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XFL unveils quarterback assignments: Landry Jones to Dallas; Cardale Jones to D.C.

Cardale Jones was one of eight XFL Tier 1 quarterbacks assigned to a team on Tuesday. (AP)
Cardale Jones is one of eight XFL Tier 1 quarterbacks assigned to a team on Tuesday. (AP)

The XFL is holding its draft on Tuesday and Wednesday, and like many things with the re-start of the upstart league, it’s a little different.

For one thing, teams weren’t able to draft quarterbacks, at least not those believed to be starters. The XFL said that in the interest of parity, quarterbacks were assigned.

On Tuesday morning, it announced those assignments.

“Our head coaches are excited about this first wave of quarterback assignments and the talent level in our draft pool,” XFL commissioner Oliver Luck said in a statement. “We will continue to identify and sign the best players available, and we are confident this is a strong start to the next two days.”

Dallas Renegades: Landry Jones

Jones was the first player to sign with the XFL, which was announced in August. A third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013, Jones spent five seasons with Pittsburgh as a backup and also was with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. He will be reunited with his college head coach at Oklahoma, Bob Stoops, with the Renegades; Stoops is the coach/general manager in Dallas.

D.C. Defenders: Cardale Jones

A fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2016, Jones was traded to the Chargers in 2017 and spent two seasons with the team. He was briefly with the Seattle Seahawks last month. Jones led Ohio State to a national championship at the end of the 2014 season in just his third career start. Pep Hamilton, who guided Andrew Luck at Stanford and with the Indianapolis Colts, is D.C.’s head coach/GM.

Houston Roughnecks: Phillip Walker

Though he was undrafted in 2017, Walker spent 2017 and ’18 on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. The all-time leading passer at Temple, he led the Owls to the first back-to-back bowl appearances in school history, as well as their first conference title in nearly 50 years in 2016. Walker will play for June Jones, the Roughnecks’ coach/GM.

Los Angeles Wildcats: Luis Perez

Perez has worn many jerseys over the last year or so: he spent the 2018 offseason and preseason with the Los Angeles Rams, then was drafted by the Birmingham Iron of the AAF. After the AAF went down in flames, he spent a month of the spring with the Philadelphia Eagles and just four days of the preseason with the Detroit Lions. The Wildcats’ coach/GM is longtime NFL assistant Winston Moss.

New York Guardians: Matt McGloin

Undrafted out of Penn State in 2013, McGloin was with the Oakland Raiders from 2013-16, starting seven games in that time (six as a rookie). He was with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2017 offseason and training camp, and was also briefly with the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs. Kevin Gilbride, who was the New York Giants’ offensive coordinator for their Super Bowl wins in 2007 and ’11, is New York’s head coach/GM.

St. Louis BattleHawks: Jordan Ta’amu

Ta’amu is the youngest quarterback of this bunch. Invited to the scouting combine this year but not drafted, he was signed by the Texans on Aug. 7 and released on Aug. 30. The starter at Ole Miss last year, Ta’amu led the SEC in passing yards per game and total offense. Longtime Cincinnati Bengals tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes is the head coach/GM in St. Louis.

Seattle Dragons: Brandon Silvers

Silvers’ time on an NFL roster is short: He was with the New York Jets for a month this spring. He also played for the AAF, with the Memphis Express, starting two games. Silvers was a four-year starter at Troy, leading the team to an 11-2 mark as a senior, the best record in school history. Seattle’s head coach/GM is a familiar name in the city: Jim Zorn, the first quarterback in Seahawks franchise history.

Tampa Bay Vipers: Aaron Murray

Murray is a Tampa native who was a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014. He spent two years with Kansas City and after a week-long stint with the Cardinals, Murray spent time on the Eagles’ practice squad. He also played for the Atlanta AAF team. Murray was a four-year starter at Georgia who threw 71 touchdowns over the 2011-12 seasons. Marc Trestman is the head coach/GM of the Vipers.

The XFL notified player agents of the league pay structure last week; if a player is active for all 10 regular-season games on a .500 team, he’ll earn $55,000. However, these quarterbacks will earn roughly 10 times what the rest of their teammates will.

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