The first season of the Austin Reed era as starting quarterback of the Dallas Renegades is in the books, and it was a mixed bag to say the least.
It started phenomenally, with Reed breaking a UFL record for passing yards in a game in Week 1 with 376, leading the Renegades to a 3-0 start. After that, though, the wheels fell off, with turnovers piling up and losses mounting, as Dallas finished with a 4-6 record and missed the postseason for the third straight season.
Reed's final stats didn't come out to be too bad as he completed 56.3% of his passes for 1,923 yards and a league-high 21 touchdowns, along with a league-high nine interceptions. All those things in mind have UFL fans wondering the same question: is Austin Reed ready to make his return to the NFL to make a 53-man roster?
Has Austin Reed shown enough to justify a return to the NFL?
Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel has preached all season that Reed is an NFL quarterback, with the ultimate goal of getting him back into the show. It certainly showed how much confidence he has in the young quarterback, with how much Dallas put on Reed to run the offense.
Let's also make something clear: while Renegades fans may disagree, Neuheisel picking Reed over Luis Perez to be the starter ultimately was the right decision. Reed looked better this season and was a better fit for what Dallas needed over Perez, despite how much of a legend Perez is in spring football.
The positives are that Reed has the size, arm strength, and accuracy to play at the next level. There were many times throughout the season when he could hit players like Tyler Vaughns and Emmanuel Butler on perfectly thrown back-shoulder passes for scores.
Reed can use his legs, and he might not be the fastest guy, but he can pick up some yards. That mobility was something NFL scouts needed to see in him to show his ability to escape.
With that, though, come the struggles with his decision-making. He was highly inconsistent about whether he wanted to run or throw when scrambling, which led to either missed yards that could have been picked up or costly mistakes like an incompletion or an interception.
There were times when, while watching the tape, he struggled to go through his progressions. It seemed like he was often good with just going with the first guy in the progression, even though he is not 100% open, which led to mistakes again.
Of the quarterbacks in the UFL, Reed and Orlando Storm's Jack Plummer look like the two guys who should probably get calls from NFL teams for training camp opportunities. Plummer feels more ready for the NFL right now than Reed does, though.
Neuheisel and Renegades' offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone at least have Reed in the right direction in his career, but ultimately, Reed would benefit greatly from another season in the UFL. If he does come back in 2027, watch out, though, as Reed could end up being the top quarterback in this league.