From WR/KR KaVontae Turpin to K Brandon Aubrey, the Dallas Cowboys have found tremendous success finding talent in the spring leagues.
With the UFL wrapping up its inaugural season after the XFL-USFL merger, we analyze five stars who could come in and make an impact for the Cowboys in 2024 with NFL training camps approaching. For a complete list of UFL players who are trying out for NFL teams, check out our UFL free-agent tracker.
5 UFL Stars the Dallas Cowboys Should Sign
The Cowboys aren’t big players in free agency as they value building out their roster with homegrown talent. However, one exception has applied to them in recent seasons — spring football talent.
Whether it was the USFL or the XFL, and now the newly unified UFL, the Cowboys have been eager to add talent from the spring player pools to upgrade their roster. It’s a cost-effective way to add game-ready talent ahead of training camp, and you could argue that no one has been better at it in the NFL than Dallas.
We name five UFL stars the Cowboys should look to bring in now that their season is over.
Jacob Saylors, RB, St. Louis Battlehawks
The Cowboys’ RB struggles are well documented. With an older Ezekiel Elliot in the fold, Dallas’ RB group is not inspiring anyone right now. Insert Jacob Saylors, who is fresh off of a 461-yard season on 94 carries, good for 4.9 yards a carry. Add on five touchdowns in nine games, and you have an intriguing piece joining the competition.
Running back is tricky, especially with players coming off a full season. Expecting them to be fresh for the NFL is a challenge, but with Saylors, he wouldn’t be called upon to be the bell-cow back but rather another piece to the puzzle.
Saylors spent a brief time with the Atlanta Falcons and has never appeared in an NFL regular season game. However, with an excellent season in the UFL, his interest will surely pick up once again heading into 2024.
Hakeem Butler, WR, St. Louis Battlehawks
Dallas is on the hunt to find its WR3 for 2024, and with so many questions and no defined answer, Hakeem Butler may be the beneficiary waiting for the opportunity to compete.
San Antonio Brahmas HC Wade Phillips was impressed by UFL star WR Hakeem Butler 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qlY7jd3gTD
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) June 11, 2024
Butler finished the UFL season with 45 receptions, 652 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in the 10-game regular season. Butler took the league by storm with his 6’6″ frame and became an unstoppable weapon who was a nightmare for opposing defensive backs.
MORE: Wade Phillips Tells UFL Star Hakeem Butler He Belongs in NFL
Butler has already spent time in the NFL with stops in Arizona, Carolina, and Philadelphia. After an excellent 2024 campaign in the 2024 UFL season, Butler may once again get a chance to break into the NFL.
Tavante Beckett, LB, San Antonio Brahmas
There are few well-known spots of intrigue on the Cowboys’ roster, and LB is certainly one of them. With young players at the position hoping to contribute, the need for production right now is evident. It’s a big part of why the Cowboys signed veteran Eric Kendricks this offseason.
However, if they are looking for more depth, look no further than Tavante Beckett. Beckett finished the UFL season with 72 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
Beckett wouldn’t be needed as a starter, but if he could come in and be a reliable role player and even be a fixture on special teams, the Cowboys could see great value in him.
Breeland Speaks, EDGE, Michigan Panthers
Speaks is a player the Cowboys are quite familiar with. The dominant UFL edge rusher spent time with Dallas on its practice squad back in 2020 and could once again look to tap into the well ahead of 2024.
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The savvy pass rusher is fresh off a UFL season in which he finished with 9.5 sacks in 10 games, 32 total tackles, and 13 tackles for loss. Speaks was the premier pass rusher of the UFL this season, and while he may never be that in the NFL, he could be a nice role-player addition to a pass-rushing group that will look vastly different this year.
Willie Harvey Jr., LB, St. Louis Battlehawks
The linebacker room in Dallas is dicey enough that bringing in two LBs may be something the Cowboys opt for ahead of training camp. Willie Harvey Jr. was productive in the UFL this year, and Dallas’ interest is known as they have already brought him in for a visit.
If we ain’t gone do it big what we doing it FOR!? ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/7GuI5UfnK6
— Willie Harvey Jr. 🇲🇱 (@WillieHarveyJr) May 21, 2024
Harvey led the league in tackles, finishing the season with 78 total while tallying nine tackles for loss and four sacks for the St. Louis Battlehawks.
It’s probably safe to say Harvey will be in the NFL this season, and with the Cowboys being one of the first teams to bring him to their facility while having an obvious need, this move makes too much sense on many levels.