As the Orlando Storm (4-2) prepare for a playoff push in the 2026 UFL season, they need to manage their roster before facing the Houston Gamblers (2-4). The UFL has announced that the Orlando Storm has terminated the contract of cornerback Micah Abraham and moved strong safety Jaylen Mahoney to the injured reserve list. Abraham struggled in the first six games, recording only 13 solo tackles and 2 assists. Mahoney's season ended due to injury after he produced 17 solo tackles and 8 assists in six games.
Orlando needed to fill two roster spots after removing Micah Abraham and Jaylen Mahoney from the roster. The Storm addressed these vacancies in the secondary by signing cornerback D.J. James, who played briefly with the Patriots (2025) and Seahawks (2024) after being drafted in the 6th round by the Seahawks in 2024, and safety Avery Young, who had previously played for the Saint Louis Battlehawks in 2025 and developed a connection there with head coach Anthony Becht. This sequence details how the two new players replaced Abraham and Mahoney.
Termination:
Birmingham
WR, John Ross
Orlando
CB, Micah Abraham
Free Agent Signing:
Louisville
FS, Rayshad Williams
Orlando
CB, D.J. James
FS, Avery Young
Moved to Reserve/Injured:
Orlando
SS, Jaylen Mahoney— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) May 8, 2026
Cornerback D.J. James comes to the UFL with limited NFL experience, having played one game and recorded one solo tackle. Before being drafted by the Seahawks in 2024, James played college football at the University of Oregon (2019-2021) and Auburn University (2022-2023). At Oregon, he appeared in 32 games, compiling 53 solo tackles, 17 assists, and 2 interceptions. After transferring to Auburn, he played in 24 more games and added 55 solo tackles and 20 assists. James has a reputation as an outstanding cover cornerback for his ability to mirror receivers and match their speed in space. His elite top-end speed allows him to get on top of receivers early; if a receiver creates separation, James can recover quickly. Additionally, he has outstanding ball skills and good instincts for making plays on the perimeter in zone coverage.
Safety Avery Young comes to the Orlando Storm to fill in for Jaylen Mahoney at the strong safety position. During his career, Young has shown the versatility to play a cornerback, free safety, or strong safety. It is expected that Young will step in at strong safety, but that will also depend on how well he fits with the rest of the Orlando secondary.
Before coming to Orlando, the 6'0", 198-pound Young played in 2 games for the Saint Louis Battlehawks during the 2025 UFL season. However, Young was only able to produce 2 solo tackles and 1 assist. On the other hand, Young does have prior experience working with Orlando head coach Anthony Becht and Storm defensive coordinator Donnie Abraham's defensive scheme. In 2023, Young spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL, and he played college football at Rutgers University from 2018 until 2022. While playing for the Scarlet Knights, Young played in 57 games and recorded 169 solo tackles, 151 assists, 3.0 quarterback sacks, and 3 interceptions. Young is known for being a physical, durable perimeter support player, thanks to his reliability in making open-field tackles. While he does not have elite speed, he can play in coverage or roll down into the box to help stop his opponents' run game.
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