The new UFL: Former Browns in the United Football League

Players trying to keep their dreams alive

There are a lot of options for pro football players who are not on a 53-man National Football League roster, any club’s practice squad, or have inked a future/reserve contract. The NFL minimum salary is $750,000 while most starters make millions per year.

Another option is the Canadian Football League (CFL) which pays the second best. The CFL has nine teams with rosters consisting of 45 players. This entity’s minimum salary is $70,000 with an average active roster spot paid $121,000 per season.

Then various indoor leagues are also an avenue to continue playing professional football while getting paid. Currently, there are four active indoor entities such as the “Indoor Football League” which consists of 16 clubs. These leagues usually pay between $250-$500 per game along with a winner’s bonus, and often housing and moving fees.

For the past two years, the universe of professional football has sported two spring leagues, the XFL and the USFL. Both leagues had eight teams. This past off-season, the two associations merged into one league with a rebrand now called the “United Football League.”

LINK: UFL WEBSITE

Last year, the Cleveland Browns had 11 former players in the XFL including WR Josh Gordon, LB Willie Harvey, and S Rahim Moore. There were two former coaches involved: Gregg Williams and Bruce Gradkowski.

During the 2023 USFL season, 13 former Browns dotted the rosters such as QB Kyle Lauletta, WR Corey Coleman, and LB Scooby Wright. There were five former coaches: Pepper Johnson, Todd Haley, John Tomlinson, Kirby Wilson, and Bob Saunders.

Each summer, 90 football players are signed to compete during training camp per all 32 NFL clubs.

There are various dates on which a certain number of players are released, but on the final cut-down day, each roster is then set at 53 players. That means from the beginning of training camp until the final release date, 1,184 players are suddenly out of work. 13,500 college football players never even saw an NFL practice field.

After each final 53-man roster is complete, teams then fill practice squad rosters which is now an eye-popping 16 players plus one extra spot for an international athlete.

Practice squad players make $12,000 per week or $216,000 for 18 weeks. Veteran players with over two years of experience will make a minimum of $16,100 per week or $289,800 for 18 weeks and a maximum of $20,600 per week or $370,800 for 18 weeks.

The new UFL begins its season on March 30 with a matchup of the XFL champion Arlington Renegades versus the USFL champs Birmingham Stallions. All eight teams are grouped into two conferences and will compete for 10 weeks. Then the top four teams will square off before two clubs go to the UFL Championship Game on Sunday, June 16.

LINK: UFL SCHEDULE

The timeline of the UFL co-insides with the NFL’s calendar. This allows any UFL player to be able to receive an invite to any team’s training camp schedule after the UFL season has concluded.

Last year, 50 former XFL and 42 USFL players were signed by NFL clubs to training camp rosters. 14 USFL players and 17 XFL athletes made final rosters or were added to a practice squad.

Here is a list of former Browns now signed with the UFL.

LINK: UFL LEAGUE RULES

Arlington Renegades

DT Roderick Perry

Perry went undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft and immediately signed with the Browns. He was placed on the practice squad and brought up to the main roster for two games, then back to the practice squad before being cut in early spring. His stats include two tackles.

He signed with the Seattle Seahawks but was a final cutdown casualty. The Houston Roughnecks of the XFL signed him last year. Perry was drafted by Arlington in the UFL dispersal draft.

Birmingham Stallions

S Bubba Bolden

Bolden played for Cleveland’s safety coach Ephriam Banda while at Miami in college.

He signed with San Antonio of the XFL last year, who then traded him to Birmingham for this season. He went undrafted in 2022 but sat out the season before signing a future/reserve contract.

During training camp last year, he became injured and was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement.

CB Channing Stribling

Stribling is well-traveled, but Cleveland was his first pro team. He went undrafted in 2017 after a stellar career at Michigan. He was a last day training camp cut and then was signed to Cleveland’s practice squad. Three weeks later, he was released. From there he was a practice squad member of four NFL teams and subsequently waived from each.

He has played for the Memphis Express (AAF), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL), Seattle Dragons (XFL), and the Philadelphia Stars (USFL). He was also drafted by St. Louis of the XFL last year but chose to play in the USFL instead.

In 2022, Stribling led the USFL in interceptions with seven with just one last year.

LB Scooby Wright

The Browns drafted Wright in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft. While at Arizona State, he was the Bednarik Award winner for the nation’s best linebacker, Unanimous All-American, First Team All-Pac-12, plus the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He came to a Cleveland squad that featured Joe Schobert, Cam Johnson, and Christian Kirksey as their starting linebackers. On May 14, 2016, Wright signed a four-year deal worth $2.401 million featuring a $60,700 signing bonus.

