The New York Guardians and St. Louis Battlehawks completed the trade with the most players in XFL history, up to this point, on Friday. The two teams took the opportunity to shore up perceived needs as they traded a total of four players.
The New York Guardians traded Offensive Tackle Brian Wallace and Cornerback David Rivers to the St. Louis Battlehawks for a pair of Offensive Guards, Avery Young, and Dejon Allen.
The St. Louis Battlehawks shore up their tackle position with Offensive Tackle Brian Wallace. Brian Wallace comes out of the University of Arkansas, where the Razorback started 29 games on the offensive line.
Wallace not only brings that deep SEC experience to the table, but he also brings some real size to that Battlehawks protection, measuring at 6 ft 6 and 320 pounds. In the final 5 days of camp, Wallace will compete against fellow St. Louis Tackles Bruno Reagan, Andrew McDonald, Matt McCants, and Kent Perkins for a roster spot.
The Battlehawks also have strengthened their secondary with Cornerback David Rivers, who boasts some NFL experience. Rivers went undrafted out of Youngstown State in 2017, signing with the Green Bay Packers. The Defensive Back has bounced around with several other NFL teams through 2017, 2018, and early 2019 seasons. He has received his most consistent opportunity with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing in 3 games for the team.
Rivers was a 3rd round pick of the Guardians during the Defensive Backs phase of the XFL Draft. Rivers seemingly will have a challenging battle on his hands, as he’s the 8th Cornerback now listed on the St. Louis roster. The Guardians traded from two positions of strength, with their Offensive Tackle position being packed with NFL experience and the Secondary being lauded heavily by the team’s content crew as the best unit in the league.
The New York Guardians traded from two positions of strength for a massive boost to their Offensive Line. Offensive Guard Avery Young played high-level football in the SEC at Auburn, starting 3 years for the program.
After going undrafted out of college, Young signed a rookie contract with the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately, Young couldn’t stick with the Saints, nor the 3 other NFL teams he’s been a member of. Young does have experience playing in expansion leagues, having recently been a member of the Birmingham Iron of the defunct AAF and a member of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Guardians also received a 49 game starter out of Hawaii, Dejon Allen. Allen recently spent a year on the Practice Squad of the Chicago Bears and spent some offseason time with the Green Bay Packers in the summer of 2019. The New York Guardians clearly saw an excellent opportunity to beef up their offensive line and improve their run game and pass protection.
Expect more last-minute trades as coaching and personnel staff figure out bandaids for the weakness of their roster. There are only 5 days of Training Camp left!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Konnor Fulk excelled in the Sports Management Program at Georgia Southern University. He spent several seasons working with the Washington Redskins in fan engagement, strategy, and sales strategy. Additionally, Mr. Fulk continues consulting services across the sport of NASCAR. Konnor has a longstanding obsession with the concept of Spring Football and is looking forward to sharing his expertise and opinions about the XFL relaunch. Connect with Konnor on LinkedIn or give him a follow on Twitter @XFLKonnor
