A New Era In Memphis: Where Do The Showboats Stand Now?
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A New Era In Memphis: Where Do The Showboats Stand Now?

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This week, the UFL finally provided the Memphis Showboats with a new Head Coach. Ken Whisenhunt will be taking over the franchise, alongside General Manager Jim Monos who brings plenty of spring ball experience to the organization.

The Memphis Showboats have been without a Head Coach, or a General Manager, for almost two months. John DeFilippo was removed in early August.

However, the Showboats have been making moves since then – re-signing dozens of athletes from the 2024 UFL season.

In Tuesday’s media call, we received some insight from Daryl Johnston on why these transactions went down. The league wanted to give Ken and Jim a base to work with, retaining some of Memphis’ top players:

“I think the big thing is, with the structure of our contracts, and the vulnerability of where we could have been with another competitive league, we wanted to make sure that we had a good foundation for the new HC and GM when they came in. That they wouldn’t have a roster that lost several of the key players. We made a decision that was in the best interest of the league moving forward. We sat down with coaches on the staff of Memphis and asked them to help us structure something that would leave Memphis with a good foundation. We wanted it to be thorough.”

This finally gives us the clarity we needed on who was behind these re-signings for Memphis. In addition to the players that have returned, Daryl mentioned that former GM, Dennis Polian, offered to help Ken and Jim get up to speed on who they have on the roster, or who they may want to bring back.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at where the Memphis Showboats are at right now – prior to Ken and Jim making any moves of their own.

Offense

So far, the Memphis Showboats only roster one quarterback: Troy Williams. Williams was primarily QB2 this season, behind Case Cookus. He did get the opportunity to start a couple of games, but never got the chance to fully take control of the team.

Williams didn’t exactly live up to the potential we saw him display in the USFL with Pittsburgh. Williams threw for 591 yards and five scores this year – but tossed five interceptions as well; alongside losing a fumble. Turnovers, poor reads, and a general lack of confidence plagued Troy in 2024.

Troy’s got plenty of upside with his dual threat capabilities, but would likely be battling for QB2 or QB3 in 2025. Memphis is going to need to bring in some new faces at the position, similar to what Birmingham did this past year with Martinez and Corral.

Skill Positions

The only running back who has re-signed so far is Titus Swen. He primarily was stuck behind Darius Victor this year, posting 75 rushing yards. He made quite the impact on special teams, though, returning 35 kicks for 891 yards (3rd in the UFL).

Only two wide receivers remain on the roster: Jonathan Adams, and Dee Anderson. Adams has been one of spring football’s best over the past few years – and it’s no surprise to see him back in action. In the right offensive system, Adams has All-UFL potential. Even with the revolving door at QB this year, he was very productive with 442 yards and a score.

Dee Anderson is a playmaker who didn’t get many targets in 2024, but showed up in big moments when Memphis needed him. He’s someone who should see a larger role in 2025. Additionally, Jay Jay Wilson is back in the TE room; bringing depth and quality blocking to the table for Memphis for the third straight year.

Offensive Line

To be completely honest, the re-signings on the offensive line are a bit confusing. Darrin Paulo, James Tunstall, Salesi Uhatafe, Jared Thomas, and Jordan McCray have all re-signed so far.

None of these names were standouts – in fact, most posted below average grades via PFF. When analyzing the film from this past season, Paulo and McCray in particular are a couple of guys who struggled to consistently protect at all. Jared Thomas, as well, isn’t a prime choice at center anymore.

This unit needs to have an overhaul heading towards 2025. The team should look to bring back Alec Lindstrom, who is fresh off an NFL stint with the Rams. Outside of that, Whisenhunt and Monos would do themselves a favor by looking towards free agents not currently in the UFL to restructure this O-Line with.

Defense

Memphis has three DT’s on the roster: John Atkins Sr., Daylon Mack, and Dillon Faamatau. Atkins was All-USFL back in 2023, but is starting to get up there in age, about to turn 32 in December. He’s a quality piece to this defensive unit; but if he does remain on the roster, should probably see a smaller role in 2025. The Showboats need some youth – and speed – on this defense. Mack and Faamatau are decent for depth, and Mack in particular is excellent as a run stopper. Still, there’s room for improvement in this room.

