Dallas Renegades Sign LB’s Brandon Smith & Donald Payne

As the newly rebranded Dallas Renegades prepare for the 2026 season, they’ve finally broken the silence and made some moves. Sources tell Pro Football Newsroom that free agent LB Brandon Smith has signed to Dallas. Veteran LB Donald Payne has also re-signed.

These transactions follow a few re-signings last week, which included TE Seth Green, RB Dae Dae Hunter, and WR JaVonta Payton to name a few.

LB Brandon Smith

Brandon Smith is a tremendous signing for this Dallas Renegades organization. They have, at times, lacked linebacker depth behind Donald Payne. That changes with the addition of Smith – a former fourth round draft pick with the Carolina Panthers.

Smith played all of his college football at Penn State. As a freshman, he totaled 14 tackles and two TFL’s, seeing action in 13 games. In 2020, Smith took a leap forward, starting in all nine games he played in. Brandon posted 37 tackles, eight TFL’s, two sacks, and an interception that year.

During his junior campaign, Smith started in all 12 games – racking up 81 tackles, nine TFL’s, two sacks, five PBU’s, and a forced fumble. He was named as a Butkus Award semifinalist that year – and declared for the NFL draft.

Brandon was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was active in several games that year as a rookie, with eight tackles to his name. Since then, Smith has spent time with the Eagles, Jets, and Raiders – but hasn’t been able to stick on a 53 man roster. He’s primarily been on practice squads.

Now, Brandon will look to get his pro career back on track, with the Dallas Renegades. He ran an impressive 4.52 40 at the NFL Pro Draft, featuring elite athleticism at 6’3” – with a ridiculous 9.97 score on the RAS scale (10.0 being the highest). If he can truly develop in the UFL, he’ll be one of the league’s top defenders.

LB Donald Payne

One of spring football’s finest, Donald Payne, is back with Dallas. This will be his fifth year in the spring scene, playing in the USFL, XFL, and UFL.

In 2022, he led the USFL in tackles (117) with the Houston Gamblers, while totaling two sacks and three interceptions. Payne earned All-USFL honors, and had an outstanding 85.0 Defensive Grade via PFF.

After a quick NFL stint following his USFL campaign, Payne made the leap to the XFL. He signed with the Arlington Renegades, and started in all 10 games he played in that year. In 2023, he posted 61 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and an interception as Renegades won the XFL Championship. In the UFL’s inaugural season, Payne was heavily involved in Jay Hayes’ defense once again. He started all 10 games in the regular season, compiling 62 tackles and two sacks.

Donald is one of the UFL’s smartest linebackers, which is what we saw more of in 2025. He had 67 tackles and an interception, with 23 defensive stops according to PFF.

Payne has quite a bit of NFL experience as well. He’s got 76 tackles and five sacks to his name, playing with the Jaguars, Ravens, and 49ers.

Both of these signings make a lot of sense for Renegades GM Rick Mueller. Brandon Smith is a younger prospect at LB who has tons of upside. Meanwhile, Payne is one of the most trustworthy defenders in the game.

What are your thoughts on Brandon Smith and Donald Payne joining the Dallas Renegades? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!