On Tuesday, we saw quite a few moves out of the UFL for several teams. There were a couple of surprising releases, along with a few signings that are key for teams as they try to build towards the playoffs.
Birmingham Stallions
WR Elijah Cooks, Signed
OT Adrian Ealy, Signed
The Birmingham Stallions have a knack for signing top-end talent at wide receiver. They’ve done exactly that bringing in Elijah Cooks, who was just released by the New Orleans Saints not even two weeks ago.
At 6’4”, Elijah has a big-framed wideout who can immediately make an impact for Birmingham. Collegiately, he played most of his ball at Nevada, with 1,478 yards and 18 touchdowns across four seasons. He transferred to San Jose State for his year of eligibility, posting tremendous numbers: 1,076 yards, 10 TD’s, 6 receptions.
Elijah was signed by the Jaguars as an UDFA in 2023, making the 53 man roster. He appeared in 11 games, with three catches for 38 yards. Cooks has since spent time on a couple of practice squads, including Philadelphia and New Orleans.
Additionally, the Stallions have brought in Adrian Ealy. He’s a veteran of the spring football scene at this point, playing for two years with the Arlington Renegades (primarily as a starter). Ealy went to IR late last season.
Adrian was picked up by the DC Defenders, but was let go during camp. The former Oklahoma Sooners product joins the team to replace Armani Taylor-Prioleau, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.
Columbus Aviators
WR Easop Winston Jr., Signed
WR Grant Dubose, Cut
Easop Winston is back with the Aviators. He spent training camp with the organization, and has officially returned amidst some turnover at the wide receiver position.
Winston is an NFL veteran, having joined the league in 2020. He signed as an UDFA with the Los Angeles Rams, but saw the majority of his regular season minutes in 2021 with the Saints. He had 10 punt returns for 119 yards that year. Easop makes his living in the slot, at 5’10”, 190 lbs. – he’s the type of candidate who could be similar to Jaydon Mickens, who plays for the Birmingham Stallions.
Grant Dubose had a very short stint in Columbus. He was signed just a couple weeks back, but never saw action on the field – and now has been released. Grant is a former seventh round draft pick with the Green Bay Packers.
Houston Gamblers
QB Taulia Tagovailoa, Released
Unfortunately, it appears as if Taulia Tagovailoa’s season has come to an end sooner than anticipated. He’s filled in for the Houston Gamblers in a few games, due to all of the injuries that Nolan Henderson and Hunter Dekkers have suffered.
However, Taulia went down with an awkward injury late in the loss to Columbus on Friday night. Houston went out and signed John Rhys Plumlee, which now leaves Tagovailoa on the outside looking in. Taulia completed 53.1% of his pass attempts, throwing for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on 78 dropbacks.
The likely scenario here: Houston has a few players on injured reserve already, and they are only allowed a certain number before they have to start cutting pieces.
Louisville Kings
DB Deantre Prince, Released
This one is a surprise. Deantre Prince has been a quality defensive back for the Louisville Kings through six weeks. In fact, he’s started in five of six games, with an outstanding 81.7 Defensive Grade via PFF. Across that span, Prince has totaled 13 tackles, four defensive stops, an interception, and three pass breakups. He’s allowed just 12 receptions on 23 targets.
The Louisville Kings are stacked in their secondary, but that still doesn’t explain why this move was made. De’Antre has been a key piece defensively, doing more than enough to prove that he belongs at this level. Maybe, there were attitude issues behind the scenes, because that’s the only thing that could explain a release at this point in the year.
What are your thoughts on all the recent transactions for the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, Louisville Kings, and Columbus Aviators? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
