Brett Hundley

Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant, Josh Gordon, Marquette King On XFL Rosters

The XFL will begin its third try next week. The rebooting league’s latest season will begin Feb. 18, nearly two months before USFL 2.0’s second season is scheduled to start.

This setup will make for a strange winter-spring period in which two minor leagues of sorts will be in operation. Considering the short tenures of XFL 2.0 (2020) and the Alliance of American Football (2019), this will be one of the more interesting years for non-NFL football.

Numerous former NFLers line the XFL’s season-opening rosters. Here are some of the players who will be part the league’s latest eight-team configuration. The full rosters can be found here.

Arlington Renegades

King has not punted since the 2018 season, when the Broncos waived him not long after signing the veteran specialist to a multiyear deal. King, 34, punted for the Raiders for five seasons.

D.C. Defenders

Armstead received workout opportunities and landed with multiple teams, but the former Jaguars backup has been unable to regain his footing since missing all of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 complications. A former Packers second-round pick, Murphy has six NFL seasons under his belt. Reid, 31, played eight NFL seasons — most recently suiting up in 2021 — and was a regular for the Lions early in his career. Brice started 10 games for the Packers in 2018; he has not played since.

Houston Roughnecks

Davis started 42 games for the Steelers from 2017-19; he played with three teams during the 2021 season. A

Orlando Guardians

Elam logged 26 starts for the Ravens, but his NFL run stopped after the 2016 season. A former Broncos second-round pick, Latimer played six NFL seasons and ended up a 10-game starter for the Giants in 2019. Lynch was part of the 2016 and ’17 Broncos squads along with Latimer but, despite his first-round status, flamed out of the league after two seasons. He has since spent time in the CFL and USFL.

San Antonio Brahmas

Ballage did not play in the NFL this season but saw action in 17 games for the Steelers in 2021. Wing served as the Giants’ punter for three seasons. Sinnett was with the Dolphins this season, joining the team following Tua Tagovailoa‘s Week 4 concussion.

Seattle Sea Dragons

The biggest name in this XFL edition, Gordon became a journeyman in recent years. He was most recently with the Titans, catching on with Tennessee this year before being released in October. The former All-Pro spent the 2021 season with the Chiefs. Suspensions hijacked the 31-year-old pass catcher’s career. The Cowboys cut DiNucci just before this season, and while workout opportunities came, the former emergency Dallas starter will try his hand in the XFL.

St. Louis BattleHawks

Although McCarron’s most recent action came with the Texans, he was on the 2021 Falcons. A path toward being Matt Ryan‘s final backup in Atlanta closed after a preseason ACL tear. Workouts in 2022 did not lead to a signing.

Vegas Vipers

A former top-10 pick and NFL sack leader, Beasley has been out of the league since the 2020 season. The ex-Super Bowl starter’s one-year, $9.5MM deal did not work out for the Titans, who cut the edge rusher during the ’20 campaign. Bryant has been out of the league longer, with suspensions altering his path. The talented ex-Steeler spent time in Canada recently. Hundley was on the Ravens’ practice squad until season’s end this year, signing with the team after Lamar Jackson‘s ankle injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23

Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/22

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Dobbs’ arrival in Detroit comes not long after he visited the Lions on a workout. The journeyman will provide depth behind starter Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld on the taxi squad, after the Bears signed Tim Boyle to their active roster last week.

Ravens Sign QB Brett Hundley To Practice Squad; Latest On Lamar Jackson

The Ravens saw starting quarterback Lamar Jackson exit the game yesterday, and they have made a move which casts further doubt on his Week 14 availability. Baltimore is signing veteran Brett Hundley to its practice squad, as announced (on Twitter) by his agent. The Ravens have confirmed the move.

The 29-year-old has bounced around since entering the league as a Packers fifth-rounder in 2015. He has made 18 appearances and nine starts over the course of his career, only seeing the field during his stints in Green Bay and Arizona. He signed in Baltimore this past May to operate as training camp competition for a place on the team’s taxi squad.

Backup Tyler Huntley took over for Jackson following the latter’s knee injury yesterday, as he did to close out the 2021 season. The only other signal-caller the Ravens had before today, however, was undrafted rookie Anthony Brown, so depth would be needed in the event Jackson was unable to play this Sunday against the Steelers.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach John Harbaugh indicated that that will likely be the case. Jackson is dealing with a knee injury, and earlier this morning NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that the two-time Pro Bowler is likely to miss at least one game as a result of it (video link). That would create the need for insurance provided by this deal, though Harbaugh has yet to rule out Jackson, calling him “week-to-week.”

