The Detroit Lions and St. Louis Battlehawks have established a legitimate connection. RB Jacob Saylors has signed with the Lions – just one day after Battlehawks CB Nick Whiteside also inked a contract with Detroit.
Saylos is coming off of his second straight All-UFL season with the Battlehawks. He’s been one of the league’s most explosive backs across the last two years, and now earns another NFL contract.
In 2025, Jacob racked up 499 rushing yards (2nd) and five rushing touchdowns (2nd), finishing the year with a strong 80.8 Offensive Grade, via PFF. Saylors is a versatile back, doing a little bit of everything for St. Louis. He also added 246 receiving yards to his name this season.
During the 2024 season, Saylors ended up earning All-UFL honors, rushing for a league-high 461 rushing yards. Only Adrian Martinez, the UFL’s MVP (and a quarterback at that), had more rushing yards. Jacob tallied five rushing touchdowns (T-2nd).
This led to an NFL opportunity with the New York Giants in 2024. He spent some time there in the preseason, before being picked up by the Cleveland Browns. With Cleveland, he impressed in week three with 30 yards on just five carries – but was still released during cutdowns.
After his excellent UFL season in 2025, Saylors now makes his way back to the NFL – this time with the Detroit Lions. The Lions are a team who have worked out UFL RB’s previously, bringing in Toa Taua for a look before he ultimately signed with the Browns.
Detroit has targeted UFL talent, and more specifically, St. Louis talent this offseason. Jacob is the second Battlehawks player to sign an NFL contract, joining fellow CB Nick Whiteside in Detroit. Without the national platform that the UFL provided him with, who knows if this would have been made possible. You can stay up to date on all UFL to NFL signings with our official tracker.
What are your thoughts on Jacob Saylors landing with the Detroit Lions? Which Battlehawks…