UFL to NFL Standouts from Week 3 Preseason Action
Friday night was day two of the final week of the NFL preseason, and 14 former UFL, XFL and USFL players took the field.
There were three games played with two of them featuring players from spring football past. The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers only had three players, but the Jacksonville Jaguars-Atlanta Falcons matchup had 11 players.
Dolphins and former San Antonio Brahmas running back Anthony McFarland Jr. took the field for the first time as he had 12 rushing and 12 receiving yards on eight touches in the loss to Tampa Bay. Another former Brahma in a Dolphins uniform, Wyatt Ray, had a solid outing with two tackles and one tackle for loss.
Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke was once a backup quarterback for the St. Louis Battlehawks but has developed a respectable career in the NFL as he threw for 81 yards as the Jaguars shut out Atlanta. Falcons and former Battlehawks safety Lukas Denis had the best defensive performance with four tackles and one pass deflection. Former Brahmas defensive tackle Prince Emili also played well for the Falcons with three tackles and one tackle for loss.
The Jaguars have two former Michigan Panthers on the roster in quarterback E.J. Perry and UFL Defensive Player of the Year Breeland Speaks. Perry was called on late in the game as he went two for two for four yards. Speaks did not record a statistic in the win.
Spring football will have 38 more players play on Saturday and 14 players on Sunday. So far this offseason, 77 UFL players have been signed by NFL teams.
You can follow Anthony Miller on X @ByAnthonyMiller.
Catch up with UFL at SI.com on Facebook and X.
ANTHONY MILLER