Just like that, the DC Defenders have completed their UFL Draft for the 2026 season. With Coach Shannon Harris back at the helm, the Defenders were able to retain some of their key pieces from a historic Championship run.
With that in mind, there are quite a few new faces in the building. Harris spoke to the media today, addressing where he believes DC stands currently.
“Just wrapped up our 2026 draft. I’m so excited about our roster. We have a lot of new faces, and a lot of old faces as well. We are beyond excited with the mixture of guys we’ve got to fill the holes of guys we lost. We were able to retain some continuity, though.”
The DC Defenders have decided to run it back with the same quarterback room. Jordan Ta’amu, 2025 UFL Championship game MVP, has returned. Mike DiLiello and Spencer Sanders are also back, serving as backups last year. DC is the only UFL team to retain all three quarterbacks from 2025.
We asked Coach Harris on what the process was here, and whether or not they considered bringing in more competition at QB:
“We thought it was important to have that continuity. It’s not so much of a competition, but I do think that Mike DiLiello and Spencer Sanders can go start for any other team, they’re that talented. The relationship that those guys have, within our QB room, they bounce a lot of great ideas off of each other. No matter who is in the game, or who’s taking reps in practice, they do a great job of communicating. Mike and Spencer love Jordan, and those guys all love each other, vice versa. I thought it was important that those guys understood what our culture is about. Why not bring them back?”
One of the position groups that saw some turnover is the Offensive Line. They did bring back a few standouts (i.e. C Mike Maietti, OG Tykeem Doss) – but the Defenders will have plenty of fresh blood at O-Line this year.
“You’re right. The one thing we want to do as a collective organization, is that we want to build this from the inside out on both sides of the football. Knowing that our offensive line is vital for us, like you said, last year we brought in Coach Braswell who did a tremendous job with our guys up front. We did lose a lot of pieces, but our main gluestick in Mike Maietti is still here. To have him back as our center, to make Jordan that much more comfortable, and Mike DiLiello – all those guys feel comfortable with him.”
While Maietti will remain as the starting center, DC added pieces such as Parker Clements, Jaelyn Duncan, Silas Dzansi, and others who will compete in camp, some of whom will ultimately make the roster.
For Coach Harris, he’s very confident with where the Defenders are at with their O-Line:
“We were able to get a good group of guys that we feel real comfortable with up front through the draft. A lot of these guys are local, too. Some of them are from Virginia Tech, others from Penn State – we were able to get guys from Maryland as well. These players are very talented. They do a great job of protecting the quarterback and being aggressive in the run game. We’re excited to have them.”
On top of that, the DC Defenders do feature a strong secondary, and they’ll have some new pieces this year as well. Leon O’Neal, Gabe Taylor, and others have been drafted by DC – and they’ve also retained standout cornerbacks such as DeAndre Baker (former NFL draft pick) and Bryce Thompson.
“Over the past few years, our defensive backfield has been one of the best in the league. We wanted to maintain some continuity there, such as DeAndre Baker. We got to pair him back up with one of his teammates from Georgia. These guys have some continuity there. At the same time, we got an All-UFL guy like Leon O’Neal – he’s very exciting back there. He’s a great communicator, he does a good job of getting guys lined up. We also brought back Trey Dean, who we brought in late last year and he was a huge addition for us. We’re excited about those guys back there for sure.”
It is interesting to note that he did not touch on Lewis Cine (who we asked about) while discussing the secondary room. One has to wonder if Lewis’ name was simply in the pool, and may not be committed to playing for the DC Defenders quite yet. Cine is a former first round NFL draft pick with the Minnesota Vikings.
Overall, the DC Defenders are shaping up to have a true opportunity to run it all back in 2026. The competition will be stiff, but if anyone is ready for the challenge, it’s Shannon Harris and these DC Defenders.
What are your thoughts on the DC Defenders and where they stand after the UFL Draft? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
