The UFL is a second chance for many players that either wasn’t in the right situation or never got the chance in the first place. There are plenty of NFL players that didn’t become a star in the league that are working for a second chance in the UFL. There are many players that went from UFL rosters to NFL superstars like Jake Bates, kicker for the Detroit Lions, Brandon Aubrey, kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, and Kavonte Turpin, wide receiver and kick returner for once again the Dallas Cowboys. But we won’t be talking about the success stories, but we will be talking about the stories of those who failed in the NFL and are fighting for another chance to get to that place
We will start with my personal favourite team, the Houston Gamblers. One of the biggest names is Damon Arnette, ex-Raider known for getting cut due to flashing a firearm on an Instagram live stream and losing his one shot at the NFL. Another one is ex Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper. A wideout who played one game, got cut and resigned numerous times by the Cowboys and was an undrafted free agent and never became anything crazy in the NFL. Nolan Henderson is another player, not known for his time in the NFL as he only spent an offseason with the Baltimore Ravens as a undrafted free agent. In 2024, he signed with the Houston Gamblers and started 2 games going 0-2. There is more to his story, however. After being benched for Hunter Dekkers, he would go into week two as the backup, but when a sudden injury fell upon Hunter Dekkers, Nolan Henderson would step up and throw for 186 yards and help lead the Gamblers to a comeback victory upset against the Birmingham Stallions.
Now, there is one powerhouse team in this league, three-time champions, the Birmingham Stallions. There are three main players that a lot of diehard NFL fans know, and to start we will go with NFL draft bust Matt Corral. The ex-Panthers quarterback only had one year in the league before being cut and replaced by Will Levis. Matt never got a true chance in the NFL and decided that the UFL was the way to go. Now it is 2026 and he has started both games in the first two weeks going 1-1 losing to the Houston Gamblers. Next is wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. He played for the Panthers and Jaguars having a solid couple seasons as a wide receiver three but never staying a consistent starter in the NFL. He has been given his second chance on the Stallions. While Shenault was only a second-round pick John Ross was the ninth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. After breaking the NFL record 40-yard dash time with a 4.22 time, he never flowered into the player he was supposed to be. He played four injury full years with the Bengals before getting let go in the 2020 free agency class.
The reigning champion Dallas Renegades is another team full of talent like our first player Taco Charlton. Former Dallas Cowboys first round pick stays in Dallas and has so far had a solid career in the UFL. Though he is having a solid season in spring, he was considered a massive draft bust by the Cowboys. The commander and leader for the Dallas Renegades is a man by the name of Austin Reed. In College he dominated for the Western Kentucky hilltoppers but never became anything in the NFL. He would sign with the Chicago Bears as a UDFA but couldn’t get a career going and is now looking like a top QB in the UFL this year. Finally, Denzel Mims. A second-round pick for the New York Jets who just couldn’t make it all happen.
Now for one of the new guys, the Louisville Kings. One of the large signings is James Robinson, ex Jaguars and Saints running back who had one great season before tearing his ACL and the Jaguars completely giving up on him. There is Tyler Hudson, wide receiver who played for the Rams in 2023 preseason before being released and hasn’t had a stable career in pro football until now. Another running back in Benny Snell, ex steeler and had a solid 982-yard rushing season but once again fizzled out and landed himself in the UFL.
One of the most popular teams is the Saint Louis Battle hawks. They have my personal favourite wide receiver Hakeem Butler. A towering man at 6’5 with hands that can drag in just about any ball that comes his way, he has been a top threat for St Louis. He started his career in Oakland on the Raiders but could not make it work for his career. For our first and probably out last punter, Marquette King. He had a good career on the Raiders before unexpectedly being released and never signed. A top tier punter and has been in the UFL for multiple years. For our tight end here in St Louis, he has an incredible story. Tyler Neville fought through 20+ surgeries before high school, he then would fight his way to the NFL playing for the Cowboys but never finding a solid foundation, now he’s in the UFL rebuilding his career and fighting from the bottom up.
The other new team Orlando Storm is up next. They have a star in KJ Hamler who played a couple solid seasons in Denver as a wide receiver three before finding his way in the UFL. Jack Plummer is another pro quarterback, who would sign to the Carolina Panthers but would never make anything happen in the NFL and has been a star in the UFL. For another quarterback we have ex Browns player, Dorian Thompson Robinson. He would show great flashes in preseason and even some regular season flashes but inevitably would be let go by the Brown’s.
The last team is another new expansion team, the Columbus Aviators. Cornerback Cam Smith was an ex-2nd round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He would play 15 games his rookie year for the Dolphins but would end up on injured reserve and never see the field again and would get released in 2025. Leon O’Neal Jr is a safety that would be signed in the offseason of 2022 by the 49ers but would be released that same year and would bounce around the Canadian football league and other pro leagues. Now for the final player in this whole list, we have Jalan Mclendon. He would sign for the Baltimore Ravens before being cut. He would then sign with Washington but would also be cut. He played on other pro teams in other leagues before finding a starting spot in Columbus.
A member of the football team, Braeden Hawkins was interviewed and asked what he thought about the UFL as a second chance for players. He agreed that it was a good chance for those who didn’t make the cut in the league and wanted to either keep playing just in the UFL, or those who wanted to play in the NFL again and get tape.
The UFL is a second chance for plenty of players looking for a second chance. These guys are capable of good pro football and have some competitive games in the UFL, so don’t miss out on this 2026 UFL season.
