UFL Players Shine During NFL Christmas Day Slate

For fans of the United Football League (UFL) and spring football, the NFL’s Christmas Day slate brought us quite a bit of action. There were several former UFL alumni who took the stage, some of which flashed some impressive highlights throughout.

Let’s take a look at what all went down during the festive holiday.

Dallas Cowboys

WR KaVontae Turpin, Generals
DT Perrion Winfrey, Stallions*
K Brandon Aubrey, Stallions

KaVontae Turpin took center stage for the Cowboys, and for good reason. His speed and route running abilities have always been an understated aspect of his game, but he put it all on display with an 86 yard touchdown reception in Dallas’ win over Washington. He also had 115 kick return yards on the afternoon.

Brandon Aubrey had another productive outing, connecting on three of four field goal attempts, with a long of 52 yards. He also made three XP’s, totaling 12 of the Cowboys’ 30 points. Unfortunately, Perrion Winfrey was inactive for Dallas once again, after debuting last week.

Washington Commanders

QB Josh Johnson, Wildcats

Josh Johnson, the former AAF/XFL/Original UFL journeyman, earned a start with the Commanders this week. He threw for 198 yards, completing 15 of 23 pass attempts, without any turnovers. Johnson, at 39 years old, is impressively still showing that he can be reliable at the highest level.

Minnesota Vikings

DT Jalen Redmond, Renegades

Jalen Redmond and the Vikings’ defense were EATING on Sunday afternoon. Backed by the SKOL faithful, Minnesota generated six turnovers, eliminating the Lions from playoff contention despite a horrid offensive performance. Jalen had a strong showing, with a tackle, a TFL, a recovered fumble, and a QB hit. Once again, Redmond earned praise during the broadcast, this time from future Hall of Famer QB Drew Brees.

Detroit Lions

RB Jacob Saylors, Battlehawks
DB Nick Whiteside, Battlehawks
K Jate Bates, Panthers

It was a rough outing for Detroit across the board. Neither one of their Battlehawks saw much playing time, with Saylors making a few appearances on special teams, but not recording any statistics. Jake Bates only kicked one field goal, connecting on a late 48 yarder to keep Detroit alive.

Denver Broncos

WR Michael Bandy, Roughnecks
DE Dondrea Tillman, Stallions
LS Mitchell Fraboni, Maulers

Finally, the Denver Broncos featured a few UFL players as well. Dondrea Tillman has emerged as a key rotational piece defensively the last two seasons, continuing that trend with two tackles, a TFL, a sack, and two QB hits in Denver’s win over Kansas City. Michael Bandy, the former Roughneck, recorded two receptions for 14 yards.

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What are your thoughts on these Christmas Day performances from UFL players? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!