XFL 2023: Houston Roughnecks Add Pair of Wideouts, Make More Trades

With the season less than three weeks away, teams across the XFL are becoming increasingly aggressive when it comes to roster decisions. The Houston Roughnecks are no exception, and have certainly been keeping busy over the past couple of days. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at what the Roughnecks have been up to as of late.

To start, the team has made two additional trades after their initial deal with the San Antonio Brahmas for Kary Vincent Jr. Both trades have been with DC, and have both netted defensive players in return. The first trade saw offensive lineman Sam Cooper head up North in exchange for linebacker Caliph Brice. The second trade resulted in defensive end Tariqious Tisdale being swapped for defensive tackle Josh Avery.

Brice played college football at Florida Atlantic, recording 140 total tackles over the course of three seasons (2019-2021). He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and despite missing some time during his senior season at FAU, has good instincts for his position that could translate well to the XFL.

Josh Avery played college football at FCS Southeast Missouri State (2017-2019), and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He would later have stops with the Carolina Panthers and Houston Gamblers (USFL). 

With trades out of the way, the team has also brought in another three players, two of them at the receiver position. The following players are now members of the Houston Roughnecks:

WR Davion Davis

WR Osirus Mitchell

OLB Charles Wiley

Davis played college football just outside of the Houston city limits at Sam Houston State, becoming a FCS All-American and going on to sign with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. He was out of football in 2020, but joined The Spring League (TSL) Blues in 2019 with the hopes of going back to the NFL. That became a reality when he signed with the Cleveland Browns a couple of months later, but ended up finishing that season with the Houston Texans. Davis was most recently listed on the Texans’ practice squad in 2022. 

The second new receiver, Osirus Mitchell, spent five years at Mississippi State before heading to training camp with the Dallas Cowboys in 2021. He remained with the Cowboys on their practice squad through that season, and was later drafted by the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL in the league’s 2022 draft.

Mitchell made a name for himself during the Stallions’ championship run, and earned a second NFL contract with the Green Bay Packers as a result. Unfortunately, he was placed on injured reserve before he had the chance to play for the team.

The third and last addition for now is outside linebacker Charles Wiley, who played college football at Texas-San Antonio after transferring from Ole Miss. Wiley recorded an outstanding 19 tackles for loss in his two combined seasons at UTSA, and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent this past offseason. 

Finally, to make way for the new signings, there have been some notable changes to the reserve list. Austin Edwards and Derick Roberson, both defensive linemen, are no longer listed on the active roster. Tight end-turned-offensive lineman James Stanley has now been on the reserve list for several weeks as well, and was the first to be placed on the list alongside linebacker Ellis Brooks.