At this point, the Detroit Lions are a UFL team. On Sunday they signed TE Gunnar Oakes, OL Gunnar Britton, and OL Keaton Sutherland – alongside RB Deon Jackson – all UFL players.
General Manager Brad Holmes has made it clear that he’s been watching UFL tape this spring. Detroit has now brought in eight UFL players. Over the past couple of weeks, the other names they’ve brought in include Battlehawks RB Jacob Saylors, Battlehawks DB Nick Whiteside, Panthers DB D.J. Miller Jr., and Brahmas TE Steven Stilianos.
TE Gunnar Oakes | Michigan Panthers
Quietly, Gunnar Oakes was one of the league’s stronger tight ends – which resulted in an All-UFL award at the end of the season. Oakes has been with Michigan the last two years, as one of their USFL College Draft picks out of EMU.
Gunnar is a guy that Michigan used in blocking schemes more often than not, with 54.8% of his snaps coming as a pass/run blocker. He did see an increase in reps receiving the ball, though, with 162 yards and two touchdowns to his name in 2025. Oakes has consistently gotten better throughout the last couple of seasons – and now will return to his Michigan roots in the NFL, with the Detroit Lions.
OL Gunner Britton | DC Defenders
Gunner Britton also makes his way to the Lions, as they now need some legitimate help at O-Line. Britton made his pro debut with the Defenders this past UFL season, serving DC as a rotational piece on a team that won the Championship.
Britton ended up taking over as the starting right tackle in the playoffs, when Mason Brooks went down. Across the regular season, and the postseason, he didn’t allow a single sack with DC (386 snaps). Gunner was also responsible for one of the…