Last Updated: March 12th at 8:43 am ET
Jump to Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End positions.
Head Coach
| HC | Jonathan Hayes Bengals tight ends coach under Marvin Lewis from 2003-18. First-time head coach. |
Offensive Coordinator
| OC | Chuck Long Head coach at San Diego State from 2006-08 and OC at Kansas from 2010-11. |
Quarterback
| QB1 | Jordan Ta’amu Beat out NFL vet Taylor Heinicke for starting job. Ta’amu played with AJ Brown and DK Metcalf at Ole Miss, throwing for 3,918 yards and 19 TDs in 12 games as a senior in 2018. Has athleticism as evidenced by 116-342-6 rushing line that season. 6’3/221 with 4.77 speed. Team will skew toward run when able, as seen over last three weeks when Ta’amu has averaged just 23.3 pass attempts per game. |
| QB2 | Taylor Heinicke Backup with Vikings in 2015-16, Texans in 2017, Panthers in 2018. |
| QB3 | Nick Fitzgerald |
Running Back
| RB1 | Matt Jones Selected 7th round, 54th overall in XFL Draft. 3rd-round pick of Redskins back in 2015. Big 6’2/239. Zoomed ahead of Christine Michael in camp and handled 63% of RB touches in Week 1. Over last three weeks, Jones has 43 carries and two targets. Christine Michael has 37 carries and one target. DNP in practice (knee) on Wednesday for Week 6. This has been the routine for Jones and he has suited up each week. |
| RB2 | Christine Michael BattleHawks took C-Mike 1st round, 6th overall in XFL Draft. But he’s played behind Matt Jones so far. BattleHawks’ run-centric style has allowed Michael to average 11.8 carries per game on the season, but he’s seen just four targets all year. |
| RB3 | Keith Ford Scored 12 rushing TDs for Texas A&M in 2017. Camp body for Bills, Colts, Packers over last two seasons. Is the No. 3 RB behind Matt Jones and Christine Michael. |
| RB4 | Lenard Tillery DNP in practice (eye) on Wednesday for Week 6. |
Wide Receiver
| WR1 | L’Damian Washington Selected 4th round, 27th overall in XFL Draft. Long 6-foot-4 frame allowed him to stick around NFL practice squads from 2014-17. Showed flashes in AAF last spring, going 15-250-2 in eight games for Birmingham Iron. Has every-down outside role for BattleHawks and leads team with 21.7% target share. But only 5.6 targets per game thanks to run-centric offense. |
| WR2 | Alonzo Russell Selected 9th round, 70th overall in XFL Draft. Another 6-foot-4 practice squad type, ran 4.54 coming out of Toledo at the 2016 NFL Combine. Russell is the outside WR opposite L’Damian Washington, playing a near every-down role with a middling 14.7% target share. |
| WR3 | De’Mornay Pierson-El Selected 3rd round, 22nd overall in XFL Draft. Ran 4.57 at 5’9/194 at the 2018 Nebraska Pro Day. Has sunk into slot timeshare with Brandon Reilly. Over the last three weeks Pierson-El has run just 43 routes while Reilly has run 41. During that span, Pierson-El has played on just 81-of-205 snaps (39.5%). |
| WR4 | Brandon Reilly Has ascended into full-blown slot rotation with De’Mornay Pierson-El. Over last three weeks, Reilly has run 41 routes and played on 82-of-205 snaps (40%). |
| WR5/KR | Keith Mumphrey Texans 2015 5th-round draft pick. Was not among first 80 players selected in XFL Draft. Traded from Dallas to St. Louis on Dec. 18. Backup outside WR. |
| WR6 | Carlton Agudosi Was not among first 80 players selected in XFL Draft. Had just 35 catches in four seasons at Rutgers from 2013-16. Played just two snaps in Week 4. |
| WR7 | Dravon Grayson Added with roster expansions on March 9th. |
| WR8 |
Tight End
| TE1 | Marcus Lucas Selected 6th round, 43rd overall in XFL Draft. BattleHawks using the 6’5/220 hybrid as a “move” tight end. Has solid 17.1% target share on season, but ADOT is very low and overall pass volume in this scheme is a concern. |
| TE2 | Wes Saxton Selected 5th round, 38th overall in XFL Draft. Was highly productive at South Alabama, catching 50 balls during the 2013 season. Ran a 4.65 at 6’3/248 at the 2015 Combine, also impressed with 36-inch vertical. |
| TE3 | Connor Davis Added from Team 9 on Feb. 10. |
| TE4 | Gabe Holmes Added with roster expansions on March 9th. |
Injury Report
| PUP | |
| IR | Cole Hunt (TE) |
| IR | Sherman Badie (RB) |
