– 19 players make active 53-man rosters and 26 earn practice squad spots; Eight additional players placed on NFL injured reserve
– 16 players from 2026 UFL season make opening-week 53-man roster or practice squad
ARLINGTON, TEXAS (September 2, 2026) – As NFL rosters take shape to open the 2026 regular season, 45 United Football League players from the modern spring football era have earned spots on active NFL rosters or practice squads, with eight additional UFL alumni placed on injured reserve at the end of camp. Of the 45 players, 19 made an opening-week 53-man roster, with 26 earning a spot on an NFL practice squad. Among players from the 2026 UFL season, 16 earned a spot with an NFL team, including two on active NFL rosters and 14 players on practice squads. An additional six players from the 2026 UFL season were placed on injured reserve.
UFL players making an active NFL roster are highlighted by WR Tay Martin, who led the Columbus Aviators during the 2026 season with 42 receptions for 483 yards and two touchdowns before joining the Detroit Lions, and DB Ameer Speed, who recorded 20 tackles and two passes defensed in five games for the Houston Gamblers in 2026 before earning a spot with the Dallas Cowboys. Additionally, DB Jayden Price who played with the Renegades in 2025 made his first opening-week 53-man roster spot with the New Orleans Saints, while WR Chris Blair, who previously played for the DC Defenders, earned his first opening-week 53-man roster spot with the Atlanta Falcons. They join established UFL-to-NFL standouts, including K Brandon Aubrey, K Jake Bates, K Harrison Mevis, DL Jalen Redmond, WR KaVontae Turpin, and LB Dondrea Tillman, among others.
BY THE NUMBERS
53 UFL alumni on NFL active rosters, practice squads, or injured reserve
23 NFL teams carry at least one UFL player, led by Detroit Lions (6), Atlanta Falcons (4), Chicago Bears (4), Denver Broncos (4) and Pittsburgh Steelers (4)
Player positions include 12 WR, 9 DB, 8 DL, 7 LB, 6 LS, 4 K, 3 OL, 2 TE, 1 QB, 1 RB, and 1 P
19 players on active NFL rosters (2 from 2026 UFL)
26 players on NFL practice squads (14 from 2026 UFL)
8 players on Injured Reserve (6 from 2026 UFL)
22 players from the 2026 UFL season, including 7 Houston Gamblers, 5 Louisville Kings, 4 Columbus Aviators, 3 St. Louis Battlehawks, 2 Orlando Storm, and 1 DC Defender
Active Roster (19)
WR | Chris Blair | DC Defenders | Atlanta Falcons |
DT | LaCale London | St. Louis Battlehawks | Atlanta Falcons |
LS | Nick Moore | Tampa Bay Vipers | |
K | Andre Szmyt | St. Louis Battlehawks | Cleveland Browns |
LS | Rex Sunahara | San Antonio Brahmas | Cleveland Browns |
K | Brandon Aubrey | Dallas Cowboys | |
DB | Ameer Speed* | Houston Gamblers | Dallas Cowboys |
WR | KaVontae Turpin | New Jersey Generals | Dallas Cowboys |
LB | Dondrea Tillman | Birmingham Stallions | Denver Broncos |
K | Jake Bates | Michigan Panthers | Detroit Lions |
WR | Tay Martin* | Columbus Aviators | Detroit Lions |
RB | Jacob Saylors | St. Louis Battlehawks | Detroit Lions |
P | Daniel Whelan | DC Defenders | Green Bay Packers |
K | Harrison Mevis | Birmingham Stallions | Los Angeles Rams |
LS | Tucker Addington | Houston Gamblers | Miami Dolphins |
DE | Jalen Redmond | Dallas Renegades | Minnesota Vikings |
CB | Jayden Price | Dallas Renegades | New Orleans Saints |
CB | Elijah Campbell | DC Defenders | New York Giants |
LS | Christian Kuntz | Dallas Renegades | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Practice Squad (26)
LB | Eugene Asante* | Houston Gamblers | Arizona Cardinals |
TE | Shawn Bowman* | Orlando Storm | Arizona Cardinals |
WR | Antwane "Juice" Wells* | Columbus Aviators | Atlanta Falcons |
LB | Cam Gill* | Louisville Kings | Carolina Panthers |
WR | Kaden Davis* | Houston Gamblers | Chicago Bears |
DB | Deantre Prince* | Louisville Kings | Chicago Bears |
QB | Josh Johnson | LA Wildcats | Cincinnati Bengals |
WR | Michael Bandy | Houston Roughnecks | Denver Broncos |
LS | Mitchell Fraboni | Pittsburgh Maulers | Denver Broncos |
DB | Sean Fresch* | St. Louis Battlehawks | Denver Broncos |
TE | Thomas Gordon | San Antonio Brahmas | Detroit Lions |
WR | Lucky Jackson* | Louisville Kings | Detroit Lions |
DB | Nick Whiteside II | St. Louis Battlehawks | Detroit Lions |
LS | Scott Daly | New York Guardians | Green Bay Packers |
DB | Bryce Hall* | Louisville Kings | Houston Texans |
WR | Gary Jennings Jr.* | St. Louis Battlehawks | Los Angeles Chargers |
T | Gottlieb Ayedze* | Houston Gamblers | Miami Dolphins |
S | Major Burns* | Houston Gamblers | Miami Dolphins |
DT | Jeremiah Pharms Jr. | Pittsburgh Maulers | New England Patriots |
WR | Kevin Austin Jr. | Birmingham Stallions | New Orleans Saints |
WR | Jalen Moreno-Cropper* | Houston Gamblers | New Orleans Saints |
DT | Jack Heflin | Houston Roughnecks | New York Jets |
OL | Kohl Levao | San Antonio Brahmas | New York Jets |
DT | Kyler Baugh | St. Louis Battlehawks | Pittsburgh Steelers |
WR | Brandon Smith | DC Defenders | Pittsburgh Steelers |
LB | Jacoby Windmon* | Columbus Aviators | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Injured Reserve List (8)
DE | Keshawn Banks* | Orlando Storm | Atlanta Falcons |
LB | Tony Fields II* | Columbus Aviators | Chicago Bears |
DE | Jonathan Garvin | Birmingham Stallions | Chicago Bears |
DT | Travis Bell* | Louisville Kings | Cleveland Browns |
DB | Trey Dean* | St. Louis Battlehawks | Green Bay Packers |
WR | D.J. Montgomery | Michigan Panthers | Indianapolis Colts |
LB | Kenny Dyson* | Houston Gamblers | Minnesota Vikings |
LB | Curtis Jacobs* | DC Defenders | Washington Commanders |
*denotes 2026 UFL player
The 45 former UFL players currently on active NFL rosters or practice squads are part of an even larger NFL pipeline, with 118 UFL alumni participating in NFL training camps this offseason. That surpasses the 111 players combined from the XFL and USFL who participated in NFL training camps in 2023.