Former Browns will be all over the UFL this spring
By Randy Gurzi
The XFL and USFL have merged into one league, the UFL. They began their inaugural season in March, and plenty of former Cleveland Browns were on the field for the developmental league.
Cleveland has taken advantage of these leagues in the past as they've signed players such as D'Ernest Johnson and Garrett Gilbert, both stars in the Alliance of American Football. Gilbert won the MVP in 2019 (the only year the league existed) but Johnson made more of an impact with the Browns.
As for the former players in the UFL, there will be 17 who once wore the orange and brown — although many only made a brief appearance in the preseason. Here's a list of who is playing where:
Former Browns who never made the 53-man roster
Lorenzo Burns, CB, Birmingham Stallions (2023)
Nate McCrary, RB, Michigan Panthers (2023)
BoPete Keyes, CB, San Antonio Brahmas (2023)
Gavin Heslop, CB, San Antonio Brahmas (2023)
Derrick Kelly, OT, San Antonio Brahmas (2023)
Storey Jackson, LB, Arlington Renegades (2022)
Glen Logan, DT, Houston Roughnecks (2022)
Marquez Stevenson, WR, San Antonio Brahmas (2022)
Lavert Hill, CB, St. Louis Battlehawks (2022)
Marvin Wilson, DT, Birmingham Stallions (2021)
Wyatt Ray, DE, San Antonio Brahmas (2019)
Channing Stribling, CB, St. Louis Battlehawks (2017)
Former Browns who made the 53-man roster
Ja'Marcus Bradley, WR, St. Louis Battlehawks (2020-2022)
Alex Taylor-Prioleau, OT, Birmingham Stallions (2020-2022)
Willie Harvey, LB, St. Louis Battlehawks (2019-2022)
Kai Nacua, S, Michigan Panthers (2017)
Scooby Wright, LB, Birmingham Stallions (2016)
There's no way to quench the constant thirst for football which has made these developmental leagues a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they haven't had the best success when trying to get off the ground. Hopefully, there will be more success with these two leagues joining forces.