Battlehawks have upgraded roster but still await word on A.J. McCarron’s return

Coach Anthony Becht will have a lot of last year’s team combined with players collected during the offseason when the Battlehawks open training camp in late February in preparation for the first season of the United Football League, the product of a merger between the XFL and the USFL.

Through the protection of 42 players, multiple dispersal drafts and free agency, he will start with 75 and get down to 50 for the team’s season opener March 30 at Michigan.

“We were looking for 75 starters,” Becht said this week. “We want it to be a tough process, and this year will be really, really difficult. I thought the product was good initially. It has to be better now, and it will create difficult decisions. Guys we release may not see the field again with another team.”

Becht is finalizing the training camp roster with at least one and possibly more big moves to come. The main question now involves a decision from quarterback A.J. McCarron, who is expected to reveal next week if he will be back.

McCarron was with the Cincinnati Bengals this season, appearing in two games, and has said the only UFL team he would play with is St. Louis. He can make his plans known after the season ends Sunday with the Super Bowl.

The Battlehawks have quarterbacks Nick Tiano and Manny Wilkins under contract, and Becht said he’s confident either could fill the starting role.

“A.J. has played a calendar year away from his family, and he’s weighing his options,” Becht said. “It’s going to be us or nobody. But we feel good about the quarterback room. One through three, we could win a championship with. Clearly, having a guy like A.J. might be excellent for us, and there might be unfinished business for him.”

Becht has his eyes on another player on an NFL roster, but otherwise, the roster for camp is largely complete. The Battlehawks added defending XFL defensive player of the year Pita Taumoepenu, who was a linebacker for Vegas in 2023. They also signed receiver Jahcour Pearson, the 2023 XFL receptions leader.

The process began with the protection of 42 players from last season’s roster. Two drafts were held before the merger was announced, one for players who were released and the other for standouts from numerous showcases around the country.

After the merger was unveiled, a dispersal draft was held for the XFL players who were on teams not retained for the UFL. Yet another draft followed, giving the Battlehawks a shot at any desirable players from USFL teams that weren’t retained.

“Initially, we wanted to fill a couple of voids,” Becht said. “We want to revamp at corner and the secondary as a whole. We had two starting safeties sign NFL deals, so we lost two spearheads. Our corners were good, but we needed to improve or get more competition. The interior defensive line needed to get bigger, and we lost a starting tackle to Atlanta. We got some guys who can hold the point, and we’re trying to get one more.”

Sorting through the roster to make cuts will not only be more difficult, Becht said, but will have to be done on a tighter timeline. He expects the team to hold 11 practices — six in pads — from the first day to the initial cut down.

At that point, he’ll have to get from 75 to 58 on the way to the 50-man opening-game roster. He suspects some decisions will be so close that it could be a figurative coin flip.

But in the big picture, Becht sees an upgraded roster, starting with the defensive changes. The Battlehawks have added more weapons for whoever the quarterback ends up being. He believes they’ll be better prepared to face run-heavy teams such as D.C.

He believes that in the next week he’ll have an answer from McCarron and any other lingering players who might join the fold.

“On paper, we look the part, no question,” he said. “We have raised the level of competition at every position. When they come back, they need to know nothing is guaranteed, and that’s what will make this league great.”