The XFL made some big changes to the quarterback in 2020. To link the position to the overall quality of play in the new league, it signed NFL veterans Landry Jones, Matt McGloin , Cardale Jones and Josh Johnson, among others. Some of them signed contracts worth nearly $500,000 for an entire season, almost nine times the position the players are taking.
And finally, the best quarterback that came out after that pandemic shortened season is little known PJ Walkerthe league leader has passed and — more importantly — is now starting for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
When it relaunches in February, the XFL will focus more on finding the next PJ Walker than securing the current Landry Jones. Its original midfield group consisted of only one player — Ben DiNucci – who appeared in an NFL game. The team is likely to expand after the NFL season, when quarterbacks in practice are available, but name recognition and proven records aren’t a priority. An additional draft will take place in January.
“If anything, it’s leaning in favor of guys from two or three years out of college all the way up to four or five,” said Doug Whaley, senior vice president of human resources at the XFL. “Looking at the people we’ve targeted, there aren’t many people who have graduated from college for four to five years.”
The XFL will assign the current 13-member quarterback to its eight teams on Tuesday in a live stream event that begins at 2 p.m. ET from Las Vegas. Drafting for slots will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, when teams will begin the process of loading their rosters with 66 players each for training camp practice that will begin in early 2023.
Let’s take a closer look at the XFL’s approach to midfield, its suitability in the crowded space of alternative professional soccer leagues, and more.
Who else is in the quarterback?
In addition to DiNucci, who has started three matches for dalas cowboy in 2020 and got out of boot camp this past summer, the list includes:
Dungey, Montez and Silvers are veterans of the XFL’s 2020 season.
It’s definitely a departure from 2020.
It is, and there are several reasons for that.
First, XFL came under new ownership after Dany Garcia, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners bought it for $15 million due to the bankruptcy of Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment. Whaley is part of the football governing body of the 2020 league, but much of the leadership is new.
Second, many of those veterans were eliminated early, especially McGloin and Landry Jones.
Whaley said the XFL focuses on two types of midfielders. There are players who haven’t hit an NFL shot out of college in 2022 and “have the skill but for whatever reason haven’t had a chance to show it off.” The other category, he said, are signal callers who have been on NFL rosters, are likely currently on practice teams and are at a point where they need to show they can do a lot. than running an actual scouting team.
“It’s someone who needs to show that they can plan the game and lead a team for 10 games and record that,” Whaley said, “so the NFL and powers can say, ‘I’m real. liking this guy. graduated from college, but for the past three years all he’s done is sit on a practice team.’ And maybe that guy can prove he can be as capable a quarterback in the NFL as a PJ Walker or a Taylor Heinicke.”
Heinicke, who Washington Commanders is 2-1 in the games he’s started this season, a backup for St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL in 2020.
Isn’t this an exhaustive list of XFL quarterbacks for 2023?
No. These 13 players will be distributed on Tuesday, but that will leave many teams with at least one open position. There will be more as the XFL tries to recruit more midfielders. The 2020 edition of the XFL has similarly focused plans for 2021, Will the tournament continue?.
How will the draft itself work?
The XFL will publish its draft order Monday noon ET, based on a virtual lottery, and the draft order itself will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The third part of the draft will be divided into four placement groups, each of which will have 11 rounds:
-
Attack skills (wide retract, run back and close finish)
-
defender
-
7 Defensive Midfielders (Playing for the Ball, Bordering, Defensive Finishing and Inner Fullbacks)
-
Attack Line
Wednesday will focus on the pros — free kickers, pitchers and long rangers — followed by a number of more extended rounds for players of any position.
What about the overall player pool?
The XFL has developed a roster of 1,700 players who will vie for 528 slots in training camp. Whaley said each team will have 50 players on the regular-season roster, with 45 active on game day.
There are some notable NFL veterans on the team, including the wide receiver Martavis Bryant and Mohamed Sanu. It is not yet clear whether either will be drafted. As Whaley said, much of the league will consist of players less than five years out of their final college season.
Here’s how Whaley describes the type of players the XFL is focusing on: “They’re the 53- to 75-year-olds on the NFL’s training camp roster. They’re the guys on the training team, that type of player, just the way it is. who need more than spice or people who need a chance to show they have that skill set Those are really the people who need to define themselves, but for the NFL, they’re really just good players at college isn’t good enough to be an NFL player Or are they NFL players who haven’t… the light shines on them to show that they can.
“There’s a bunch of players in there that can play really good football and we’re going to be either a launchpad for an NFL career or a cool landing place where people can still live their dream of playing professional football. and then move on to another phase of their life.”
Does the XFL present itself as an evolving league for the NFL?
No. But it also knows that most of its team will consist of players who want to play in the NFL. The USFL, for example, had more than 50 of their players signed to the NFL’s training camp roster after completing the season this past summer, and 14 signed to the original training teams in September.
Speaking of USFL, how will it affect XFL’s player search?
The USFL signed two-year contracts with many of its players last spring, effectively preventing them from signing with the XFL. According to Whaley, the contracts of some players will expire on December 31 and those athletes could be signed after that point. XFL executives held a virtual roundtable with agents last spring, and Whaley confirmed that the federation would provide more total player compensation than the USFL did.
Are there enough higher level players to go around?
In most positions, yes, especially considering the larger draft pools the NFL has seen in the years following the shortened 2020 college season, which has spurred many players to stay in college for an extra year. again. But Whaley admits that the midfield and offensive line are difficult to fill in any given year, whether the USFL exists or not.
What is the plan on the offensive line?
The XFL has hired human resources directors for each team, and as Whaley says, “We think we have the eyes that can identify people in positions that we can get in, people in any situation. There aren’t any NFL teams right now, but they think and we think they have the skills to play good football and set this league to a high standard.”
Whaley said some unavoidable skill gaps can be minimized with planning.
“You don’t want a seven-step offense,” he said, “because you don’t have guys who can hold three to four seconds like that. But if you have RPOs mixed in with the wrong direction, that helps not only player development but the game as well. That kind of violation is really making its way into the NFL, too, because they’re experiencing a similar situation.”
What’s next after the draft?
XFL executives and teams will continue to strengthen the talent pool as more players become available. Players will head to training camp in Arlington, Texas, on January 8 for a week of acclimatization followed by four weeks of practice. The 10-game regular season kicks off on February 18.
