The DC Defenders were one of three teams to trim their 58-man rosters down on Thursday afternoon. With the inaugural UFL season kicking off in just nine days, the team has officially set their roster to 50 players.
Per @UFL_PR, the DC Defenders cut the following players:
RB ZaQuandre White
WR Jazz Ferguson
OG Matthew Carrick
OT Greg Long
DE Tariqious Tisdale
DE Tim Ward
LB Jordan Evans
S Kentrell BriceThe @XFLDefenders roster is now set at 50 for the #UFL season.
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 21, 2024
DC has undergone a tumultuous last three weeks of training camp, which included major injuries and retirements. Most notably with the news of RB Abram Smith set to miss the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL. Even with the frenzy, there were still a few surprises in the final roster cut. Let’s dive in.
Offensive Cuts
RB ZaQuandre White
WR Jazz Ferguson
OG Matthew Carrick
OT Greg Long
Jazz Ferguson entered training camp on the bubble, even with his returning status from 2023. Ferguson only recorded one catch last season, but his special teams experience was what kept him in contention most likely. The wide receiver room was extremely competitive throughout training camp, with the final six including Keke Coutee, Brandon Smith, Chris Rowland, Vyncint Smith, Kelvin Harmon, and Ty Scott.
ZaQuandre White signed with DC only three days ago, facing an uphill battle from the start. According to sources, White impressed quite a few players and coaches in his short time, and the door is open for a potential return down the line.
See also
Defensive Cuts
DE Tariqious Tisdale
DE Tim Ward
LB Jordan Evans
S Kentrell Brice
Quite a few surprises in this batch, primarily with Kentrell Brice and Tim Ward. Brice is another player who was returning from last season, and played a significant amount as a starter. But with an extremely competitive defensive backs room, Brice ended up being the odd man out in DC. The Defenders safeties now include Deontay…