Houston Roughnecks Make Big Roster Moves at Quarterback
The Houston Roughnecks (previously Houston Gamblers in the USFL) felt they needed to make a change at quarterback in the newly-merged UFL.
They made waves Wednesday night, as the league announced the Roughnecks had signed former San Antonio Brahmas quarterback Reid Sinnett. Houston wasn't done, as Sinnett replaced 2023 starting quarterback Kenji Bahar.
Sinnett made a short, but good impression on the Brahmas last season, starting in one game throwing for 97 yards and one touchdown to one interception before suffering a season-ending injury. He would get signed by the Cincinnati Bengals for a short time this season before being released. Sinnett also had NFL stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.
The United Football League has announced the following transactions: pic.twitter.com/rhXzdBDzxE
— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) January 25, 2024
Bahar got off to a good start in 2023 as the full-time starter for the Gamblers, but an injury against the Philadelphia Stars slowed down the rest of the season. He finished fourth in the USFL in passing yards with 1,709, throwing for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. Bahar started the last three games of the regular season for the Gamblers in 2022, winning two of those three starts.
This is the second new quarterback the Roughnecks have added since the Dispersal Drafts, as they signed Nolan Henderson earlier in the week. The team also has Jarrett Guarantano on the roster.
Sinnett will go into training camp as of right now as the heavy favorite to win the starting quarterback job for coach Curtis Johnson’s offense. Henderson and Guarantano are more unproven and will compete for the backup jobs unless the teams sign another quarterback.
As for Bahar, he becomes an intriguing free agent choice for any UFL team as he has shown to be able to win games as a starter. Consistency has been his biggest problem, but having had time to recover from his injury, he’s got a chance to land on another roster.
Houston Roughnecks UFL Super Dispersal Draft Breakdown
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.