Taylor Heinicke image courtesy Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Over the last several spring football seasons, more than a few players to suit up have come from the list of final cuts at the end of NFL training camp. While many of those cuts find homes on practice squads, plenty do not. Those are the players ripe for signing by UFL general managers.
Since the XFL's 2023 relaunch, I've attempted to put together one player at every position that I believe should be of interest to UFL teams. These players were not immediately signed to practice squads - though, of course, they could be as the season progresses. In other words, they are currently free agents, eligible to be signed by a UFL team.
The challenge in this project is not to just find the "best" player at that position currently unemployed, but find those that are the best AND most likely to take on a role in spring football. Thirty-something veterans with a decade of starting experience are unlikely to see spring football as a viable avenue, so they are left off the list.
In the past, I've listed rookies here but I won't this year. College/Rookie drafts have traditionally been held in the summer the last few years, but they've moved that (tentatively) into September this year. So those rookies are now eligible to be drafted, and not signed as free agents (at least presumably, not right away), which is the intention of this compilation of players.
Last year, my column profiled a number of players that would eventually end up in the UFL. QB Max Duggan, WR Andy Isabella, C Charles Turner III, CB Michael Ojemudia, S Josh Proctor, K Lucas Havrisik and LS Cameron Lyons were those players. Who might those names be this year? Let's find out.
QB: Taylor Heinicke: I mean, come on, right? Heinicke was (in)famously a third-string Battlehawk back in XFL 2020 before carving out a career as a backup in the NFL with several teams since then. At 32 years old, Heinicke is a little long in the tooth for what UFL teams are likely looking for. But his connection to spring football, in this case, was too much to pass up and would make for a great redemption story for him. I hear St. Louis is looking for a quarterback, too..
RB: Deuce Vaughn: Before he even played a down in Dallas, he became a fan favorite for a draft-day viral video that showed his dad, a Cowboys scout, making the call to his son that the team would be selecting him. Despite depth issues in the Cowboys backfield the last few years, Vaughn was never able to take advantage, seeing just 40 carries across two seasons. At Kansas State, he averaged 5.5 yards per tote and was a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, aspects of his game that may be attractive to UFL teams.
TE: Jaheim Bell: A 7th round pick of the Patriots in 2024, Bell was ushered out when a new regime took over this season in Foxboro. He began his collegiate career at South Carolina, where he finished with 56 catches in three seasons, but also 80 rushing attempts to show his athletic profile. In his final year at FSU, Bell was named second-team All-ACC, breaking out with 39 catches for over 500 yards. It was a disappointing summer as Bell lost out on the number three TE job to 2024 UDFA Jack Westover, then was passed over for the practice squad in favor of a 2025 UDFA, C.J. Dippre.
WR: Laviska Shenault: The Jacksonville Jaguars took Shenault with a 2nd round pick in 2020, and he started 22 games through two seasons in Duval, catching over 100 passes during that time. With a new staff on board in 2022, Shenault was traded to the Carolina Panthers in August. He was never able to find a role there or elsewhere: He’s been a part of five teams now since entering the NFL. Shenault is somewhat of a gadget player who can play receiver and run with the ball as well as return kicks. That versatility is something that could attract UFL coaches to his game.
OT: Joshua Miles: Out of the HBCU ranks, Miles was a decorated Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference player at Morgan State University. A mountain of a man at 6'5" and 320 pounds, Miles has lined up at tackle and guard in his career. Upon turning pro, Miles became the first player from Morgan State to attend the East-West Shrine Game. The Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the 7th round in 2019. Miles will be 30 when the UFL season begins, but offensive tackle depth is a premium in the UFL and some team may be able to talk him into coming to camp next spring. The fact that he has 18 NFL games to his name will sweeten the pot for UFL teams.
G: Netane Muti: Strength is Muti’s game, as he put up 44 reps on the bench press at the 2020 NFL Combine to lead all participants. That, in part, earned Muti the privilege of hearing his name called on draft day, in the 6th round by the Denver Broncos. In 2022, the Las Vegas Raiders signed him off Denver’s practice squad and in 2024, he was signed by Detroit. He failed to make a significant impact in any of those stops, though he has started four games in his NFL career. A UFL team with a power run game may like Muti’s traits enough to make him an offer.
