No NFL team has been a more UFL-friendly destination than the Detroit Lions. While the majority of UFL players signed to NFL teams don’t make the roster out of training camp, Detroit currently has more former UFL players on the roster than any other team.
Detroit Lions UFL To NFL Preseason Game 1 Roundup
After the success of Dan Campbell's signing of Michigan Panthers star kicker Jake Bates in 2024, the Lions have had multiple UFL players spend the preseason with the team and gain valuable NFL experience.
Last season, following their particularly strong training camps, two St. Louis Battlehawks’ teammates, Nick Whiteside and Jacob Saylors, joined Bates in Detroit. Saylors played primarily on special teams last season as a return specialist and recorded 897 kickoff return yards (ninth in the NFL) with an average of 27.2 yards-per-return to rank 7th in the NFL.
Although initially, Whiteside spent time on the practice squad, eventually, he proved himself to the coaching staff, and when a multitude of injuries devastated the Lions' secondary, Whiteside was elevated to the active roster. His outstanding performance as a member of the "Legion of Whom" in Week 7 helped shut down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense and had the network announcers scrambling to identify the young, unknown on the field who was creating chaos.
Lions’ Competition at Wide Receiver
This season, the Lions signed five more UFL hopefuls to the team’s 90-man roster. Four of the five players signed were wide receivers. Championship Louisville Kings’ wide receivers, Lucky Jackson and Tarik Black, Tae Martin from the Columbus Aviators, and Lawrence Keys III from the Houston Gamblers were among the first spring players signed this season. Unfortunately, Keys became a training camp casualty on August 4th, when he was waived with an injury settlement.
However, the Lions’ WR room is the most crowded unit on the team, and the competition for the highly coveted depth spots on the roster behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams is fierce. Veteran Greg Dortch is expected to lock up one of the slots, along with second- year talent, Isaac TeSlaa.
In addition to competing against each other for the coveted WR5 slot, the three wide receivers are up against experienced veterans Tom Kennedy and Cedric Wilson, second-year player Dominic Lovett, as well as former Lions’ practice squad player, Malik Cunningham.
How did the UFL players do in their first preseason game with Detroit?
Tay Martin, Columbus Aviators:
Martin played 30 snaps on offense (45%) and 7 snaps on special teams for 28%. He logged one impressive reception for 14 yards that helped set up the Lions’ only touchdown.
Although he was only targeted one time, Martin caught the eye of his head coach in training camp. When asked last week who stood out among the wide receivers, Campbell singled out Martin for praise.
“That receiver room, this is the best receiver room we've had since I've been here in camp, top to bottom. I mean, those guys are gifted. It's a really good crew, man. And they're all pretty tough, they're all a little bit different the way they're built. And every one of those guys has flashed on one day or another, has done something pretty damn good. So man, honestly, this thing's up for grabs. And special teams is going to have a huge factor. That's the other thing, man, I'll just give you an example. Tay Martin, man, makes plays every day. And he's intriguing on offense, but he makes special teams plays every day. And that's important to us.”
Tarik Black, Louisville Kings:
Recording 16 snaps (24%) on offense and seven snaps (28%) on special teams, Black scored the Lions’ only touchdown of the game with a 24-yard catch with under a minute left in the game. Earlier in the fourth quarter, rookie quarterback Luke Altmeyer delivered a beautiful strike to Black. Unfortunately, the play was negated for Black getting flagged with an offensive pass interference call.
Black already has the support of hometown fans who may remember him from his college days playing football for the Michigan Wolverines.
Lucky Jackson, Louisville Kings:
Recording 17 snaps (26%) on offense and another seven on special teams (28%), Jackson wasn't targeted during the game. However, earlier in the week, he had a stunning sideline touchdown at practice. Hopefully, Jackson will get an opportunity to show what he can do with the ball in his hands next weekend in the Lions' game against the Washington Commanders,
Ryan "Bump Cooper," Birmingham Stallions
Only recently signed by Detroit last week, Cooper had a quiet night, recording one pass defense on 24 snaps at cornerback (34%) and four snaps (16%) on special teams.
UFL to NFL Experience Pays Off
As exciting as it was to see these UFL to NFL hopefuls take the field, the real spring football stars last night were Saylors and Bates. Saylors had a terrific night as the rushing and receiving leader for Detroit with eight rushes for 55 yards (average of 6.9 yards) with a longest of 27 yards, plus three catches (five targets) for 28 yards. He had a 16-yard reception as his longest. However, through no fault of his own, Saylors had two other big plays on Thursday night that were wiped out by holding penalties: a 27-yard run and another 15-yard carry.
His head coach has also been impressed by his performance at training camp.
"Yeah, it's been a great opportunity for him," Campbell said. "I feel like he's taken it another step here at the running back position. He's done some really good things, man. He's got some speed. He's pretty electric. He really is. And he's headsy, he's smart. Saylors, I feel like's having a good camp.”
Making the most of his 29 snaps (44%) on offense and three special teams snaps (12%), Saylors is making a solid argument to warrant his spot on the Lions' 53-man roster this season. Whether he can pole vault over Sione Vaki to claim the RB3 spot or not, Saylors is certain to get more playing time than he did a year ago, when he recorded two carries for 11 yards.
Bates was also impressive against the Bengals, nailing both of his field goals, including a 52-yarder. At one point in the game, Bates kicked a 46-yard field goal that was subsequently negated by a defensive penalty. The Lions took the field on offense, attempting to draw the Bengals offside, but the Bengals didn't fall for it, and after a timeout, Bates came back out to kick from 41 yards.
Whiteside has been turning heads at training camp the entire preseason. Last night, he was on the field for a good part of the game, logging 33 snaps (47%)on defense and another 12 on special teams (48%). He recorded a beautiful pass breakup on a deep shot downfield from quarterback Josh Johnson that surely would have been a touchdown. Although his stat line didn't reflect it, Whiteside was a disruptive presence throughout the game and continues to justify his ascension up the depth chart for the Lions' secondary.
Check back here next week to see how your favorite spring players fare in the Lions' second post season game.