Arizona Rattlers trade QB Drew Powell to Tucson Sugar Skulls for Ramone Atkins, sign QB Dalton Sneed
The Arizona Rattlers have decided to move on from quarterback Drew Powell, who was spectacular in the regular season during his time in Phoenix, but wasn't able to get it done in the biggest games.
The team announced Monday that it has traded the three-time Indoor Football League Player of the Year to the Tucson Sugar Skulls for quarterback Ramone Atkins.
Atkins was the IFL Offensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago when he played for the Duke City Gladiators.
He led the Sugar Skulls to the third seed in the playoffs last season.
Later in the day Monday, the Rattlers announced they have signed free agent quarterback Dalton Sneed, who led the Bay Area Panthers to the IFL championship last season. He was named MVP of the game. The Arizona native joins the IFL's number-one-ranked offense from a season ago.
This will be Sneed's third season in the IFL after starting for the Bay Area Panthers in 2023, where he guided them to the 2023 IFL Championship. He was Offensive MVP of the game, a 51-41 win over Sioux Falls in Henderson, Nevada.
Sneed led the league in completion percentage at 68.5, and was tied for first in touchdowns (49) and was fifth in passing yards (2,163). He led the league in passing efficiency at 199.8. He played high school football in the Valley for Horizon.
Sneed split time with Vegas and Sioux Falls in the 2022 season. In 10 games for the Storm, he threw 25 touchdowns and completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,354 yards.
Sneed and Atkins will compete for the starting job in the spring.
The Rattlers lost in the first round at home to the Northern Arizona Wranglers 62-53 with Powell faltering down the stretch. He threw five interceptions a year after throwing three interceptions against NAZ in the Western Conference championship game.
Powell earned IFL Offensive Player of the Year last season when he passed for 2,128 yards and 45 TDs and ran for 575 yards and 27 TDs in 12 games.
Powell wasn't able to make plays down the stretch in the Rattlers' home loss to the Massachusetts Pirates in the IFL championship game three seasons ago.
He also lost in the 2019 championship game to the Sioux Falls Storm in Glendale.
"Drew is a great player," said coach Kevin Guy, who is also the general manager. "I appreciate everything he has done for the Rattlers organization. I believe the change will be good for Drew and I believe the change will be good for the Rattlers.
"Ramone has a skill set that fits our offense. He has also moved to our market and it's a good fit for him. I look forward to him coming in and competing in training camp."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rattlers trade quarterback Drew Powell, sign Dalton Sneed
