Dallas Cowboys Committed to UFL, Spring Football More Than Most NFL Teams
Dallas Cowboys legend and current UFL executive Daryl Johnston praised his old team for being ahead of the curve in signing spring football players.
The Cowboys have signed two UFL players this offseason – D.C. Defenders cornerback Gareon Conley and St. Louis Battlehawks linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. Dallas also recently worked out four other UFL players.
“The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams that had really embraced what we’re doing in spring football, whether it was the old USFL or old XFL and now the UFL,” Johnston, the UFL’s executive vice president of football operations, told Fox 4 in Dallas-Fort Worth. “They are putting a lot of eyes on to that. There’s a lot of conversations between the scouting departments and the people in our league and the personnel departments about our players.”
The Cowboys had success with spring football players in recent years, with kick returner KaVontae Turpin and kicker Brandon Aubrey each earning All-Pro selections over the past two seasons.
Johnston said that not all NFL teams are as “committed” as the Cowboys when it comes to scouting and ultimately signing UFL players.
“We’ve got a group on teams that believe in what we’re doing and are committed to it, and we have a couple that we have to convince this is a viable option,” he added. “I’m really impressed with what Dallas has done with KaVontae Turpin and Brandon Aubrey.”
As for Conley and Harvey, Johnston believes America’s Team will benefit from adding the former UFL standouts.
“Two great examples of what this league does from an opportunity standpoint,” Johnston said. “Gareon Conley is a former first round pick who’s kind of fallen off the radar a little bit. It gives him an opportunity to go out and showcase his skills and get back on everybody’s radar, change the narrative that’s out there about him.
“Willie Harvey is one of those that when you see him, you think he’s small and undersized and he is not. He’s 230 pounds. … He’s one those players that good things happen when he’s around the football. He forces fumbles, he causes fumbles, he’s a big play-dynamic guy. I think it’s interesting to see how he fits into Mike Zimmer’s defense.”
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