Wright made the final cut after a roller coaster training camp but was surprisingly cut after Week 2 to make room for another quarterback and center to be emergency backups. The next day he was added to the practice squad after he cleared waivers. He had been inactive for both games. Wright had missed several weeks of training camp due to personal issues which put him behind after being penciled in as the starter at defensive end.

In December, he was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals and played in three games with two tackles. In 2017, he was on the Cardinals roster for 10 games, but was also cut then re-signed to the practice squad then brought up several times.

After a good training camp in 2018, Arizona released him on the last cutdown. Wright then signed with the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF. That gig got him signed with the New England Patriots where he sat on the practice squad. The XFL re-booted in 2020 and Wright played for DC in the XFL before the league shut down due to COVID.

Wright played briefly with The Spring League and then was drafted by Birmingham of the USFL. In 2022, he had 52 total tackles with three sacks, and three tackles for loss and scored a pick-six in the USFL Championship Game. Last year, Birmingham placed him on IR. He is a Two Time USFL champion.

DE Curtis Weaver

When Weaver came to the Browns in 2020, the thought process was that he was a sackmaster in waiting.

While at Boise State, he was named Two Time First Team All-Mountain West and the 2019 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He had 11 sacks his freshman year, 9.5 in his sophomore campaign, and 13.5 in is junior year. This broke the conference’s record for career sacks.

RELATED: WHY IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT CURTIS WEAVER?

He was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins but was injured with a freak occurrence in the second week of training camp.

Weaver took on a block near the end of practice and felt a crack inside his cleat. Although in pain, he participated in the next play only to feel even more pain. He was then instructed to head towards the training room.

When Weaver got inside the training room, the trainers asked him to take off his cleat. As he did and removed his now-blood-soaked sock, one of his toes was just, well….dangling. It seems that the big toe had completely snapped when the front of his cleat had gotten bent downwards.

From there, he was sent to the hospital. The extent of the trauma is described as an injury to the sesamoid bone in his big toe. It was there that he learned that his rookie season in the NFL was now over. The likelihood was that Miami would place him on season-ending IR even if surgery was not needed.

However, a few hours later he was informed that the Dolphins were cutting him with a waived/injured designation. This meant he was headed to the waiver wire. Miami’s full intent was to push him through waivers, re-sign him and then place Weaver on IR. However, that plan backfired as the Browns had put in a claim for him.

In all, Weaver only played in one game for Cleveland with a single tackle. He was released in October of 2022, then signed with the Minnesota Vikings last year who then released him.

DT Marvin Wilson

After he wasn’t drafted in the 2021 NFL draft, every team wanted FSU’s Marvin Wilson to sign with them. The undrafted Wilson became the topic of a bidding war to which Cleveland won and signed him for the unheard-of sum of $192,000. That lasted until the final cutdown when he was released. Two days later, the Eagles picked him up for free off the waiver wire.

Philly then had him on their practice squad twice, on the roster for two games in two seasons, released twice, and signed him to a reserve/future contract once.

The Philadelphia Stars of the USFL signed him then traded his rights to Birmingham in a four-player swap.

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DC Defenders

K Matthew McCrane

As with a lot of kickers, McCrane went undrafted in the 2018 NFL draft. He signed with the Arizona Cardinals and had a great training camp but was released on the final cut-down day. He was signed by Oakland and then converted four extra points plus three of five field goals including the game-winner in his NFL debut, but was released three weeks later.

After another stint with Arizona, Pittsburgh signed him for their final game to which he made one PAT plus 3-of-3 field goals in the win. The following May he was released. McCrane played for the XFL New York Guardians in 2020 and was the highest-graded kicker when the league was forced to close due to the pandemic.

RELATED: MATT MCCRANE INTERVIEW

The Browns inked him to their practice squad and was almost elevated to the active roster when kicker Cody Parkey was uncertain he would be able to play due to COVID-19. After being signed to a reserve/futures contract, Cleveland waived him that May. He then spent time on the Cardinals and Eagles practice squad. Last season he played for DC of the XFL.

DC Gregg Williams

Coach Williams was interim head coach of the Browns in 2018 when Hue Jackson was finally fired. He remained a candidate for the permanent position before the club hired Kevin Stefanski. Before his head coach designation, he was Cleveland’s DC from 2017-2018.

