The DC Defenders’ punter, Daniel Whelan, has signed a contract with the Greenbay Packers. Whelan is the first member of the Defenders to sign an NFL contract in 2023. Despite the Defenders going all the way to the championship, none of their players were allowed to join any NFL teams. Now that the 2023 XFL season is complete, they are able to sign with NFL teams. Here is a look at this past season for the DC Defenders’ punter.
DC Defenders’ Punter, Daniel Whelan
Former UC Davis P Daniel Whelan (37) – Wayne Tilcock/AggiePhoto.com
2023 Season
One of the most notable things about Whelan is that he was one of the many Defenders players to make the 2023 All-XFL Team. Right there demonstrates how valuable he was for DC and why an NFL team would want to sign him. Whelan played in all ten regular season games. He punted the ball 29 times, averaging 45.6 yards per punt, according to the XFL. 11 of the punts were in the 20, and just two were touchbacks. He punted for 1,322 total yards, his longest being for 66 years.
As known, the DC Defenders did make playoffs and went all the way to the championship game. In the two games, Whelan only had to punt the ball four times, but that makes his average look even better at 53.8 yards. The DC Defenders’ punter totaled 215 yards, his longest for 64 years. Two out of the four of them in the 20, and only one was a touchback. Unfortunately, the Championship did not favor the Defenders, but this is still big for the punter.
Before the XFL
Before the DC Defenders’ punter joined the XFL, he attended college at UC Davis. Whelan was in college from 2017 to 2021. In his senior year, Whelan punted the ball 55 times with an average of 46.3 yards, according to UC Davis. He punted for 2,544 total yards that year, his longest being for 65 yards. Five of them were touch-backs, and 20 were in the 20. In addition to all of that, he had 21 punts go for over 50 yards in 2021. In his six years, he averaged 44 yards per punt.
Former UC Davis P Daniel Whelan (37) – Justin Pray/UC Davis Athletics
In May of 2022, Whelan did agree to terms with the New Orleans Saints but never played in a game. Now he has signed a deal with the Greenbay Packers. The current punter for the Packers is Pat O’Donnell. The punter has been in the league since 2014, and 2022 was his only time with the Packers. Every other year was with the Chicago Bears.
In 2022, O’Donnell punted the ball 52 times, averaging 44.5 yards per punt. His longest was for 72 yards and 24 of his punts were in the 20. As of now, it is still O’Donnell’s job, but the DC Defenders’ punter will be solid competition throughout camp. The opposing team’s starting field position matters, which makes punters just as important as any other player on the field.
The Greenbay Packers missed playoffs last season and will look for the best in any position. Whelan now has the chance to demonstrate why he has a solid chance of making the league. The punter is only 24 years old. He has an entire career ahead of himself, and it was great that he was able to spend a season in the XFL staying in shape.
2023 DC Defenders – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Other Defenders
The DC Defenders’ punter is just the first of many prospects that will most likely sign contracts with various. NFL teams. Whelan is just the one to be the first to go. Now that the season has been finished for over a week expect more to sign soon. The difference between the Defenders and the other teams is that their players did not have the chance to join NFL rookie mini-camps. Many XFL players did get invites, but those on DC, as well as the Arlington Renegades, did not get that chance.
Some of the DC Defenders to keep an eye out for are Abram Smith, Lucky Jackson, Michael Joseph, and more. Either way, this is a great opportunity for the DC Defenders’ punter, Daniel Whelan.
