The Arlington Renegades weren’t done making roster moves as it appears they are bringing in two more players onto the roster.
The Canadian Press reported Wednesday that a source in the CFL is reporting that linebacker Darnell Sankey is signing with the Renegades to play for the 2023 season. The Renegades have yet to make the announcement of the move as of this article being released. He just became a free agent in the CFL on Tuesday.
Arlington did add offensive lineman Willie Beavers to the roster on Wednesday. While no announcement was made, the XFL website for the Renegades’ roster had Beavers included there with no jersey number.
Sankey has had a successful career in the CFL the last two seasons where he played for the Calgary Stampeders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He led the CFL in tackles last season with the Roughriders with 120 tackles while also recording three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. Sankey recorded 97 tackles with Calgary in 2021. Previous to the CFL, he played for the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, and New Orleans Saints in the NFL. He played for those teams from 2016 until 2019.
Beavers is a player the Renegades know well as he was the starting left tackle for the team back in 2020. He was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings. Beavers was in the NFL from 2016 until 2019 and again from 2020 until this season when he was just cut by the Washington Commanders back in October.
Impact of Adding Sankey, Beavers
This is a big move for the XFL as Sankey was considered a top free agent in the CFL after his performance last season. He hits with the scheme that the Renegades are running and should be able to make an instant impact. He’s got a nose for finding the ball carrier and has the great closing speed to not let the runner out of his sight.
The position already has Donald Payne, Will Clarke, Nick Temple, Isaiah Graham-Mobley, and more at the linebacker position. While it is a deep group, the next question will be who from the team will be cut to make room for him. It’s possible it will be another linebacker as the team has to get back to 51 man roster. What’s more, the question is whether they make the move official this week or wait until after the first game to do it. Regardless, it’s a move that improves an already great defense.
One of the most important positions in football is the left tackle position and it was a position of need for the Renegades. In the open practice a few weeks ago, Darta Lee was playing at left tackle with the projected starters. Lee was a part of the roster cuts that brought the team down to 51 players. Beavers will be brought in to either compete or start at left tackle.
