide receiver had a productive second season with the Steelers before injuries and a suspension slowed him down. He played in the 2020 XFL then the CFL and USFL before this stop in the XFL.
- TE Cody Latimer (Indiana) was a wide receiver at the start of his NFL career and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. A journeyman receiver, Latimer logged just under 1000 receiving yards in his NFL career.
- DB Matt Elam (Florida) is a former All-American at Florida and first round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. He had a promising rookie season, but struggled in subsequent years and was arrested in 2017.
Cons
- Nothing redeemable about this group. Number of draft busts and no real local ties to Philadelphia.
San Antonio Brahmas
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- RB Jon Hilliman (Rutgers) and DL Mike Tverdov (Rutgers) both starred across the Delaware River at Rutgers. The pair are also New Jersey natives.
- Tenny Adewusi (Delaware) spent some time in the NFL following his career with the Blue Hens.
- Former Eagles:
- DB Ryan Lewis (Pittsburgh) grew up in Lancaster, PA and spent some time with the Eagles during the 2019 season. His NFL career included 25 regular season games with five different teams and one interception.
- QB Reid Sinnett (San Diego) spent much of the 2021 season on the Eagles practice squad and was released by the team leading up to the 2022 season.
- C Luke Juriga (Western Michigan) signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He was waived and brought back to the team after final roster cuts in 2020, appearing in one game following the injury to Jason Kelce in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns.
- OL Malcolm Bunche (UCLA) is a Delaware native who spent the 2015 season with the Eagles on their practice squad after being picked up by the team following the 2015 NFL Draft.
- P Brad Wing (LSU) was signed by the Eagles to compete with Donnie Jones in the 2013 preseason. He did not make the team, but ended up latching on with the Steelers and was later traded to the Giants.
- Big Names:
- Head Coach Hines Ward is going to be fun to watch.
- RB Kalen Ballage (Arizona State) was drafted by the Dolphins with the fourth round pick that Miami acquired in the trade that sent Jay Ajayi to the Eagles. Ballage had his best season in 2020 with the Los Angeles Chargers, but never really ascended into a solid rotational back.
Cons
- N/A
Seattle Sea Dragons
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- OL Michal Menet (Penn St) and S Shareef Miller (Penn St) represent Happy Valley for the Sea Dragons.
- Former Eagles:
- DL Treyvon Hester (Toledo) was originally a seventh round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2017 and later found his way to the Eagles in 2018. He is famously credited with being the hand that got onto Cody Parkey’s “double-doink” kick.
- Big Names:
- QB Ben DiNucci (James Madison) made his first NFL start against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football in 2020 due to Andy Dalton being in concussion protocol. It went as one would expect, DiNucci completed just 21-of-40 passes for 180 yards, lost two fumbles and the Cowboys lost 23–9.
- WR Josh Gordon (Baylor) will forever remain one of the great “what ifs” in NFL history after his career trajectory was crushed by numerous drug-related suspensions. Gordon, 31, led the league in receiving yards in just his second season with a combination of Jason Cambpell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer throwing to him. If his skill is even 75% of what it was, he’ll be a lot of fun.
Cons
- Rooting for Ben DiNucci is a no go. I remember the hoopla about his starting a game against the Eagles… no thanks.
St. Louis Battlehawks
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- OL Michal Menet (Penn St) and S Shareef Miller (Penn St) represent Happy Valley for the Sea Dragons.
- Former Eagles:
- N/A
- Big Names:
- QB AJ McCarron (Alabama) was once the center of college football, winning back-to-back BCS Championships. After eight seasons in the NFL, McCarron is looking for another shot to play quarterback at the pro level.
Cons
- Dylan MacKinnon, Mike Ciaverelli and Haley Simon all have decidedn this is their team.
Las Vegas Vipers
Pros
- Local Tie-In:
- RB John Lovett (Penn St) and DL Robert Windsor (Penn St) represent Happy Valley for the Vipers. Lovett is a former Baylor standout who grew up in New Jersey, transferring to Penn State for the 2021 season. Windsor was a sixth round pick of the Colts in the 2020 draft.
- Former Eagles:
- QB Luis Perez (Texas A&M Commerce) spent just over once month on the Eagles in the spring of 2019. He signed with the team following the AAF’s suspension of operations in April 2019.
- Big Names:
- QB Brett Hundley (UCLA) had a standout career at UCLA before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers getting injured in 2017 forced Hundley into action and he finished the season with nine starts. He spent the 2022 NFL season with the Baltimore Ravens practice squad.
- LB Vic Beasley (Clemson) was an All-Pro in 2016, just his second NFL season. The former top-10 pick seemed prime for a long NFL career, but a brutal stretch of seasons in his post-Falcons career left him outside of the league.
- WR Martavis Bryant (Clemson) spent four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being a fourth round pick by the organization in 2014. Multiple drug suspensions and declining play contributed to Bryant quickly bouncing out of the league.
Cons
- This team feels like a favorite to win the league. The front-runner squad.
Writer’s note: Birds of feather fly together, I have chosen the Battlehawks as my team.
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