Former Badgers & Packers in the XFL

The NFL season has come to an end and so has football until the fall … well, not quite. The second go-around of the XFL begins this weekend.

Wondering who to root for (or even who is on the rosters)? We’ve compiled a list of the former Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers players who will be lining up for the eight XFL teams. Maybe this will help you decide which team(s) to pay attention to.

Without further ado, here’s the list as taken off the initial 52-man rosters:

Dallas Renegades (opens Sunday, Feb. 9 vs. St. Louis at 4 p.m. CT)

Packers
G Josh Allen: Don’t remember Allen? He spent 20 days on Green Bay’s practice squad in September 2015.

CB Donatello Brown: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Brown was promoted to the active roster late in the year and played in four games, playing on defensive snap and 17 on special teams.

OLB Johnathan Calvin: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and cut before the start of the season.

LB James Folston: If you blinked, you missed him. Folston was signed Aug. 25, 2019 and cut a week later.

CB Josh Hawkins: Made the active roster as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Hawkins played sparingly that season but appeared in 15 games with three starts at cornerback in 2017. He was cut before the start of the 2018 season, playing with Carolina and Philadelphia that year in six games combined.

LB Greer Martini: Had 11 tackles in the preseason in 2018 after being signed as an undrafted free agent and briefly was on the team’s practice squad.

DC Defenders (Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. Seattle, 1 p.m.)

Packers

WR Malachi Dupre: A seventh-round draft pick by Green Bay in 2017, Dupre had three catches for 19 yards in the preseason and was a roster day cut. He’s bounced around NFL training camps and practice squads since with Buffalo, Houston Seattle, Arizona and the L.A. Chargers.

RB Jhurell Pressley: Green Bay claimed Pressley, who also returned kicks, off waivers from Minnesota on Sept. 4, 2016 and waived him 10 days later. He’s since been signed (and cut) by Atlanta, Jacksonville and the New York Giants.

Houston Roughnecks (Saturday, Feb. 8 vs. L.A., 4 p.m.)

Packers

LB Beniquez Brown: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Brown had 12 tackles in the preseason and was signed to the practice squad although released days later.

LB Carl Bradford: A fourth-round pick in 2014, Bradford didn’t make his debut for the Packers until 2016. He was a healthy inactive for every game of his rookie season and spent all of 2015 on the practice squad. After starting the 2016 season again on the practice squad, Bradford was promoted to the active roster in mid-November, played four games and was waived.

Los Angeles Wildcats (Saturday, Feb. 8 at Houston, 4 p.m.)

Packers

WR Adonis Jennings: Jennings was signed by the Packers in July 2018 after participating at the team’s minicamp on a tryout basis a month earlier. He didn’t record any stats in the preseason and was part of the team’s cutdown to 53.

RB DuJuan Harris: Signed to the practice squad in late October 2012, Harris was activated in December and started in his Packers debut, rushing for 31 yards with a touchdown on seven carries in a 27-20 win vs. Detroit. In four games, he’d rush for 157 yards and two TDs on 34 carries. Harris would start both of Green Bay’s playoff games that season – gaining 47 yards n 17 carries with a TD plus five catches for 53 yards in a 24-10 win over Minnesota, then 53 yards with a TD on 11 carries and two catches for 11 yards in a 45-31 loss at San Francisco. After missing the 2013 season with a knee injury, Harris played in 15 games in 2014 but had only 16 carries for 64 yards; his main duty was kick returner, where he averaged 20.7 yards on 22 returns. Harris wasn’t tendered a contract after the season and became a free agent.

OG Nico Siragusa: Green Bay signed the former Baltimore fourth-round pick in December 2018. He didn’t appear in any games and was waived the following April.

New York Guardians

Badgers

LB Garret Dooley: Dooley played in all 14 games for Wisconsin as a junior and senior, credited with no starts, he had 84 tackles, 18.5 TFL (including 12 as a senior) and 11 sacks (7.5 as a senior) combined over those two years. Undrafted, he signed with the Vikings and briefly spent time on their practice squad. He was on Detroit’s practice squad in 2018 but was without a team in 2019 after being cut by the Lions before the start of the season.

Packers

G Anthony Coyle: Originally signed by Houston after being undrafted, the Packers signed Coyle to the practice squad in late September 2018 and released before the following season.

DL Joey Mbu: Was with the Packers during training camp in 2018 and cut before the season.

