The Pittsburgh Steelers will not play inside the stadium until the preseason returns in August, but a few former players have thrived the spring in the UFL. The end of the regular season today has impacted a handful of players from offensive, defense and special teams over the past 10 weeks.
Some running backs were starter or committee approaches. Kalen Ballage averaged 11 rushes per game for the Arlington Renegades and a healthy 4.7 yards per carrymark. He finished the year with a 306-yard and score pair highlighted by a 110-yard performance in the season-opening match against San Antonio. Unfortunately, he suffered Shoulder injury in the 9th weekthere is no finale for today. Anthony McFarland spent another spring in the UFL, carrying the ball just 40 times, but was a very efficient 6.2 yards per carry on San Antonio Brahmas.
Ballage’s final NFL regular season appearance came to the Steelers in 2021, carrying the ball 12 times for 36 yards. Most of his playing time came with special teams. Ballage, the Arizona star who once scored seven touchdowns in a game, turned 30 this December. If I have the chance to go back to the NFL, this is it. Hopefully, his shoulder injury will not derail those hopes.
McFarland was selected in the fourth round by the Steelers but never fought the injury.
The receivers that will mark include Deon Cain, one of the Birmingham Stallion’s Spring Stars. Cain didn’t have a ton of volumes at 27 receptions, but averaged over 18 yards per reception and finished second in the league with six touchdowns. At the time of this writing, he has been performing throughout the regular season finale against the Memphis showboat.
One-time pre-season star Tyler Vaughns notched Renegade’s 41 catch. On Sunday he caught three passes for 24 yards, and the rebels comfortably beat Brahmas 23-6. And in the return game, former camp recipient Matthew Sexton had the only punt return season touchdown in the league, A score of 83 yards against the DC defender. Hakeem Butler has struggled to find a foothold for the NFL, but continues to play in the feeder league, catching only 13 passes for a flashy 300 yards against the St. Louis Battle Hawks. He scored four times again.
Of the four, Cain is the only one to catch a pass with Pittsburgh. Signed in 2019 when he got involved with an injury, he got five receptions for 72 yards. He appeared in two games the following year, but did not register for a reception.
As mentioned last month, former offensive tackle Zack Banner returned to professional football and started all year round. Now, see if he can go back to the NFL. It makes sense to reunite with the Steelers, who are still needed to tackle.
Defensively, there are some notable performances. Jalen Elliott ranked in the top 15 league-wide with 48 tackles, earning one set of passes. Former linebacker Jameel Jones won 3.5 sacks, with former round Octopus Charlton signing up for 2.5. Former 7-round pick defensive tackle Carlos Davis had a pair. Safety Kameron Kelly intercepted two passes for Battlehawks.
All four spent some regular season action with the team. Elliott appeared in a pair of games after including a surprise on the team’s first 53-man roster, but failed to record the tackle and was released early in the season. Jones once made a 2021 roster from Camp Lung Shot, later winning the Los Angeles Rams and Super Bowl. Charlton was signed to help TJ Watt replace in 2021, but only recorded half of the sacks over 11 games. Kelly appeared in 14 games for the Steelers in 2019, intercepting one pass.
There were even some well-known teams with special teams. Kickers Matthew McClain and BT Potter got a job, and Brad Wing hooked it with the punter. McCrane scored a 20-14 field goal for the defender, with Potter hitting the Michigan Panthers’ 16-11 attempt. The Wing led the UFL with a punt average of 48.2 yards.
McLain made the appearance of one Steelers, filling out Chris Boswell in his 2018 match against the Cincinnati Bengals, earning three kicks in a three-point victory. Potter signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, but failed to create a team. Wing punted Pittsburgh in 2014 and replaced Presley Harbin III in 2023.
The UFL playoffs will begin next weekend with the championship game held in mid-June. All of these former steelers try to latch alongside the NFL team for training camp.