He was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills from 2001-2003. He later coached for seven NFL clubs in some defensive capacity. Last year he was the defensive coordinator with DC in the XFL who played in the league championship game.

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Houston Roughnecks

DT Glen Logan

Browns fans will remember Logan in 2022 training camp. He was expected to find a roster spot after getting a $60,000 signing bonus even though he was undrafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

A former four-star player in high school, Logan had 37 starts among 51 games while with LSU. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility due to COVID-19. He was on LSU’s 2019 National Championship team.

Shortly after the draft, Logan signed with Cleveland on a deal that included a $60,000 guarantee which GM Andrew Berry had to compete with other clubs for his services. He had a decent training camp, but was cut on August 29 when the club had to cut down to 73 players. He then sat out the entire 2022 season.

Logan signed with Arlington last year in the XFL but his rights were transferred to the Houston Gamblers. This year, he was taken in the second round of the UFL dispersal draft. He has wrestled in WWE in their “Next in Line” program.

DE Chris Odom

Odom has had some NFL experience after being named First Team All-Sunbelt Conference. He has been with four NFL clubs since going undrafted in 2017. He has played in 11 NFL contests with 16 tackles and two sacks.

In 2022, he was selected 12^th overall by the Houston Gamblers in the USFL draft.

He was signed by Cleveland to a one-year deal worth $895,000 after he was named All-USFL and the USFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022. During that season he had 41 total tackles and an impressive 12.5 sacks. He had been Myles Garrett’s teammate while playing for Martin High School in Arlington, Texas.

24 days after landing in Browns training camp, Odom tore his ACL which landed him on IR, and ended his Browns career with ever getting started. In the off-season, he was a free agent to which Cleveland did not re-sign him. He then re-signed with Houston of the UFL. Odom also played one year for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL and with the Salt Lake Stallions of the AAF.

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Memphis Showboats

Head coach John DeFilippo

DeFilippo replaced Kyle Shanahan as the OC for the Browns in 2015 under Mike Pettine. He has a Super Bowl ring when he was the QB coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in their 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots after the 2017 season.

He is a career coach since 2000. He has been an assistant for four colleges, and 10 NFL clubs. Last year he was named the head coach of the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL which posted a 7-3-0 record and made the playoffs only to lose in the divisional playoff game 31-17 to eventual winner Birmingham.

When the Breakers were dissolved this year in the UFL alignment, DeFilippo was simply shuffled over to the Memphis franchise.

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Michigan Panthers

RB Nate McCrary

After being undrafted in the 2021 NFL draft, McCrary signed with the Baltimore Ravens and became their leading rusher that preseason. He was a last-day cut and claimed by the Denver Broncos but released two weeks later.

McCrary then was on the practice squad of the Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Browns, Green Bay Packers, and then Cleveland again. Last year he signed with Michigan of the USFL.

Note: Former first-round pick WR Corey Coleman led the USFL in receiving last year and was named to the All-USFL Team. He was drafted this year by Michigan, but Coleman informed the league he had retired.

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St. Louis Battlehawks

WR Ja’Marcus Bradley

Bradley spent some time on the Browns main roster and there was some small talk that he could make the final roster as the WR3. Cleveland signed him after he went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft with his 4.48 speed.

He was a final cutdown transaction and then was signed to the practice squad. He was elevated in December and played in three games with one start for 11 targets, five catches for 60 yards and zero scores with a 12.0 yards per reception average. In 2021, Bradley played in five games with four receptions for 64 yards.

The following season he inked a future/reserve contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was on their practice squad before being placed on IR and eventually coming to an injury settlement. In 2023 he signed with St. Louis of the XFL.

LB Willie Harvey

The Browns have had Harvey in and out of their roster numerous times after a very good college career at Iowa State in which he played all three linebacker positions. He went undrafted in 2019 and signed with Cleveland.

He was signed by the Browns four times, placed on the practice squad once, on the active roster twice, inked a reserve/future contract a single time, and was cut five times. Last year he played for St. Louis in the XFL.

CB Tim Harris

Harris was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft but spent his rookie year on IR with a groin injury. The next season he was a final cutdown and then was signed to the practice squad. He elevated and played in two games but reverted back to the practice squad.

The Buffalo Bills signed him the following season but cut him on the final cutdown. Cleveland then signed him after he cleared waivers and put him on the practice squad. He was elevated for the Week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he contributed on special teams, then reverted back to the practice squad. Buffalo signed him again, then after being released he signed with St. Louis of the XFL last year and by St. Louis of the UFL this season.