WR Colby Pearson: Signed as an undrafted free agent in June 2017, he did not record any stats in preseason games and was waived Aug. 27. Person was, however, brought back in mid-December, signed to the practice squad. He was cut the following June.

WR Teo Redding: After being in training camp with Detroit and on Washington’s practice squad for a short time, Redding was signed to Green Bay’s practice squad in late November 2018. He had four catches for 49 yards this past preseason and was waived Aug. 31.

P Justin Vogel: An undrafted free agent, Vogel averaged 44.4 yards per punt in 2017 and set a franchise record with a 41.6 net punting average. In 2018, the Packers drafted JK Scott and Vogel was cut on May 4. He’s not appeared in an NFL game since although he’s been with Cleveland, San Francisco and Denver, albeit briefly with each.

QB Marquise Williams: A training camp quarterback signed out of North Carolina, Williams completed just 6 of 17 passes for 55 yards with an interception in the 2016 preseason. He’s been with teams in the CFL and AAF since his summer stint in Green Bay.

WR DeAngelo Yancey (injured): Another of the Packers’ 2017 draft picks, in the fifth round, he spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad. Yancey was cut again the following year and was re-upped to the practice squad in October, but lasted only 12 days before being released.

St. Louis Battlehawks (Sunday, Feb. 9 at Dallas, 4 p.m.)

Badgers

DB Darius Hillary: Hillary played 54 games at Wisconsin, finishing with 138 tackles, 4.5 TFL, one interception and 19 passes defensed. He went unselected in the 2016 draft. He was signed by Cincinnati and spent his rookie year on the practice squads of the Bengals and Cleveland. Hillary has also spent time with Oakland, Washington and New Orleans. On Dec. 12, 2017, Hillary appeared in his lone NFL game, getting seven special teams snaps for Cleveland in a home loss to Green Bay. Hillary also was on the rosters of both Arizona and Atlanta in the short-lived AAF.

Packers

OL Dejon Allen: Talk about blinked and you missed him. Allen was signed this past Aug. 29, played in Green Bay’s final preseason contest that night and then was cut two days later.

RB Keith Ford: Claimed off waivers from Indianapolis in early August 2019, Ford rushed 13 times for 42 yards and had two catches for 11 yards this past preseason. He was part of Green Bay’s cuts to 53.

RB Christine Michael: The well-traveled running back was claimed off waivers by the Packers in mid-November 2016. In six games with Green Bay he rushed for 114 yards and a TD on 31 carries and 58 yards on 10 carries in three playoff games (47 of those coming in a wild-card win over the Giants). Michael was cut shortly after the 2017 draft.

DL Khyri Thornton (injured): Drafted in the third round in 2014 by the Packers, he spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Waived at the cutdown date he following year, Thornton was claimed off waivers by New England. He’d go on to play 23 games with the Lions from 2015-17.

Seattle Dragons (Saturday, Feb. 8 at DC, 1 p.m.)

Packers

C Dillon Day: Day was signed for to Green Bay’s practice squad for the final two weeks of the 2017 season. He spent training camp with the team in 2018 but was part of final cuts before the season.

Tampa Bay Vipers (Sunday, Feb. 9 at N.Y., 1 p.m.)

Badgers

WR Tanner McEvoy: McEvoy had one of the most interesting tenures at Wisconsin, going from starting quarterback in 2014 to starting safety in 2015, with a little time at wide receiver sprinkled in. It’s at the latter position where he’s carved out his pro career. Signing with Seattle in 2016 after going undrafted, he had 14 receptions for 253 yards and two TDs in two seasons with the Seahawks before being cut, picked up by New Orleans, cut and signed by Miami, where he played 37 special teams snaps over two games in 2018. McEvoy finished 2018 on Buffalo’s practice squad and was with Tennessee during 2019 training camp.

Packers

QB Taylor Cornelius: Attended the Packers’ rookie minicamp this past May on a tryout basis.

OL Jordan McCray: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014, McCray bounced on and off the practice squad most of the season before eventually signing with Minnesota’s practice squad.

P Jake Schum: Was Green Bay’s punter in 2016, when he averaged 43.2 yards per kick. Ostensibly was going to compete for the position in 2017 but an injury sidelined him and he was waived with an injury settlement.

OL Andrew Tiller: Signed to the practice squad in late November 2013 and subsequently released before the start of the 2014 season.