By Brian Gertler
Earlier this week, the UFL announced yet another list of players who have agreed to contract terms with the league. Some friendly faces for the St. Louis Battlehawks made the list:
Former Los Angeles Charger Ben DeLuca returns to the squad as a presumed starting safety. DeLuca was placed on the team’s reserve list after suffering a knee injury halfway through the 2023 season. His most notable performance came against the DC Defenders in week 5 where DeLuca made seven tackles and had two fumble recoveries.
Another signee was LB Willie Harvey. Harvey was the BattleHawk’s leading tackler last season and is considered a top-tier talent in the league.
One of the most surprising signings came from a free agent pickup, RB Wayne Gallman. Gallman is known mostly for being the New York Giants back who replaced Saquan Barkley when he tore his ACL early in the 2020 NFL season. Gallman finished the 2020 season with 796 total yards and six rushing TDs.
Other signees included DB Chris Payton-Jones from the (now defunct) Seattle Sea Dragons through a Phase 2 draft pick and a returning Battlehawk DB Brandon Sebastian.
Sebastian and DeLuca were included in the Battlehawk’s Phase 1 selected list of 42 players who signed a letter of intent to return with the team.
Some of the more noteworthy signees include WRs Marcell Ateman and Darius Shepherd, TE Jake Sutherland, and LB John Daka. In celebration of his resigning, Shepherd is taking part in a meet-and-greet signing event in South County St. Louis at Orlando Gardens. You can register for the event on the St. Louis Sports Collectors website.
As the season approaches, it’s important to note that 32 out of the 62 current roster have been signed to the team within the first two and a half weeks after the completion of the UFL Dispersal Draft. Players who have yet to sign include LB Pita Taumoepenu and the 2023 XFL-leading WR Jahcour Pearson. With approximately two months to season kickoff, we can only assume that more signings will come within the next few weeks.
You can review the official running list of all official signees as they are released on the UFL’s Communications Department X page here.
One of the bigger roster questions comes from the QB positions. 2023 BattleHawks QB AJ McCarron was signed and elevated to the active roster for his previous NFL team the Cincinnati Bengals back in early December. While the team currently has Nick Tiano listed as the probable QB 1 on the roster, Coach Anthony Becht hinted at a potential return for McCarron stating that, by the start of training camp “the goal is to keep all three quarterbacks and return them again to keep that quarterback room and that continuity.”
However, McCarron showed some concerns with the current pay, issues with bonus structures, and player union structure in the UFL and his focus on family in an interview with Springball Boulevard. The good news for BattleHawk fans was that McCarron stated “There is only one team that he would come back to play for and that is St. Louis.”
McCarron is not the only face of the league that is struggling with these new player contract packages. 2023 DC Defenders QB and former BattleHawk Jordan Ta’amu is another big name who is holding out on returning to the league for similar reasons.
With the UFL training camp just over three weeks away, teams are looking to solidify rosters and personnel with a sense of urgency. The hope for the BattleHawks will be to bolster the top-need positions with potential returning talent and solidify contracts for those who have yet to sign on the dotted line.