The spring-to-fall pipeline is no longer a novelty. It’s now a proven talent acquisition strategy, with the Dallas Cowboys leading the way.
44 players from the 2025 UFL season signed NFL contracts before training camp, according to league data released in August. United Football League MVP Bryce Perkins, quarterback of the Michigan Panthers, was among the dozens of players to work out with an NFL team. This captures how aggressively NFL front offices have embraced spring football as a legitimate evaluation tool.
How the Dallas Cowboys Own the Spring Football Blueprint
No team has extracted more value from spring leagues than Dallas. The Cowboys’ special teams unit features two former USFL/UFL players who now carry Pro Bowl or All-Pro distinctions: kicker Brandon Aubrey and returner KaVontae Turpin.
Aubrey’s story remains the most remarkable. He played for the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL in 2022 and 2023 before signing with the Cowboys in 2023.
Since entering the NFL, Aubrey has emerged as one of the league’s top placekickers, with an 88.2% career field goal percentage. The Cowboys star holds the NFL record for the most career field goals made from 60 yards or longer, with six. Moreover, he is expected to sign a new deal this offseason, which would make him the highest-paid kicker in the league’s history.
Turpin earned USFL MVP honors as an offensive weapon and return specialist. He signed with Dallas in July 2022 and became the first Cowboys player ever to be selected to the Pro Bowl as a designated return specialist. He’s now made three consecutive Pro Bowls.
Perrion Winfrey, a 2025 All-UFL Team honoree with the Birmingham Stallions, earned a spot on the opening day active roster with Dallas after the team converted him from spring football’s trenches. Winfrey is a former fourth-round draft pick attempting to rebuild his career through the UFL, and his stint in Dallas validates the league’s role as a second-chance platform for pedigreed talent.
The Cowboys’ approach offers a template: identify specialists and depth players who need game reps, then give them professional coaching in a controlled environment.
2025 UFL Players on Opening Day NFL 53-Man Rosters
- Perrion Winfrey, DT – Dallas Cowboys
2025 UFL Players on NFL Practice Squads
- Jacob Saylors, RB – Detroit Lions
- Sal Cannella, TE – Cleveland Browns
- Malik Turner, WR – San Francisco 49ers
- Kyler Baugh, DT – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Ricky Lee, OT – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Alec Lindstrom, C – New England Patriots
- Keni-H Lovely, CB – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jayden Price, CB – New Orleans Saints
- Harrison Mevis, K – New York Jets
- Damon Arnette, CB – Houston Texans
2025 UFL Training Camp Signings
- Bryce Perkins, QB – Carolina Panthers
- Braylon Sanders, WR – Washington Commanders
- Bradlee Anae, DE – San Francisco 49ers
- D.J. Miller, CB – Detroit Lions
- Garrett Nelson, OLB – Denver Broncos
- Jacob Harris, WR – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Henry Black, S – Atlanta Falcons
- R.J. Moten, LB – New England Patriots
- Keenan Isaac, CB – Cleveland Browns
- Josiah Bronson, DL – Tennessee Titans
- Deneric Prince, RB – New England Patriots
- Nick Whiteside, LB – Detroit Lions
- Liam Fornadel, G – New York Jets
- Steven Stilianos, TE – Detroit Lions
- Thomas Gordon, TE – Chicago Bears
The Numbers Behind the UFL to NFL Pipeline
The UFL announced that 28 players from the past two seasons and 18 alumni from the modern era of spring football have either made the 53-man roster or were added to a practice squad at the start of the 2025 NFL season.
At present, 102 spring football league players are on NFL rosters, consisting of 74 from the 2024 and 2025 seasons and 28 from the 2022 and 2023 seasons prior to the merger of the XFL and USFL.
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The Detroit Lions have quietly built their own pipeline. The Lions alone have signed eight former UFL players from the 2025 cycle, more than any other franchise.
Jake Bates anchors the group after connecting on 26 of 29 field goals (89.7%) and 64 of 67 extra points in his rookie season. His 142 total points set a new franchise record, surpassing the legendary Jason Hanson.
Bates captured what the league provides for overlooked players. “That league did for me what it’s built for,” Bates said. “It’s built to give people a stage, and I was able to get that stage, and without that, I’m not here.”
Legacy Spring Football Players on NFL 53-Man Rosters
- Jake Bates, K – Detroit Lions (2024 UFL)
- Brandon Aubrey, K – Dallas Cowboys (2022-23 USFL)
- KaVontae Turpin, WR/KR – Dallas Cowboys (2022 USFL)
- Jalen Redmond, DT – Minnesota Vikings (2024 UFL)
- Dondrea Tillman, LB – Denver Broncos (2024 UFL)
- Andre Szmyt, K – Cleveland Browns (2024 UFL)
- Rex Sunahara, LS – Cleveland Browns (2024 UFL)
Position Trends and What Comes Next for the UFL
Kickers dominate the successful conversions. Bates, Aubrey, and Cleveland’s Andre Szmyt all hold roster spots after proving themselves in spring competition. UFL kickers showed impressive accuracy and range in 2024, making several kicks from beyond 60 yards. Those performance metrics caught NFL attention and opened doors.
Return specialists represent the second-most reliable pathway. Turpin proved that electric playmakers can stick if they find the right situation.
“The UFL has demonstrated to be a proven and effective product,” NFL Executive Vice President Troy Vincent said. “It provides an opportunity to develop, showcase, and evolve the talent and quality of players, coaches, administrators, trainers, and officials at the highest level of professional football.”
The challenge for non-specialists remains significant. From 2025, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey of the Birmingham Stallions was the only UFL player to make an opening day active roster out of camp with the Dallas Cowboys, though he was waived in March 2026.
Ten others were signed to practice squads. Position players face steeper odds, though running backs like Jacob Saylors and receivers like Malik Turner have carved out practice squad roles.
Spring football isn’t replacing the draft or traditional free agency. But it has established itself as the NFL’s unofficial developmental tier, and teams willing to mine it aggressively are finding real contributors on the other side.
