Battlehawks Suffer First Injury: LB Johnny Buchanan Gets Placed on IR

Football is full of injuries and great teams always have their fair share they must overcome. The Battlehawks are no exception to this truth. After escaping the first week of training camp unscathed St. Louis has seen their first injury come across the transaction wire, with Linebacker Johnny Buchanan landing on injured reserve.

Last week I had the privilege of talking with the @XFLBattlehawks Head Coach Anthony Becht.

Coach talks about newcomer Johnny Buchanan in addition to the job done by LB Coach Chris Claiborne with the returning vets.

Full Breakdown on Buchanan here: https://t.co/2QquqmQ2w4 pic.twitter.com/HHC1riiMq3

— Pat R (@ByPatRifino) March 4, 2024

Buchanan was a Battlehawks draft pick last summer during the XFL’s rookie draft. A tackling machine at Delaware Buchanan was in line to fight for a starting position with Mike Rose and Carson Wells earning NFL contracts. With the return of Rose and Wells, along with several other additions at the Linebacker position, Buchanan’s injury (depending on how severe) could leave him on the outside looking in for a roster spot.

The Battlehawks roster now sits at 74 players as the UFL goes into its 2nd week of training camp. With Buchanan on injured reserve, newcomers like Marcus Cushnie and Callahan O’Reilly will be given more reps to prove they are worthy of a roster spot. The UFL will begin their initial roster cuts on March 10th as the season begins on March 30th with the Battlehawks taking on the Michigan Panthers at Ford Field.