St. Louis Battlehawks Lose One Linebacker to Injury, Add Another in Former XFL Starter
The St. Louis Battlehawks lost one of their inside linebackers in Johnny Buchanan, who was placed on injured reserve on Monday. The team moved quickly to replace him, as SI has learned that linebacker Drew Lewis has signed with the team.
Lewis is a familiar name for XFL fans after he played for the San Antonio Brahmas and Houston Roughnecks last season, posting 24 tackles and one sack on the year. The Roughnecks were also Lewis's first spring football home in 2020, when he racked up 17 tackles in five appearances. He was in Houston in 2022 as well, but with the Gamblers of the USFL, contributing 13 tackles. Lewis also spent time in the NFL in 2019 with the New Orleans Saints.
Lewis attended Colorado from 2016 through 2018, playing in 38 games and compiling 167 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception and eight pass deflections.
Buchanan was selected by the Battlehawks in the 2023 Rookie Draft last summer. He was slated to make his first professional football appearance after going undrafted to the NFL last year.
From 2018 through 2022, Buchanan was a key piece to the Delaware defense, providing 326 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 52 games. He was named to the All-CAA team three times in his career, including First Team twice in 2020 and 2022.
The strength of the St. Louis defense comes from its linebackers, which are 11-deep on the roster. Depth is needed to support talent like Mike Rose, Carson Wells and 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year selection Pita Taumoepenu. The first round of roster cutdowns commences on March 10, when UFL teams need to be down to 58 players.
St. Louis will be on the road to start their season as they take on the Michigan Panthers in Detroit on March 30.
You can follow Anthony Miller on X @ByAnthonyMiller.
Catch up with UFL on FanNation on Facebook and X.
