On November 6th, the San Francisco 49ers announced they’ve traded for defensive tackle Khalil Davis from the Houston Texans. As a part of the exchange, they’ve sent their 2026 seventh-round pick to the Texans.
It’s expected that Davis will serve as back-end depth and insurance in case the team loses more players to injuries as the season progresses. Starter Javon Hargrave is already likely out for the year with a torn triceps while Jordan Elliott faced both foot and knee problems at the start of the season.
The 49ers remain the No. 5 favorite to win the Super Bowl 59 with their odds currently sitting at around +1000. Many fans are already betting their money on the team as a number of sportsbook promos are available on the top online betting sites. As Gavin Beech states, these sites also offer a wide range of bonuses, including first deposit bonuses.
Khalil Davis is one of the former UFL players who are seeing play time in the 2024 NFL season. In the first 8 weeks, the former Stallion played in 172 defensive snaps and 37 special teams snaps.
This is his second stint in the NFL, as he was on the rosters of the Buccaneers, Colts, Steelers, and Rams before joining USFL’s Birmingham Stallions in 2023.
When it comes to other former UFL players currently on NFL rosters, kicker Jake Bates is enjoying a fine start to the season with the Detroit Lions. In Week 7, he kicked a 44-yard game-winning FG in the win over the Minnesota Vikings. That week, he was also named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Last season, Bates played for USFL’s Michigan Panthers. Earlier in March, he made headlines for scoring a 64-yard field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks, which is also the longest field goal in the history of the UFL and its predecessor leagues.
Another kicker having a good start to the season is the former Birmingham Stallion, Brandon Aubrey, who as of week 8, has made 20 of his 22 field goal attempts for the Dallas Cowboys.
Jalen Redmond of the Minnesota Vikings played in 49 defensive snaps and 15 special team snaps for the team in the first eight weeks of the 2024 NFL season. He spent the last season with XFL’s Arlington Renegades.
Another former Birmingham Stallion, Dondrea Tillman who plays for the Denver Broncos, saw 68 defensive snaps and 55 special team snaps so far.
Over 250 players who were part of the UFL last year were called up for NFL workouts during the 2024 offseason. 78 of them signed contracts to participate in team training camps.
Earlier in October, former Seattle Sea Dragon and San Antonio Brahm, Jalen Dalton became the 80th player from the 2024 UFL class to sign with an NFL team.
Head of football operations for the UFL, Daryl Johnston, said that with USFL and XFL merging into the UFL, the two leagues knew the move would create more talented rosters and a more entertaining product on the field. He added that this would also create a competitive platform players need to be seen by the team in the NFL.
Johnston stated that the number of players who worked out with NFL teams during the 2024 offseason speaks to the product the new league puts on the field and the opportunities it creates for its players.
He added that that’s exactly what spring football is about – creating new pathways for players to reach the sport’s highest level.