Assuming Huntley is forced to start again, Sunday will mark his second career game against the Steelers. The former UDFA was in action during the regular season finale last year, an overtime victory for Pittsburgh. His statistics from yesterday – 27-of-32 passing, one interception, along with 41 yards and the game’s only touchdown on the ground – could provide a glimpse of what is to come during Jackson’s absence.

The win over the Broncos allowed Baltimore to remain in first in the AFC North at 8-4, but any missed time for Jackson could prove highly detrimental to their playoff seeding. The Ravens face a short week after the upcoming Pittsburgh game, as they are set to visit the Browns for a Saturday contest on December 17.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/22

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: WR Kaden Davis

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/22

Here are today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/16/22

With the NFL dropping the roster limit to 85 players today, we’ve got a long list of minor moves to pass along:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Ravens Sign QB Brett Hundley

The Ravens are adding some training camp depth at the quarterback position. The team announced on Thursday that they have signed veteran Brett Hundley. 

The soon-to-be 29-year-old was originally a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2015. He made his Green Bay debut the following year, but didn’t register any starts until 2017. He went 3-6 during that campaign, but that remains the only time where he operated as a No. 1.

After one season as the backup in Seattle, he signed with the Cardinals in 2019. The three appearances he made that year remain the last regular season action he saw. He stayed with Arizona for one more season, though the team looked elsewhere when Kyler Murray needed replacing in-game late in the year. He then spent 2021 bouncing on and off of the Colts’ roster, and recently had a visit with the Vikings which didn’t end in a contract offer.

At the most, Hundley would be in line to compete for the No. 3 role in Baltimore. The Ravens have starter Lamar Jackson under contract for one more season, but his absence from OTAs has left the team thin at the position right now. The Ravens also have backup Tyler Huntley available; the former UDFA filled in for Jackson at the end of last season after his injury, and did enough during that span to secure the No. 2 role.

Baltimore also currently has Anthony Brown, a member of this year’s UDFA class, to take practice reps. In the absence of veteran Josh Johnson, who made one appearance for the Ravens last year, both he and, now, Hundley could find themselves in a competition to land on at least the team’s practice squad.

NFC North Notes: Vikings Front Office Hire, Hundley, Jones, Alexander

New Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a noteworthy addition to his staff earlier this week. The team announced the hiring of Demitrius Washington as their new vice president of football operations.

Washington had spent seven years with the 49ers, a stretch which overlapped with Adofo-Mensah’s time in that organization. For the past two seasons, Washington served as San Francisco’s director of research and development, the same title Adofo-Mensah held with the Browns prior to his hire. The pair will now reunite and, along with new head coach Kevin O’Connell, oversee the franchise’s transition from the previous Rick Spielman-Mike Zimmer regime.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC North, starting with one more from Minnesota:

  • The Vikings brought in veteran backup quarterback Brett Hundley as a tryout during rookie minicamp, but they made it clear they would not be signing him, as noted by Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. The 28-year-old hasn’t made a regular season appearance since 2019, most recently spending time with the Colts. Minnesota’s QB room currently consists of Kirk Cousins, Kellen Mond, Sean Mannion and Nate Stanley.
  • The Bears used one of their 11 picks in last month’s draft to add to its receiving corps, selecting Velus Jones in the third round. The team is high on his speed and versatility, leading to the new coaching staff having “big plans” for the 25-year-old. “Let’s start out at receiver and then let’s see what he can do, moving him around to different spots and getting him the ball, because he is an explosive athlete” head coach Matt Eberflus said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. After transferring from USC to Tennessee, Jones produced both on offense and special teams, recording 807 receiving yards and leading the SEC in both punt and kick return yardage in 2021.
  • An interesting note came out in the aftermath of Jaire Alexander‘s record-breaking extension with the Packers. USA Today’s Josina Anderson reports (on Twitter) that the Pro Bowler specifically wanted a four-year (rather than five-year) deal. He got just that, helping him to break the record briefly held by Denzel Ward for the highest annual average amongst cornerbacks at $21MM per season, and keeping him under contract through 2026.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/1/22

The first minor moves of 2022:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texas

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team