In what will forever be known as the COVID-year, 2020 has now also impacted how the NFL season will go down. The major change being that there is no preseason this year. In addition to the several other changes being made to the NFL, it will definitely have an impact on the chances players who made names for themselves in the XFL 2.0 have to crack a final 53-man roster.
With that in mind, four more players have been waived by their now former NFL club and have rejoined the free agency pool.
Deatrick Nichols, a defensive back for the Houston Roughnecks in 2020 signed in March with the New Orleans Saints. The XFL’s interception leader was viewed as one of the most reliable defensive players in the XFL last season.
Dewayne Hendrix, a linebacker for the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2020 also signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. The 24-year-old garnered lots of interest from NFL teams after going undrafted in 2019. Hendrix spent time with the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars before finding a home with the XFL and becoming a fan favorite within the league’s undisputed best fan base in St. Louis.
Tyree Kinnel, a safety for the DC Defenders in 2020 was an undrafted rookie in 2019 who played in all four 2019 preseason games with the Cincinnati Bengals before being let go during the final roster cuts. The two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention played a large role for DC in 2020 at just 23-years of age and remains one of the top young free-agent safeties on the NFL free-agent market.
Christian Kuntz, a long snapper for the Dallas Renegades in 2020 became a special teams standout in the XFL. Kuntz was a journeyman in the NFL for several seasons, beginning in 2017 with the New England Patriots and never managed to crack a 53-man roster. The long snapper also played some linebacker in the NFL preseason, but his luck was much the same.
Both Kinnel and Kuntz joined Hendrix as a part of the nine former XFL players to sign free agent deals with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Stay up to date with the signings and cuts of former XFL players with the XFL News Hub Player Tracker.
