The St. Louis Battlehawks are already making moves in UFL free agency. WR Darrius Shepherd has announced that he is returning to the city, poised to have another excellent season with the team in 2024.
BREAKING: WR Darrius Shepherd has announced that he is returning to the St. Louis Battlehawks for the 2024 #UFL season.
Shepherd earned #XFL Special Teams Player of the Year honors in 2023, and was a tremendous offensive threat in STL. Major FA retention for Anthony Becht. pic.twitter.com/ygjoqH7vD6
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) January 16, 2024
USFL & XFL Career
Shepherd is a spring football veteran at this point, proving his worth in both the USFL and the XFL. Darrius played with the New Jersey Generals during the 2022 season, and was a key piece to their 9-1 run.
He finished the year with 323 receiving yards and a touchdown, which led to an NFL stint with the Denver Broncos.
.@DShep03 is having a day to remember!
TD x2 for the Perez/Shepherd connection.
đź“ş @NBCSports pic.twitter.com/d7CaAGTpDT
— New Jersey Generals (@USFLGenerals) June 11, 2022
After his time in Denver, Shepherd decided to sign with the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL. Shepherd quickly got to work as one of the top receivers in the league, proving to be an important target for AJ McCarron.
Darrius posted 519 receiving yards and six scores, dominating in an offense that was unstoppable for large portions of the year.
Your favorite @XFLBattlehawks duo is back! AJ McCarron finds a wide open Darrius Shepherd along the sidelines, who stretches for the score.@10AJMcCarron & @DShep03 have been unstoppable in the @XFL2023 this season. #XFLpic.twitter.com/kXkjrIugvo
See also
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) April 16, 2023
However, Darrius Shepherd also made himself quite useful on special teams. Anthony Becht unlocked a side of Darrius that we hadn’t seen yet in spring football, putting him at kick returner. This proved to be an excellent move, as Shepherd…