Former Eagles continue their dream of playing professional football in XFL

Once upon a time, someone asked if baseball was still the national pastime or if football had taken over as being so. It’s a fair question. You can use the City of Brotherly Love as a measuring stick when answering. Philly is a loyal sports town with a great history in all sports, but above and beyond all else, it’s a football city. The Philadelphia Eagles rule the roost, and that’s often true of other cities where an NFL team is present.

With that being said, here’s a theory. Howie Long said this a long time ago. Baseball is STILL the national pastime, but football is America’s passion. We now have two leagues to tide us over until the NFL is ready for on-field competition again, the XFL and USFL.

The XFL made its debut last weekend with four intriguing games. If you’re late to the party or need a guide, here’s something to make note of.

With no Eagles team to cheer for, this provides an opportunity for Birds fans to enjoy the game we all love minus the stress. If you’re like most Birds fans and are looking for familiar faces, here’s how you can keep up with a few.

Here’s a list of former Eagles that we’ll be watching and cheering for during the XFL season.

The XFL is home to eight teams: the D.C. Defenders, Seattle Sea Dragons, Saint Louis Battlehawks, and Vegas Vipers of the XFL North AND the XFL South’s Arlington Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Orlando Guardians, and San Antonio Brahmas.

It’s also home to former NFL stars as well. Guys like Josh Gordon, Vic Beasley, and A.J. McCarron don’t need to be introduced. Neither do some of the coaches (Hines Ward, Wade Phillips, and Rod Woodson.

If you still need something to get you interested, here are 18 former Eagles who are keeping their dreams of playing professional football alive.

Quarterbacks Reid Sinnett and Luis Perez

Reid Sinnett was a member of the Eagles’ 2021 roster and was in line to enter the 2022 season as Philly’s third-string quarterback before they began showing more interest in Carson Strong (and eventually moved on from both of them). He’s now with the San Antonio Brahmas.

Luis Perez is a Vegas Vipers signal-caller that joined the Eagles after the Alliance of American Football suspended operations. He joined Philly on April 9th of 2019. He was waived by May 13th of that year.

Running backs Adrian Killins and Matt Jones

Adrian Killins was added by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but didn’t have a long run with the team. Matt Jones signed a two-year deal with Philly on May 9th of 2018. He was released almost four months later on September 1st.

Killins is now a member of the Arlington Renegades. Jones now suits up for the Vegas Vipers.

Wide receivers Deontay Burnett and Josh Hammond

Deontay Burnett was with Philly from 2019 until 2020. Josh Hammond was claimed off waivers in May of last year. He was waived on July 26, 2022.

The former is now a member of the Houston Roughnecks. The latter plays for the D.C. Defenders.

Tight ends Alex Ellis and Joshua Perkins

Alex Ellis, now with the Arlington Renegades, spent part of the 2019 NFL season with the Birds but was eventually released with an injury settlement. He was re-signed to the practice squad two months later, signed to a reserve/future contract the following January, and released on July 17th.

Seattle Sea Dragons tight end Joshua Perkins appeared in 14 games for Philly between 2018 and 2019. He caught 14 passes for 154 yards, one of which resulted in a touchdown.

Offensive linemen Luke Juriga and Malcolm Bunche

Luke Juriga spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Philly. Malcolm Bunche signed as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2015 NFL Draft and spent his rookie year on the practice squad before being released in August 2016. They both now call the San Antonio Brahmas home.

Defensive linemen Bruce Hector, Shareef Miller, and Elijah Qualls

Bruce Hector appeared in 11 Eagles regular-season games with one start. Shareef Miller is a former fourth-round pick of Philly’s and a member of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Elijah Qualls was the final Bird added to an eight-man draft class in 2017. Hector is an Arlington Renegade. Qualls is a Houston Roughneck.

Defensive backs De’Vante Bausby, Josh Hawkins, Ajene Harris, and Kary Vincent Jr

Pay attention because this will move quickly. Four former Eagles defensive backs have landed in the XFL: De’Vante Bausby (Arlington Renegades), Josh Hawkins (also with the Renegades), Ajene Harris (Houston Roughnecks), and Kary Vincent Jr. (also with the Roughnecks). Check them out this season.

Special-teamer/punter Brad Wing

As Rich Eisen would say, “punters are people too”. After Brad Wing went undrafted during the 2013 NFL Draft, Philadelphia signed him to compete with fellow former LSU Tigers punter Donnie Jones in training camp. We all know how that turned out.

Wing would suit up for two other NFL franchises (the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants) before landing with the Alliance of American Football’s Memphis Express. He now wears the Number 0 jersey for San Antonio.