Observations from Arlington Renegades' First UFL Open Practice: Offense
With the sun hiding all day Saturday in Arlington, Texas, the cloudy and 60-degree weather conditions made for the perfect setting for fans to watch the defending XFL champions practice just two weeks before the UFL season begins.
The Renegades held an open practice in front of hundreds of fans on Saturday for almost three hours. Spectators first got to watch the team practice for the first two hours before players and coaches met with fans to sign autographs and chat.
“We’ve had a great turnout," Arlington Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said. "It’s a nice Saturday morning. The rain had held off for us, so we got a good crowd out here.”
Some key observations were made during the practice on Saturday. In Part One of this series, we'll discuss what we learned about the offense.
Arlington Renegades Observations: Offense
Breakdown of Top Offensive Storylines
Renegades Quarterback Room Coming into Form
Starting with the most important position in football, the quarterbacks had a solid practice. XFL Championship MVP Luis Perez stood out, finding the open receivers on safer passes and throwing accurately. Perez was able to hit Deontay Burnett for a touchdown with a defender in the way of his receiver.
Backup quarterbacks Holton Ahlers and Lindsey Scott showed flashes of development. Scott showed off his strong arm, especially when he connected with Tyler Vaughns on a deep touchdown pass.
Perez had high praise for the young quarterbacks who will be backing him up to start the season.
“They’re awesome. All great people, great dudes. Everything you would want out of a quarterback room. They’re very supportive. They understand what’s going on. They’re young. They’re both rookies in a sense coming into this year. Yeah, it’s been good. We dialogue all the time with different stuff, collab with different stuff so it’s been good having them in the room.”
Underrated Wide Receiver Room?
Coach Stoops spoke to the media last week, mentioning wide receiver Isaiah Winstead as one of the standouts from training camp this year. Winstead put his ability on display for fans on Saturday, not dropping a single pass and hauling in a nice sideline reception while keeping both of his feet inbounds. He had a strong practice.
Last year’s top receivers Tyler Vaughns and JaVonta Payton also stood out as highlights from practice. Payton showed off his speed as one of the quicker players on the field. Vaughns stood out by making a lot of jump ball receptions and beating defenders on top.
Their starting quarterback Perez had some strong words about the receivers, putting them at the top of his list as a group.
“This is probably the best receiving core I have ever had. What sucks is we still have to make cuts, right? And every single one has stood out to me. They’re all phenomenal players. Wish we could keep them all. But like I said as a collective group, they’ve been really, really good.”
One note: receiver Lujan Winningham did not practice with the team Saturday, spending it on the sidelines with no pads and wearing his practice jersey. It’s unknown why Winningham was not practicing, but he is someone to keep an eye on as he was known last year for making incredible one-handed contested catches throughout the season.
Offensive Line Movement
With the loss of Garrett McGhin for the season, the Renegades will have to replace him on the offensive line. One lineman who stood out was Bobby Evans, who played quite a bit at left tackle. Evans could be in the running for the starting left tackle job.
There were different offensive line combinations throughout the practice as they focused on plugging and playing different guys. The most common one had Evans at left tackle, Chris Owens at left guard, Jake Lacina at center, Adrian Ealy and Noah Henderson playing right guard and Dru Samia at right tackle.
Keep in mind that Henderson played left tackle as well, so some of the offensive linemen were jumping into different positions. Nothing is concrete until the depth charts get released, but it was very apparent that the offensive line looks just as good this year as it did last year.
Who Is Carrying the Rock in the Backfield?
There are four running backs currently on the roster battling for playing time. De’Veon Smith and Leddie Brown remain from last season’s team. Dae Dae Hunter and Devin Darrington are the newcomers, with Darrington joining the team after playing for the Orlando Guardians last year.
Smith spoke to the media about the running backs working together, despite jobs on the line.
“It’s all friendly competition. We all appreciate one another. We know we have different skill sets and we try to help each other each and every way we can within that running back room.”
It was Smith and Darrington who took the bulk of the snaps in the backfield on Saturday. They have been the projected top two backs on the Renegades, and this week will determine where Brown and Hunter fit into the offense.
Arlington Renegades Coach Bob Stoops Speaks: Training Camp Standouts, QB Room and More
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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.