The XFL’s season has been cut short, but the players are free to sign with the NFL and CFL if they get offers. Per the NFL’s new CBA, practice squads and gamely rosters are increasing in size, so odds are better that players from from the XFL could stick around.
There are some players from the XFL who could step into the NFL and make a serious impact after what turned out to be a 5 week exhibition this spring.
1. PJ Walker
The Houston Roughnecks went 5-0 this season with Walker at the helm, and he displayed fantastic vision, arm talent, mobility and pocket movement. He’s the ideal type of QB who can run but looks downfield first.
He put Temple football on the map, stuck around with the Colts long enough to make an impression with Andrew Luck, who recommended to his dad Oliver that the XFL sign him.
In 2020, he passed for 1338 yards, 15 TD’s and 4 INT with a 64.7 completion rate, with 99 Rush yards and a TD. He led the league in Pass Yards and TD’s, and if that production had been stretched across a 16 game schedule, he was on pace for 4,281 yards, 48 TD’s, and 13 Interceptions (or 4,549/51/14 in the new 17 game schedule)
Not bad for a guy who started out on the practice squad. PJ Walker displayed that he could potentially even push a starter in the NFL, but at the very least would be a high end backup.
The NFL qb market is awash with veteran statuesque pocket passers from Tom Brady to Phillip Rivers and Jameis Winston, there aren’t a lot of guys who can move. Tannehill has good mobility but he resigned with Tennessee, Teddy Bridgewater is going to command a lot of money and the mobile backup market is basically none.
Now that Marcus Mariota is off the market, that leaves us with…Blake Bortles, Brett Hundley, Joe Webb and Jeff Driskel. While there’s some value here, teams with dual threat QB’s could look to PJ Walker to come in and compete as a high end backup.
Potential Fits: Seattle, Houston, Indianapolis, Baltimore
Unleash the Action: Sign up for XFL Insider and Fuel Your Passion for Football!
