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The Super Bowl is already in the rearview mirror, and thus, the XFL is straight ahead. The league has rebooted once again and will kick off the 2023 season this weekend. Here is a look at each team in the new league and which players to keep an eye out for.
2023 XFL Teams: Vegas Vipers, Arlington Renegades, Orlando Guardians, Houston Roughnecks, St. Louis BattleHawks, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, and D.C. Defenders.
The Vipers have two former NFL players whose names you will recognize: WR Martavis Bryant and OLB Vic Beasley. Bryant caught 14 touchdown passes in his first two years for the Pittsburgh Steelers but repeatedly ran afoul of the league’s substance-abuse policy, eventually leading to his indefinite suspension from the league in 2018. Beasley was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but never quite lived up to the hype: he totaled just 160 tackles across parts of six seasons. QB Kyle Sloter, the NFL preseason star, will start under center for the Renegades. QB Paxton Lynch will team up with former Oklahoma wideout Charleston Rambo. Former Washington State standout running back Max Borghi will anchor the running game for the Roughnecks.
QB A.J. McCarron is perhaps the league’s most notable player and he will suit up for the St. Louis BattleHawks. RB Kalen Ballage, who played for four NFL teams during his four-year career, will lead the Brahmas rushing attack. QB Ben DiNucci, who played in three games and started one for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, is set to lead the Dragons with former Colorado star QB Steven Montez also in the quarterback room. They’ll get to throw to former NFL star WR Josh Gordon. QB D’Eriq King, who had a storied career at Miami and Houston in college, leads the way for the Defenders.