Adrian Peterson, Le'Veon Bell Potential Options for D.C. Defenders Replacing Abram Smith
On a day when the United Football League announced the site of its league championship game, news broke that star running back Abram Smith, who could've greatly aided the D.C. Defenders in their quest to get back to a title game, was lost for the season with a left torn ACL suffered in practice.
The devastating news is a massive loss for the UFL as the newly merged XFL-USFL league loses one of its premier players. But no one has been more devastated than the Defenders.
Smith, the Baylor standout who was fourth in the nation with 1,601 rushing yards in 2021, lived up to his billing as the top overall selection in the XFL 2023 Draft. As a de facto pro rookie, after just missing the NFL cut in the fall of 2022, Smith led the XFL in rushing and touchdowns in a star-making performance.
The former linebacker's blend of size and breakaway speed, coupled with D.C.'s blocking scheme, was a perfect marriage. One that has been abruptly put on hold in an undetermined future for both the player and the team.
With just over two weeks until the start of the UFL season, one which will see the Defenders back in San Antonio, the site of last year's XFL championship loss to the Arlington Renegades, D.C. has little time to recover from losing its best player.
General manager Von Hutchins has been working the phones since Smith's injury in practice, looking for potential replacements. Replacing Smith is a tall and almost impossible task, but the team has options to try and soften the blow.
Staying In House
With so little time to spare, acclimating a new player to an offense is challenging. As a result, the players who will likely get the first crack at shouldering the burden of D.C.'s ground game are already in-house.
On paper, Cam'Ron Harris, Darius Hagans and Pooka Williams' trio has the feel of a sum greater than its parts backfield. Each has a unique skill set.
Harris, a standout rusher for the Miami Hurricanes who averaged more than 5 yards per tote in college, saw his NFL hopes derailed by injury. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound tailback has a leg up because of his experience showing flashes with D.C. late in the 2023 season.
Hagans, a talented HBCU runner, has direct ties to Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow. He starred at Virginia State, his coach's former stomping grounds. The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts rookie barely missed the NFL cut. He has a nice blend of size (6-0 210) and speed (4.48) and brings value on third downs as a pass catcher.
Williams is a wildcard in D.C.'s equation. The Big-12 standout is an enigmatic talent with breakaway ability as a receiver, runner and returner. Williams's 4.3 speed is an asset, but at 170 pounds, he's certainly not a bell-cow candidate.
Recent and Current Spring League Running Backs
Even if the Defenders deploy a next-man-up strategy with in-house options, D.C. needs to add another running back to the mix in the war of attrition that occurs during a football season.
The merger's condensing of 16 spring pro football rosters to eight has left many talented running backs on the street looking for work. The first wave of UFL team cuts from 75 to 58 has also contributed more options for D.C., increasing the likelihood that they will explore them.
Some of the more notable names available with recent spring ball experience are Brian Hill (St. Louis Battlehawks), Reggie Corbin (Michigan Panthers), Kerrith Whyte (Memphis Showboats), Rod Smith (Vegas Vipers), Kalen Ballage (San Antonio Brahmas), Morgan Ellison (Seattle Sea Dragons/Renegades) and Ezra Gray (Showboats).
Veterans like Hill, Smith and Ballage might be on their last legs. Neither has returned to the league by player or league choice.
The Maryland-born Corbin, an All-USFL player in 2022, has some of the home run ability that will be missing with Smith gone. He holds the modern USL record for longest touchdown run at 88 yards. Corbin's a change-of-pace runner who fits right in as an offset back in D.C.'s shotgun-oriented offense.
Young backs like Ellison and Whyte flashed last season and are in game shape after recently being in camp. Each has unique traits. Ellison is more of a power runner at 238 pounds, while former Chicago Bear draft pick Whyte is a shifty three-down back with 4.3 speed
Gray, also a recent UFL cut by Memphis, has plenty of juice as a big-play runner and returner. The Alabama State sensation's ties to Reggie Barlow's former digs will help his chances.
In-League Trade Options
Hutchins has already swung a deal in camp, landing protected starting offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson from Birmingham.
The proximity and frequent interaction from all UFL team general managers in the league's centralized hub in Arlington lends itself to deal-making. GMs have an up-close view of the opposing team's rosters.
D.C.'s vast roster depth led to their deal with Birmingham, which could lead them to make another move to shore up the void left by Smith's injury.
According to sources, superstar runner Darius Victor hoped to make his way to D.C. in the dispersal draft process. The Defenders and Victor were mutually interested, but Memphis wisely selected the thick-thighs save-lives runner before Victor could switch leagues.
One of the more beloved and decorated players in spring ball has natural ties to the DMV area. A standout at Maryland, Victor would be a perfect fit for the Defenders. But it would likely take moving heaven and earth for Memphis to part with their featured star.
A hurdle for D.C. in the trade or in-league acquisition market is that despite final cuts where UFL teams downsize to 50 for the regular season, most league squads currently have only three running backs. This is the amount that teams will likely carry heading into their 2024 campaigns. At only 42 active players on game day, it's unlikely that teams carry fewer than three at the position.
Players On The NFL Fence
Hutchins has made a habit the last two years of enticing players on the NFL fringe to play for D.C.
A primary talent target for UFL teams is players who finished the 2023 season on NFL practice squads. UFL Personnel people have encouraged players to forgo signing futures contracts to play in the league with mixed results. The league has signed over a dozen players who were on NFL practice squads last year.
UFL GMs shoot their shot. For example, per sources, one player recruited to join the UFL is current Philadelphia Eagles running back Lew Nichols III. The Central Michigan star led the nation in rushing in 2022. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2023 before being let go and landing on the Eagles practice roster.
Nichols received the sales pitch after the NFL season concluded to join the UFL, but opted to sign a futures deal with Philly instead.
Running backs similar to Nichols are looking for work and have yet to ink off-season agreements with NFL teams. Mohamed Ibrahim (Detroit Lions) and SaRodorick Thompson (New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys) are among them.
The Nuclear Options
Last year in the XFL, the Sea Dragons recruited veteran NFL running back Phillip Lindsey to join them in a late-season playoff push.
Could the D.C. Defenders take the same tact and look to replace a superstar running back with one from the recent NFL past?
Two names who provide hell-frozen-over possibilities are future Hall Of Fame running back Adrian Peterson and former All-Pro Le'Veon Bell. Even at this late stage of their careers, both veterans have expressed interest recently in resuming their careers.
The issue, however, is that Bell and Peterson are looking for one last hurrah in the NFL. Whether that opportunity arises for them remains to be seen.
Another veteran with a name value who is currently unemployed is Melvin Gordon.
No matter how fun imagining "AP" in a Defenders' uniform would be — and it certainly would bring added attention and eyeballs to the UFL — it's very unlikely that any accomplished players in the twilight of their careers take a radical turn into the land of spring football.
Several factors work against fading star players joining the United Football League. Chief among them are money and pride.
Conversely, leagues like the UFL are primarily designed for rising young players. In pro football, It goes beyond the idea of development, particularly at running back. After all, no position has a shorter shelf life of quality. It's all about youth and less wear and tear that leads to optimum productivity.
Nevertheless, it's fun to dream of all the possibilities. The Defenders must exhaust all of them to escape the nightmare reality of a season without Abram Smith carrying their hopes of championship redemption.
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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