The Cleveland Browns may find some former players ending up in the XFL or the USFL to keep their careers going.
The Cleveland Browns have a reasonably certain offense, especially if DeAndre Hopkins lands in town. Their defense has some question marks, but the team seems pretty content with everyone they have. They aren’t looking to make any other moves at the moment, which doesn’t sound good if you’re a former Browns player.
Several, fairly high-profile players I might add, are out of a job and may not land another landing spot in the league. Either due to age, injury, decline in play or just never living up to expectations, there are a few players who could end up out of the league soon.
That’s bad news for these players, but good news for leagues like the XFL and USFL. We found three players who could do wonders for those leagues, and maybe rejuvenate their careers, making a comeback possible if they play well.
Karl Joseph
Karl Joseph didn’t play well for the Las Vegas Raiders when they were in Oakland, and he didn’t do much for the Cleveland Browns when he landed here. His stint was bad, and the Browns didn’t make the right call picking up the Raiders’ scraps. Joseph tried to rebound from his dismal outing with the team by going to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joseph didn’t play much with them in 2021, appearing in just two games, before getting hurt and missing all of 2022. If he were to land in the USFL or the XFL, Joseph may be able to show off just enough to warrant one last shot in the league as a minimum-contract-veteran type player.
Kareem Hunt
Of all the players on this list, Kareem Hunt makes the most sense to try his luck out in the XFL or the USFL. Hunt is someone who, on the service, shouldn’t be washed up yet. He’s only turning 28 in August, and when you think about names like Marshan Lynch and Adrian Peterson, 28 isn’t old at all. Then you think about someone like Trent Richardson, and his involvement with the now-defunct AAF, and it becomes very clear that someone like Hunt may not only do well in a secondary league but may dominate.
It’s not likely that Hunt goes to the XFL or USFL and rushes for over 1,000 (they play 10 regular season games, not 17), but it is very likely that he goes there, shows he can still go, and convinces a playoff team to give him a chance. Especially if that team is hungry for a good rusher and a good pass-catcher. While Hunt was never the elite player so many in Cleveland claimed he was, he was a nice compliment to Nick Chubb. Just not at the price point.
Hunt going to the XFL or USLF and showing out could get him one more shot at starting in the league, and maybe even a nice contract out of the whole situation. These leagues, after all, are about opportunity
Jarvis Landry
While Karl Joseph and Kareem Hunt need secondary leagues like the USFL and XFL to prove they are worth a roster spot still, Jarvis Landry needs the secondary leagues to prove he can just still play. Landry is far from the player he once was, something I’ve been saying since he had major hip surgery after the 2019 season.
His mobility was shot afterward, and the already slow-foot receiver became even harder to use in games due to his lack of athleticism from his immobility and it showed. Before his surgery, he was averaging 1,031 yards, 142 targets, 93 receptions, and 16 games per season (in a 16-game season). After the hip surgery, his stats fell hard. He’s now averaging 560 yards, 75 targets, 49 receptions, and 12 games per season (split between one 16 and two 17-game seasons).
Last year, for the New Orleans Saints, Landry only played in nine games. The former Pro Bowler is on his last legs, it seems, and it is very likely he doesn’t get an offer, let alone another landing spot in the NFL. For Landry, who is just 30 (not old at all for a receiver), a stint in the USLF or XFL may be the best way to prove he can still play, if he can in fact, still play.