A day after the Battlehawks announced their staff for the 2025 season, the team was delivered its first major hurdle of the upcoming season. This morning it was announced that Battlehawks Offensive Coordinator Bruce Gradkowksi would be joining the Detroit Lions as an Offensive Assistant for the 2025 NFL season.
Gradkowski joins Dan Campbell’s as another NFL player who has successfully made it to the coaching ranks. The former Toledo QB has spent the past two years as the Battlehawks Offensive Coordinator, seeing his Quarterbacks throw for 4,236 passing yards and 40 TDs to just 15 interceptions. Gradkowski has not only enjoyed the veteran presence of A.J. McCarron at the helm of his offense but also coached backups Nick Tiano and Manny Wilkins to victories as well.
Prior to his time with the Battlehawks, Gradkowski spent Eleven seasons in the NFL for the Bucs, Rams, Browns, Raiders, Bengals, and Steelers. Upon his retirement Gradkowski served as a QB Coach for Anthony Wayne HS, and Head Coach at St. Francis de Sales, along with spending 2022 as an Offensive Analyst at Toledo.
The Battlehawks go into 2025 with a little bit more uncertainty than they did at the beginning of the week. With both Gradkowski and McCarron no longer with the team, St. Louis currently rosters Manny Wilkins as the only Quarterback to appear in a professional regular season game. While collectively Battlehawks QBs have been statistically at the top of the league, Nick Tiano and Manny Wilkins have combined for 504 Passing Yards with a 2:5 TD to INT ratio.
