The Houston Roughnecks have added former Los Angeles Chargers wideout Michael Bandy to their roster. After losing Jontre Kirklin to injury, the team is continuing to find help at the receiver position, signing both Tavonn Salter and Jaquarii Roberson last week. Bandy is easily one of the bigger names in Houston, as just over two months ago, he was running routes in a NFL playoff game.
Bandy initially signed with the Chargers in 2021, spending most of the season on the practice squad. He was elevated for a week 16 game against the Houston Texans, where he returned 4 kicks for 88 yards. Bandy returned to the Chargers in 2022 after signing a futures deal, and would see an uptick in usage. He once again started the season on the practice squad, but would end up appearing in 10 games over the course of the season (2 starts), catching 10 passes for 89 yards.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Bandy was in The Spring League (TSL) as a member of the Conquerors during their 2021 season. It was here where he met offensive coordinator AJ Smith, and the two will now be reunited in the XFL. He was the leading receiver on the team, catching 37 passes for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns. A handful of Bandy’s old Conquerors teammates are also on the Roughnecks, including Brandon Silvers, John Yarbrough, and Tavonn Salter.
Going back even further, Bandy went undrafted out of the University of San Diego (FCS) in 2020, with The Spring League being his first pro opportunity. Over the course of four seasons at San Diego, Bandy caught 192 passes for 3,294 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was most successful as a junior, catching 88 passes for 1,698 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those 1,698 yards were the fifth-most for a single season in FCS history.
The Chargers announced they would not be tendering Bandy on March 10th, and he became an unrestricted free agent on March 15th. There is no doubt he will receive NFL interest again, and playing for the Roughnecks will be a great opportunity to increase his value. Bandy has the talent to start immediately for the team, and could be highly productive despite there only being four games left in the regular season.
