DC Defenders Sign Ralen Goforth, Panthers Cut Alan Bowman

Monday brought us some intriguing transactions in the UFL. Highlighting those is the DC Defenders signing of LB Ralen Goforth, who was with the Michigan Panthers in training camp.

LB Ralen Goforth | DC Defenders

Goforth joining DC at this time is an interesting move. They lost Ferrod Gardner to IR late last week, so it isn’t surprising that they picked up a linebacker. What is surprising, though, is that they beat the Panthers to potentially bringing Goforth back. Michigan is also down a LB, but Ralen now decides to go to DC, rather than re-sign with the Panthers.

Goforth played most of his college football at USC, spending four seasons there. Across that span, Ralen racked up 146 tackles and an interception – starting in 16 games for the Trojans. Goforth ended up transferring to Washington for his final year, posting 37 tackles as he started in one of 15 games played in 2023.

Ralen was signed by the Packers as an UDFA, and performed well in the preseason, totaling 15 tackles. Unfortunately, he landed on the injured reserve list, and was eventually waived in November. Now, he’ll look to get his pro career back off the ground in DC.

QB Alan Bowman | Michigan Panthers

As we reported last week, the plan always was to release Alan Bowman after a week. Danny Etling has returned to the active roster following his concussion, so Bowman is no longer needed. Now, Alan will go back to focusing on the NFL Draft – which is just a couple of days away.

Bowman spent the last week with Michigan, as a “mini-tryout” with the team – and a way to prepare for the NFL draft with professionals at a high level.

With Etling back in action, though, we’ll see what direction Michigan decides to go at quarterback, given Bryce Perkins’ recent success.

What are your thoughts on Ralen Goforth signing to DC? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!