The Dallas Renegades have got the ball rolling in UFL Training Camp. With a brand new Head Coach in Rick Neusheisel, and a revised roster, it’s an exciting time for Renegades fans across the DFW area.
Pro Football Newsroom had the chance to attend the team’s open practice on Wednesday, February 25th. This is just the third practice that the Renegades have held.
Let’s take a look at some of the major takeaways we saw from this practice – and what coaches & players had to say about it.
Practice Takeaways
It’s pretty clear that the Renegades have a fresh backfield. Only Dae Dae Hunter has returned, with three new additions in Ellis Merriweather, Lorenzo Lingard, and Keegan Jones.
Something to note about Jones: he’s got speed. Keegan was taking a lot of reps during their kick return drills, making an early case for himself to make the roster for that reason alone.
When it comes to the wide receivers, here’s our observations:
Tyler Vaughns, to no one’s surprise, was commanding the offense early
Silas Bolden has speed, and is a vertical threat; scoring a long touchdown to wrap up practice
Coach Neuheisel mentioned that Greg Ward Jr. was full strength for the first time, and liked what he saw out of the veteran playmaker in the slot
Denzel Mims, the former 2nd round NFL draft pick, had a rough outing. We recorded two drops from him during practice
At tight end, Seth Green received a lot of attention. With Sal Cannella no longer in the picture, Green has the opportunity to step up offensively. Both Luis Perez and Austin Reed connected with Seth on sizeable gains.
“Seth is a stud. He is the man. He lives out here, so we’ve been training all offseason together.” – Luis Perez
Defensively, there were a few players who stood out as well. Taco Charlton and Andrew Dowell were key contributors when it came to getting to the quarterback. Neuheisel mentioned to us post-practice that Charlton has impressed early, with his new role playing outside linebacker.
In the secondary, All-UFL DB Ajene Harris looked exactly like you’d expect: solid. In addition, newly signed safety Tra Fluellen, out of Middle Tennessee State, was flying around making plays. He’s aggressive, especially when playing downhill, and will certainly be involved in defensive stops in the run game. The same can be said for Chris Steele, another new addition who played with San Antonio last year.
Quarterback Play
Of course, it’s early in camp – but everyone wants to know what the quarterback position looks like. Perez, being the veteran he is, took a decent chunk of snaps. Coach Neuheisel had this to say about the quarterback battle so far:
“So Luis is ahead, from a standpoint of knowing what we’re doing, and being a veteran of these spring leagues. But I think both Austin and Luke are outstanding prospects. I have high hopes for both of them. Austin has an incredibly strong arm. Sometimes, though, your strengths are your weaknesses. He’s got that Terry Bradshaw ‘if he’s open, throw it. If he’s not open, throw it harder’. So we’ve got to try and calm that down. Luke, he’s got an extra dimension with his legs. It’s been fun.”
Our observations line up with what Neuheisel said. Austin Reed has an absolute rocket for an arm, but his decision making will need to improve if he wants to take the starting gig from Luis Perez. Meanwhile, Luke Lehnen could be a valuable gadget player, especially with his ability to smoothly run RPO actions.
Comments From Coach Neuheisel
We got to speak with Coach Neuheisel and ask him some questions after practice. First up, we wanted to hear about how he got connected with OC Noel Mazzone – someone spring football fans are very familiar with:
“Noel and I have known each other for a long time. We’ve never worked together, but he actually worked with my son. My son gave him a glowing recommendation. So I’ve been watching him, and said ‘why not?’. Part of this [the UFL] is to work your tails off, part of this is to win football games, but part of it is to have fun – and Noel knows how to do that.”
As for the defensive schemes, the Renegades have a strong staff. Mike Gillhamer is leading the defense, with a couple of linebackers coaches, and a DL coach in Brian Baker who will all pitch in to work together. Gillhamer will work with the backend with the secondary.
See also
Rick Neuheisel perfectly summed up his attitude in this first week of camp with the first two words out of his mouth to the press: “I’m ecstatic”.
Comments From Luis Perez
Luis Perez is working with a brand new staff in Dallas, and it’s safe to say that he’s loving it. Perez immediately followed suit with Coach Neuheisel, with more “ecstatic” verbiage:
“I’m so ecstatic that I’m here with these guys. A lot of quality offensive minds. I’m very fortunate to be hooked up with these guys…they have a lot of experience. I’m just trying to be a sponge around them, and collaborate together.”
Perez also told us that he’s been able to work with some of his new targets prior to camp. Silas Bolden, Drake Stoops, and Perez have been training in Dallas since it was announced that they’d both be Renegades, which has resulted in a smoother work flow to begin training camp.
He also is excited about their running back room, one that looks a lot different this year:
“All of these backs are very impressive guys. They understand the game very well. They’re all explosive, and they have some size to them, and they can run the ball really well. Very good vision from what I’ve seen. And they can all catch the ball too, which is very important for me.”
Recent Transactions
DT Kevin Strong, Signed
DL Chace Davis, Retired
Joining the Renegades roster is DT Kevin Strong, who lives up to the resume his last name might reflect. Kevin is a veteran, having spent the last several years in the NFL. Strong has been a part of a few different teams, with an outstanding campaign in 2023 with the Cardinals – totaling 46 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Throughout his NFL career, Strong has played in 50 games, making 13 starts. He’s got 95 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and four PBU’s to his name. Collegiately, he was a standout with the UTSA Roadrunners, including a couple of blocked kicks on special teams.
The Dallas Renegades lost Chace Davis to retirement. Davis, who can play both on the interior and as an edge rusher, was an awesome success story in football, overcoming skin cancer to make his way to an NFL mini-camp with the Chiefs. We wish Chace the best as he heads into the next chapter of his life.
What are your thoughts on where the Dallas Renegades stand right now? Who are you excited to watch this season? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
