The NFL preseason has concluded. Fifty-three-man rosters have been established, practice squads have been compiled, and teams are ready for the regular season to begin next week. However, a number of talented players who competed all through training camp have been left standing without a chair when the music stopped. Those players, provided they don't latch on with a team during the season, will be high atop the list of UFL teams seeking to replenish their rosters for 2027.
In what has become another yearly feature of mine, I like to dig into those players without a home in the immediate aftermath of camp. I take a look at one player, released at final cuts, for each position that I think could - or should - be high on the list of UFL scouts and head coaches when it comes to recruiting them for their team. I up the level of difficulty by trying not to include players who already have spring football backgrounds; after all, about 80% of players from the UFL signed into the NFL but who didn't stick in 2025 returned to the UFL in 2026. And since I'm scouring to find those mostly likely to have UFL interest - and vice-versa - don't expect to see any eight or 10-year vets on this list.
Of the players I profiled last year, several did indeed suit up for UFL teams in 2026. Among them: RB Deuce Vaughn, WR Laviska Shenault, DT Travis Bell and LB Jacoby Windmon.
QB: Connor Bazelak: The practice squad #3 quarterback for Tampa Bay last season, Bazelak was jumped in the pecking order by rookie free agent Jalon Daniels, who made Tampa's roster as the backup to Baker Mayfield. Because Daniels is so young and inexperienced, Tampa opted to keep a veteran on the practice squad as the clipboard-holder this year, that being Easton Stick. Though he gained important experience and reps participating in two training camps and exhibition games across two years, teams tend to bring in veterans to replace injured players during the season, making it less likely (though not impossible) that Bazelak is signed somewhere over the next few months. He may have to decide between the UFL and an NFL futures offer early next year.
RB: Donovan Edwards: A national champion with the Michigan Wolverines in their 2023-2024 season, Edwards burst onto the scene when he averaged 7.1 yards per carry on 140 attempts as a sophomore. After his college career, Edwards was invited to the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.44 40. Still, that wasn't enough to get him drafted. He signed with the New York Jets and spent camp with them before the Washington Commanders picked him up for their practice squad. The Miami Dolphins signed him to a futures deal, where he spent this past summer. Very few players are out there with the kind of big-game experience and speed that Edwards possesses. That should make him a popular name discussed among UFL coaches and front office personnel.
TE: Mason Pline: For whatever reason, UFL teams on the whole have failed to take advantage of the pass-catching prowess of their tight ends. They seem more interested in guys at the position that can block. Enter the 6'7", 260-pound Pline. Not exactly the fleetest afoot as evidenced by his 4.81 40 time, Pline has kicked around the NFL since entering the league in 2024. He signed with San Francisco after that year's draft, and has also been with New Orleans and Kansas City. Pline is still seeking his first NFL regular season game action. This past year's draft was deep for tight ends, which may end up pushing Pline out of the NFL completely. If that's the case, UFL teams looking to utilize their tight ends as extra linemen could be interested in his services.
WR: Malik Cunningham: We've seen UFL teams use receivers as emergency quarterbacks, such as the situation in Houston with Jontre Kirklin. Cunningham has the potential to be more than that, though: He was a QB full-time in college at Louisville where he followed Lamar Jackson as the starter. He threw for 70 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. Entering the NFL as a WR in 2023 with New England, Cunningham's entire NFL run has been at his new position. Would a UFL team want to move him back to QB? Houston did with John Rhys Plumlee last year. If Cunningham wants to get back to playing QB, the UFL would be the place to do so. Even if he wants to stay at receiver, his athleticism should get him a look, perhaps with the hometown Kings, which should also help bring local press to the team.
OT: Dalton Wagner: A 40-game starter at the University of Arkansas, Wagner has the requisite experience UFL teams should desire along their offensive line. He was well-thought-of enough to get an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl following the conclusion of his final college season. Undrafted in 2023, he has spent the last four years with the Las Vegas Raiders, on-and-off their practice squad, ultimately playing in one regular season game. That time getting NFL coaching in training camp will also be of benefit to Wagner and to UFL teams, who are always looking to stockpile NFL-level talent at the position.
G: Nash Hutmacher: A former defensive lineman, Hutmacher made a position change this off-season. A former high-school wrestler with a strong base, Hutmacher already had the profile of an interior lineman. It's rare to make this kind of change at the pro level, but in going to the UFL, Hutmacher would be following a similar path to St. Louis Battlehawks C Mike Panasiuk. Like Hutmacher, Panasiuk came from a Big Ten school (Michigan State; Hutmacher is from Nebraska) and made the leap across the line of scrimmage after graduation. That change helped extend Panasiuk's football career and has earned him two stints in the NFL in addition to several UFL accolades such as being a three-time All-UFL selection.
