Welcome to the new age of professional football in the United States of America. In 2022, a rebrand of a league that ran from 1983 and went bankrupt after 1985 returned on Apr. 16.

The league is known as the United States Football League (USFL).   The league came back with a bang as the opening game between the Birmingham Stallions and the New Jersey Generals drew over 3 million viewers.

Then at the end of the season, the Birmingham Stallions were crowned the first-ever champions of the reinstallation, and the USFL made history. It was the first spring league to successfully complete a full season concluding with a championship game in almost 40 years.

Now let’s take a look at the four current USFL players who were recently signed to NFL teams.

Former Stallions TE Jace Sternberger (12) – Birmingham Stallions

1. Jace Sternberger – (TE) Buffalo Bills

At 6’4″, 251 lbs., former Stallions (TE) Jace Sternberger revised his professional career this past season with the Stallions as he recorded 517 yards, 33 receptions, and seven touchdowns. He is the third tight end behind rookie Dalton Kincaid and veteran Dawson Knox.

Sternberger provides another big target for Josh Allen and is basically another wide receiver in the Bills’ tight end room. This is an underrated signing, as the Bills went from only having one tight end to having two now with Kincaid and Sternberger in the mix.

If Sternberger is their third option, then I think we can definitely make it to the Super Bowl as any seed in the playoffs.

Former Stallions WR Dion Cain (85) – Jason Miller/Getty Images

2. Deon Cain – (WR) Philadelphia Eagles

The next Stallion to be signed to an NFL team is Deon Cain. He has an interesting journey to the NFL. The sizzling receiver originally played college ball at Clemson, where he was behind multiple NFL-caliber wide receivers, including Mike Williams of the LA Chargers.

Cain then bounced around to many different teams after he was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. After a spectacular season with the Stallions in the USFL this past season, it was good enough for him to earn another NFL shot.

The 6’2″, 202 lb. speedster signed once again with the Philadelphia Eagles; Cain last played there in 2022.

To me, this is another great signing for both the league and the team. Cain is a big physical receiver with tremendous speed, as he flashed off both at Clemson and with the Stallions last season. He also can return kicks and punts, which is another USFL/NFL special teams signing as well.

Former Stallions QB J’Mar Smith (6) – David Dermer/AP Photos

3.  J’Mar Smith – (QB) Carolina Panthers

This may seem like a controversial signing, but Frank Reich and company are banking that they will get the 2022 version of J’Mar Smith, where he led the Stallions to their first back-back USFL championships.

It earned him the starting nod over this year’s league MVP Alex McGough, but a finger injury to his throwing hand in the first game against the Generals kept him out for the rest of the season.

When healthy, Smith is a true dual-threat quarterback at 6’1″, 218 lbs. He is basically a carbon copy of the number one overall pick, Bryce Young.

But hey, even with a franchise quarterback in today’s NFL, Young and other quarterbacks are only one hit away from being injured.

In that case, you need a backup like Smith, who could be a developmental quarterback down the line to replace Young.

4. Kyahva Tezino – (LB) San Francisco 49ers

This is what I hope to be a “match made in heaven” signing for the 49ers. At 6’0″, 235 lbs., Kyahva Tezino is what we call your modern-day NFL linebacker. A little bit smaller in stature but with the speed of a defensive back.

Tezino already played for the USFL‘s number one defense with the Pittsburgh Maulers and was flying all over the field, making tackles left and right.

The native Californian is coming back home, but in a different city as he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. New Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks will love having Tezino because he looks to bring more of an aggressive swarm mentality with a multitude of blitzing packages.

With the ability to already have NFL tackling and pass-rushing skills, Tezino is also speedy enough to cover some of the best NFL wide receivers and halt them from making the intermediate chunk plays.

Now that we’ve taken a look at these four NFL signings, I would like to know; Who is your favorite signing, and which one do you think will be the best out of the four?

 

For another USFL story, please check out:

2023 USFL Players and Coaches of the Year