Edge Rushers

Memphis does feature some solid pieces at EDGE. Jordan Ferguson, Greg Reaves, Tyshun Render, and Jeff McCulloch have all re-signed for 2025.

Ferguson is head and shoulders above the rest, and was one of the few pieces who remained consistent all year long defensively. He led the way with 45 tackles, seven TFL’s, five sacks, and a team-best 20 quarterback hurries. If the Showboats had a better defense in general, he would’ve been in the running for All-UFL honors.

With that in mind, Reaves, Render, and McCulloch are all names who should at least have a crack at it in Training Camp. Greg’s been one of the stronger edge rushers in the spring scene, and while he took a small step backwards this year, still made an impact with 22 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

On the other hand, McCulloch and Render both didn’t play much this year – but made an impact when active. Jeff is recovering from a shoulder injury, so it’ll be intriguing to see if he can come back at 100% by the time Training Camp begins.

Linebackers

So far, Memphis has re-signed three linebackers; two of which are slight headscratchers. Malik Lawal, first of all, belongs on this team. He wasn’t perfect in 2024 – but made plenty of impact plays, and showcased his ability to be consistent from week to week. Malik should at least have the opportunity to be a rotational piece for this team next year.

However, it’s strange that the UFL went ahead and brought back Anthony Butler and Terrill Hanks. Daryl made it clear: they were looking to bring back “key pieces”. Neither Hanks or Butler necessarily fit that bill. Hanks was a late addition to the roster, playing in just two games. Butler, while playing in seven matchups, clearly lost a step athletically. He’s someone who could end up as a depth piece, but the Showboats would be better off bringing in some fresh faces at the position.

Defensive Backs

The Showboats only have two DB’s on the roster. Kyree Woods is back for a third season, which is great news. Outside of a couple of rough moments, he had another strong campaign in spring ball. Kyree gave up four touchdowns in the first four weeks – and then proceeded to not allow a single score the rest of the year. He posted 40 tackles and two PBU’s this season.

Safety Jarey Elder also makes his way back. He was a standout with the New Orleans Breakers for two seasons, and then slid over to Memphis with Head Coach John DeFilippo. Elder wasn’t as productive this past season – but this was largely due to the disorganized defensive system that was run by Carnell Lake in 2024.

Special Teams

Finally, the Showboats have returned two of their three specialists for 2025. Kicker Matt Coghlin is back, after another strong campaign in spring football. Coghlin was one of the few players who could actually score points for this Showboats offense, missing only one kick all year. He’s someone that Ken and his staff will absolutely want to keep around.

In addition, long snapper Turner Bernard re-signed for another season. Bernard wasn’t perfect this year, but has been working with Coghlin for two years now – so it makes sense to have him back on the roster.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to players who haven’t re-signed yet, there’s a few that Memphis should look to get back. Vinny Papale and Lamont McPhatter II are a couple who come to mind; both filled their roles quite well in 2024 and earned their spots on the team.

At running back, it’s tough to say if Darius Victor will be back or not. He’s a valuable piece to any offense – but at this point in his career, having him as RB1 may not be as realistic.

Daewood Davis, Sage Surratt, and Nehemiah Shelton are three players who went to the NFL – and are now free agents. It would make sense to bring all three back. If anything, at least bringing back Davis and Surratt would be important for the offensive unit.

At the end of the day, there is plenty for Ken Whisenhunt and Jim Monos to sort through and figure out over the coming months. Ken openly admitted to the fact that he hasn’t even taken a look at the team yet, or who is on the roster. As those conversations are held, it’s likely that we’ll see Memphis remove some of these re-signings. Truthfully, the more that Ken blows things up in Memphis, the better off this franchise will be moving forward.

Additionally, we’re looking forward to seeing the free agents that Monos & Co. decide to bring in. It’s going to be an exciting few months following this rebuild in Memphis – so stay tuned, because plenty of news will be trickling down the wire sooner than later.

What are your thoughts on where the Memphis Showboats sit right now? Who are some players you’d love to see Whisenhunt and Monos pursue? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

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