C: Jimmy Morrissey: Morrissey heard his name called in the 7th round of the NFL Draft in 2021, by the Las Vegas Raiders. He's played for four teams since then, totaling 15 games played with four starts. In a league like the UFL, it's important for offensive linemen to have NFL experience. That's especially true of centers, who often have to be the smartest and most vocal members of the line. The fact that Morrissey has played for different offenses and has seen NFL regular season action is the kind of background any UFL team would value at the pivot. That experience Morrissey carries isn't unique to the NFL: He was a 47-game starter with the Pittsburgh Panthers in college.
EDGE: Myles Cole: Another 7th round draft pick, Cole was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars near the end of the 2024 Draft. A veteran of eight NFL games, Cole offers tantalizing pass-rush potential, though he's yet to put it together at the highest level. He showed flashes at Texas Tech, where he spent two years after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. At 278 pounds, he's a little big to be the traditional stand-up rusher off the edge. Rather, he may fit best as a 4-3 down lineman with his hand in the ground.
DT: Zion Logue: Players with championship pedigrees are often sought after at the pro level. They're deemed winners who know what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport and can help motivate and lead teammates to get them there. Logue won two national championships as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs, so he knows more than most what it's like to be on top. He was a 6th round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024, though he started only 16 games in college thanks to a deep Georgia defense. Logue has been with the Falcons and Buffalo Bills since then, managing to find his way into five NFL games. As UFL teams naturally experience turnover on their rosters each year and have to build a roster with limited practice time, a player like Logue from a program like Georgia would be a benefit to have in a locker room.
LB: Nick Jackson: A tackling machine in college, Jackson amassed 555 career stops after four years at Virginia and two at Iowa, good for the second-most in the history of FBS. In four of his six years he had over 100 tackles. With those stats, Jackson added 17 passes defensed and 17 sacks. The knock on Jackson: Small (just over 6'0") and slow (a 4.75 40), which pushed him into undrafted status in 2025, signing with the Tampa Bay Bucs instead. He played one game last year after spending most of the season on their practice squad, then was brought back in 2026 on a futures deal. He has the profile of someone who can excel at the UFL level even if he has warts preventing NFL teams from developing him.
CB: A.J. Green III: Though many on this list have only limited NFL regular season game play under their belts, Green's time on the field has been much more extensive: Since entering the league in 2020 as a UDFA with the Cleveland Browns, Green has played in 39 career games and has two interceptions. Coming out of college, Green received an invitation to the prestigious Senior Bowl. In an era where corners are running 4.3 and 4.4 40-yard dash times, Green's 4.62 was deemed slow, leading him to being undrafted. After playing parts of five seasons with four teams, Green's luck may have run out after his release by the Miami Dolphins at the end of training camp. UFL teams will see his NFL experience as a plus.
S: Beau Brade: There are spring football ties here: Brade was drafted by the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL's College Draft back in 2024. He never ended up playing for the team because he made the Baltimore Ravens roster as a rookie free agent that year, excelling on special teams. He couldn't capture the same training camp magic in 2025, as he was released and later claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. He played in 26 games across the last two seasons, mostly on special teams, before being cut by the Giants this year. Playing in the UFL will allow Brade to get some defensive tape out there given he's mostly been relegated to coverage units thus far in his pro career.
K: Ben Sauls: By default, the only kicker released at final cuts - and done so with an injury settlement. He was neck-and-neck with rookie Dominic Zvada for the job with the New York Giants before Zvada ultimately won out. The left-footed Sauls made three appearances for the Giants last season, nailing all eight field goal attempts and seven extra points. When Sauls gets healthy, he's likely to be on a lot of NFL teams' short lists for in-season injury replacements in 2026.
P: Nik Constantinou: Cleveland had a highly unusual three-way battle at punter this summer between Constantinou, Corey Bojorquez, and Wes Pahl. Bojorquez won the job, Pahl made the practice squad, leaving Constantinou as a UFL prospect at this point in time. The Australian Constantinou came to the NFL via the CFL, where he punted for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for two seasons. He kicked in college for Texas A&M before being first signed by the Denver Broncos in 2024.
LS: Cal Adomitis: A rare second appearance on this list for Adomitis, who was a First Team All-American in 2021 and winner of the Patrick Mannelly Award for best college long snapper that same year. Adomitis played a few years with the Cincinnati Bengals, then became one of the top snappers called upon as a backup when injuries struck the position throughout the league. He's been with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in that capacity and was in Green Bay's training camp this year. He was beat out by incumbent Matt Orzech, though Green Bay signed former New York Guardians LS Scott Daly to their practice squad as insurance, rather than retaining Adomitis.