The merger of the XFL and United States Football League required compressing players from 16 teams into eight, creating a concentration of the best talent that is not in the NFL.
Eight teams survived to play in the United Football League, which opens play Saturday.
The base expectation is a better product. The long-term hope if for something bigger.
The ºüÀêÊÓƵ Battlehawks will be part of the league’s initial doubleheader, playing at Michigan on Fox at 3 p.m. after the opener between Birmingham and Arlington.
“This will be the best spring football league since Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie and Reggie White,†said UFL CEO Russ Brandon, a former NFL executive. “But I also believe this league will be here way beyond my years. That’s what we’re building and quite frankly, that’s what I signed up for.
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“I’ve seen these leagues come and go. When these leagues would come and present, that’s when I did my text messaging and emails, and I didn’t pay attention. This is completely different.â€
The Battlehawks are one of eight products of the merger, blending a large returning group of players with some of the best players plucked from teams that didn’t get to this point.
Last year, the Battlehawks sent more players to NFL training camps than any XFL team. Sometimes, the reverse happens and players from NFL rosters or practice squads opt to play in the spring to gain more exposure and experience.
“I really do think this league is the best of the best right now,†Battlehawks offensive coordinator Bruce Gradkowski said. “You have either former (NFL) players or coaches. You have guys hungry and on the verge of getting to the NFL. They just need reps and film and to do it more. This league is great for that.â€
The Battlehawks open at Ford Field — an NFL stadium — against one of the teams that was retained from the USFL. The ºüÀêÊÓƵ roster includes players who have appeared in a combined 243 NFL games.
Among those the team has added are defensive end Pita Taumoepenu, the 2023 XFL defensive player of the year, and defensive tackle Austin Faoliu and receiver Jahcour Pearson, who received all-XFL honors.
Eventually, UFL officials hope to generate a more significant relationship with the NFL in regard to player movement between leagues.
“It’s one of the things a merger can accelerate,†UFL executive vice president Daryl Johnston said. “There are a lot of areas we’ve been working together (with the NFL), and we’re hoping this expedites meaningful conversations when you talk about potential player movement back and forth.â€
Quarterback A.J. McCarron remains one of the highest-profile players who has moved between the NFL and spring football the last two years. He left the Cincinnati Bengals to play another season with the Battlehawks.
Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht hopes McCarron’s experience with the system and many key members of the offense gives the team an upper hand after they were 7-3 and missed the playoffs in 2023.
That solid record without reaching the postseason reflects the small margin for error in a 10-game season. With the UFL championship game to be played in ºüÀêÊÓƵ in June, there will be a close watch around the league to see if the Battlehawks capitalize.
“We want to win every game, and every game we play has to be championship mode,†Becht said. “We have to treat it like it’s the last opportunity of the season, the last 60 minutes we put on our resume. I’ve been adamant our goal is to win a championship. We have to make sure every (game) is treated with a very high level of urgency.â€
The merging of the leagues brings with it familiarity and new looks. The Battlehawks will face teams they played in 2023, but starting with Michigan they get an opponent about which much less is known.
Becht said coaches spent time watching video of the Philadelphia Stars, who were not kept in the merger, because their offensive coordinator is now with Michigan. Expected starting quarterback E.J. Perry played in one game in 2023.
As for the Michigan defense, McCarron said the Battlehawks will do their thing and adjust where needed.
“Going into week one, you don’t know what to expect,†McCarron said. “They’re a talented group on defense. I guess they have the USFL defensive player of the year and they’re big up front. You really have to adjust on the fly as the game goes. It’s about us focusing on our jobs.â€