C: Matthew Cindric: Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Minnesota in 2024, he spent time on the practice squad of the New York Jets and Atlanta last season before inking a futures deal with the Falcons early in 2025. He made it all the way through training camp this year until he was released at final cuts. At Cal, he showed versatility starting as many games at guard (17) as at center. He was a three-time All-Academic PAC-12 selection and has also done some snapping on PATs and field goals. The ability to play multiple positions on the interior should help him find work, either in the NFL or UFL.
DE/EDGE: K.J. Henry: NFL teams love Clemson players; that and Henry’s strong final as a Tiger helped boost him into a 5th round draft pick of the Washington Commanders in 2023. In 2022, Henry posted a career-high 51 tackles and nine tackles for loss. As with so many players on this list, a change at the coaching spot in Washington in 2024 led to Henry’s departure. He’s been around the block with four other teams since then, failing to stick for any length of time. Henry’s time in Clemson and his big-game experience (he’s a College Football and Super Bowl champion) make him a good fit for a UFL team looking for perennial winners to fit into the locker room.
DT: Travis Bell: Despite his 6’0”, 300+-pound stature, Bell isn’t just a typical space-eating nose tackle: In college, he had 11 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss at the FCS level with Kennesaw State. An impressive 40-time for a man his size and 30 reps on the bench press at his pro day forced NFL teams to take notice. To wit, the Chicago Bears drafted Bell in the 7th round in 2023. He’s been an NFL nomad ever since, making stops in Atlanta, Cincinnati and Minnesota, where he was released last week. There’s some raw talent here waiting to be unlocked, and the playing time he’d get in the UFL could do that.
LB: Jacoby Windmon: Windmon went from starting two games last year and finding himself second on the pre-season ILB depth chart to being cut and not even getting practice squad work. Windmon has played inside and outside linebacker as well as defensive end in college but hasn’t seemed to find a permanent home anywhere on defense. He’s a little light for end and a little heavy for the demands of the modern linebacker. One place he can excel is special teams, where he made three tackles for the Panthers last year. In close quarters that the kickoff returns in the UFL present, Windmon could be a terror covering kicks.
CB: Daequan Hardy: Hardy was actually signed to Buffalo’s initial practice squad, but lasted just one day there before getting jettisoned in favor of Jalen Kimber. Not a good sign for Hardy, a 6th rounder, to be released by the regime that drafted him, signing a player from another team over him. Hardy developed on Buffalo’s practice squad the entirety of last season. His 4.38 speed, clocked at the NFL Combine, will be enticing for some teams, both NFL and UFL. Per his NFL.com draft profile, Hardy is a nickel corner who can return punts and play gunner on punt coverage.
S: Millard Bradford: A teammate of Max Duggan’s during TCU’s 2022 National Championship run, Bradford was an All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2022 and 2023. In his final four seasons at TCU, Bradford was a top five tackler on the team in each of those years. At about 5’10” and 190 pounds, he doesn’t fit the ideal size standards of a safety at the NFL level. But with 4.42 speed, Bradford could at least contribute on special teams, something he had experience with at TCU.
K: Matthew Wright: Losing a battle for the kicking job to UDFA Ryan Fitzgerald in Carolina has left Wright without a home, at least temporarily. He’s usually one of the top names brought in when injuries strike during the season. Wright has kicked in the regular season for six teams over five years, but only once did he play in double-digit games in a season. Wright is no stranger to spring football: He lost out on the Tampa Bay Vipers kicking job to Andrew Franks in 2020.
P: James Burnip: I had to cheat a little here and list a rookie, since the only two punters out of a job at cut-down day were 2025 undrafted free agents. Burnip was a consensus top punter in the 2025 NFL Draft, attending the Senior Bowl all-star game after his final college season at Alabama. Burnip is an Australia native, as are most top punters these days. Signed by the New Orleans Saints, Burnip was briefly part of a three-man punting competition that also involved holdover Matthew Hayball and fellow UDFA Kai Kroeger. Kroeger ended up winning out.
LS: Cal Adomitis: When Cincinnati long snapper Clark Harris was injured after week one of the 2022 season, the rookie Adomitis was promoted from the practice squad and had been the Bengals’ long snapper ever since. Enter Will Wagner out of Michigan, a UDFA this year who provided competition for and ultimately dethroned Adomitis. It’s highly likely Adomitis will be at the top of the emergency list for teams if any injury occurs elsewhere in the league at this position. Until then, Adomitis could look to the UFL as an option to continue playing.