By Nick Wojton / Billswire.usatoday.com
The XFL is taking another step toward their re-launch in 2020. This week the league announced the first 600 players in their inaugural
“XFL Draft Pool.”
As it sounds, those are players that will have their names tossed into the ring as nominees to be selected by the league’s various teams. Of them some have former connections to the Buffalo Bills.
Here’s the list of former Bills players that were announced in the XFL’s recent draft pool:
TE Khari Lee
Lee spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a depth member of the Bills’ tight end room. Notably a blocking tight end, Lee had one reception for the Bills during his tenure, for five yards last season. He started seven games as a rookie UDFA with the Bears in 2015.
LB Carl Bradford
A depth move in 2017, Bradford signed with the Bills during the offseason, just after the NFL draft. He competed with Matt Milano and Tanner Vallejo for roster spots, but clearly Milano won out that battle. He was cut at the end of that training camp.
OL Gerhard de Beer
After signing with the Bills as an UDFA, de Beer, a South Africa native, became known for… his name, basically. It has beer in it. He was cut at the end of 2018’s training camp and spent some time on the Packers’ practice squad.
OL Patrick Lewis
Lewis made some starts with the Seahawks in 2014 and 2015, then was cut at the end of 2016’s training camp. He never made any sort of impact with the Bills, though. The center was active for one game in 2016.
CB Sterling Moore
Moore only spent the 2016 training camp with the Bills but was a bit of a camp “darling” and was expected to make the team but didn’t. He was picked up by the Saints and had a good year in 2016 with two interceptions, but then fell out of favor.
DL Tenny Palepoi
Palepoi looked poised to be a profitable member of the rotation on Sean McDermott’s defensive line in 2018, but he never really caught his footing. He was signed, released, later re-signed and released again, all in that summer.
TE Gerald Christian
Christian is the second tight end on this list to have actually appeared in games with the Bills and make one catch. In 2016, he had a 14-yard grab with the Bills and was active for three games. That’s where his NFL career ended, in terms of regular season play. He didn’t ever catch on elsewhere.
RB Cedric O’Neal
O’Neal only factored in as a depth running back during the 2017 offseason. He signed a reserve/ future contract with the Bills and was a long-shot to actually make their roster, and didn’t.
WR Brandon Reilly
One of the bigger “darlings” of training camp in recent memory is Reilly. He had a solid 2017 camp as a UDFA and hauled in some passes during that preseason. He landed on the practice squad and was called up to the active roster at the end of the 2017 season, but never saw game action and was cut the following training camp. He’s bounced around with the Lions, Cowboys, and Steelers, all in practice squad duty.
Bonus: Former University at Buffalo players in the XFL draft:
OL John Kling
P Jake Schum
DT Kristjan Sokoli