Could XFL benefit Redskins like the USFL did?

Rick Snider remembers what the USFL did once for the Redskins Super Bowl legacy. Now - could the XFL serve the same purpose?

The XFL has just started and already Redskins fans are wondering who can help Washington. After all, the USFL’s demise fueled the Redskins’ second Super Bowl championship.

The Redskins quickly cherry picked the spring league for seven players in the mid-1980s.

Receivers Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders, running back Kelvin Bryant and quarterback Doug Williams were a big part of coach Joe Gibbs’ second Lombardi Trophy. Washington also signed Clarence Verdin, linebacker Angelo Snipes and tight end Chuck McCurley.

Williams seems better remembered for being the first African American quarterback to win a Super Bowl. But, Clark was really the best former USFL player on the team. The Redskins chose him in the 1984 supplemental draft, but Clark played two seasons for Jacksonville Bulls before coming to Washington in 1985 when catching 72 passes for 926 yards. He would make the Pro Bowl on 1986 and finished with two Super Bowl rings, three All Pros, four Pro Bowls and 699 catches as one of the 70 greatest Redskins.

Williams was the centerpiece, though. A $1 million signing was so much money back then for a backup passer that general manager Bobby Beathard called owner Jack Kent Cooke at a late hour for approval. Cooke asked if they really needed to spend so much. Beathard said yes so Cooke immediately agreed.

Williams mostly sat behind Jay Schroeder until a 1987 late-season injury to the latter. Williams then won three straight playoff games, including the Super Bowl. Williams was only 5-9 over three regular seasons in Washington, but nobody remembers that. Super Bowls are everything and that $1 million proved money well spent.

The Redskins traded a third-rounder for Sanders’ rights after catching 101 and 48 passes in two seasons for the USFL’s Houston. He caught 483 passes for Washington (1986-93) and Atlanta (1994-95). Sanders was always the third choice to Art Monk and Gary Clark, but would have been the team’s leading receiver in modern years.

Bryant was part of a USFL championship with the Philadelphia Stars in 1984 and scored three touchdowns in the 1985 finale. Indeed, he was the last man to touch a ball in a USFL game. When the league disbanded, Bryant played for Washington from 1986-90, though missing 1989 with an injury. Bryant was more of a receiver out of the backfield with 154 receptions and 14 touchdowns over four different seasons versus 260 carries for 1,188 yards and six scores.

As for the other three players chosen, Verdin returned kicks for Washington for two years before spending seven years in Indianapolis. Snipes played only one year and McCurley was cut in camp.

The Redskins are now scanning the spring league for help that any 3-13 team could use. The biggest one to watch is DC Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones as a potential backup. The Redskins technically have Alex Smith on the roster, but he seems a long shot to ever play again after a horrific 2018 broken leg. Jones preceded Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State where the former went 14-0. Jones was a 2016 fourth-rounder by Buffalo where he never played as a rookie before traded in 2017 to the Los Angeles Chargers. He also never played over two seasons for L.A. before released.

Jones didn’t look like a rookie against Seattle in the XFL opener, completing 16 of 26 for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Sure, it was against lesser competition, but there was a maturity to Jones that showed he’s ready to be an NFL backup.

Former Redskins receiver Rashad Ross is also on the Defenders, catching two passes, including a 31-yard touchdown. Former Washington coach Jay Gruden always liked Ross, who just couldn’t find a role in his second stint with the team. Ross has spent time with nine NFL teams, two AAFL teams and now the Defenders. At age 30, this is his last chance to make an impression for an NFL camp invite and no coaches are left in Washington that remember him.

Former Redskins 2015 second-rounder Matt Jones was the XFL’s leading rusher over the opening weekend with 85 yards on 21 carries for St. Louis. The Redskins probably won’t ask him back after two poor seasons.

At most, the Redskins might find a couple of reserves in the XFL to take training camp. But remember, spring leagues sometimes lead to fall championships.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Redskins in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks.