Geronimo Allison

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: 8/23/22

Tuesday marked the day teams were forced to cut down from 85 to 80 players. Here are the moves teams made made to reach the new maximum. Players who land on the reserve/PUP or reserve/NFI list must miss at least the first four regular-season games.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

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

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Falcons Sign Geronimo Allison

Geronimo Allison has found his third home in the NFL. The veteran wide receiver has signed with the Falcons, as the team announced on Monday. 

Allison, 28, began his career in 2016 with the Packers. He put up consistent numbers as a complimentary piece of the team’s offense, scoring six total touchdowns and averaging 11.7 yards per catch during his time in Green Bay. After an underwhelming 2019 campaign, though, he signed with the Lions the following offseason.

The former UDFA opted out of that season, however, so he didn’t make his Detroit debut until this year. Allison appeared in just three games, failing to register a catch. At six-foot-three and 200 pounds, he still generated interest as a free agent this offseason. One of the teams which worked him out earlier this month was the Ravens, a club in need of additions at the position.

Another, not long after, was the Falcons. Allison should have a path to a roster spot on a team which lost Calvin Ridley to suspension and Russell Gage in free agency. The team used its top pick on Drake London and traded for Bryan Edwards, but there should be room for him as an experienced depth option. He will look to contribute on a rebuilding offense led by those new wideouts, quarterback Marcus Mariota and tight end Kyle Pitts.

NFL Workouts: Callaway, Falcons, Buggs

Here’s a look at some of the league’s recent tryout invitations:

  • The Colts will host former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway at minicamp for a tryout, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The fourth-round pick for Cleveland in 2018 made an impact during his rookie season before running into issues with the league’s substance abuse policies and Cleveland’s team rules. The Browns waived Callaway during his sophomore season. He signed with the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL, but was placed on injured reserve before ever appearing in a game. He’s had short stints since then with the Dolphins and Chiefs and now has an opportunity to stick in Indianapolis.
  • Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported that the Falcons will host a trio of players for tryouts this weekend: former Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison, quarterback Anthony Gordon, and center Evan Boehm. Allison spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, never surpassing 303 receiving yards or two touchdowns in a season. He appeared in three games last year for the Lions. Gordon has spent time rostered in Seattle, Denver, and Kansas City after going undrafted in 2020. After getting drafted in the fourth round of 2016, Boehm has bounced around to eight different NFL squads, appearing in 55 games, starting 21.
  • Former Steelers nose tackle Isaiah Buggs will attend the Vikings minicamp for a tryout, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The sixth-round pick from 2019 spent three seasons in Pittsburgh earning six starts last season before getting waived at the turn of the year. Buggs briefly signed to the Raiders practice squad and will now look for a new home in Minnesota.

WR Geronimo Allison, DT Marcell Dareus Trying Out For Ravens

The Ravens will have two notable names among the tryout players at rookie minicamp. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter), wide receiver Geronimo Allison and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus are among those competing for a potential contract.

Allison made a name for himself while paired with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The 28-year-old ended up spending four seasons with the Packers, collecting 1,052 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. He signed with the Lions back in 2020 but ended up opting out of that season.

He was released by Detroit at the end of the 2021 preseason, but he eventually caught on with their practice squad. He ended up seeing time in three games with Detroit last season.

Dareus was the third-overall pick back in 2011. He’d spend six-plus years in Buffalo, earning one All-Pro nod and two Pro Bowl appearances while collecting 35 sacks in 91 games. He was traded to the Jaguars during the 2017 season and spend two-plus seasons with the team, starting 22 of his 30 appearances. He sat out most of the 2020 season while recovering from core muscle surgery, and he didn’t find a gig for the 2020 or 2021 seasons.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/11/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: WR John Hurst

Tennessee Titans

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/6/22

Here are the Thursday additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

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

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/17/21

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

  • Released: DB Bryan Mills

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/21

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team