Did you watch the XFL Championship game Saturday night? If not, you missed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Tyler Vaughns having a great showing for the Arlington Renegades, who upset the D.C. Defenders, 35-26. The Renegades entered the playoffs with a losing record (4-6) but managed to win the championship against a Defenders team that went 10-1.
Vaughns managed to catch all eight targets Saturday night for 83 yards and a touchdown, and he led all Arlington receivers. His touchdown reception in the game was a nine-yard pass from quarterback Luis Perez that put the Renegades ahead 14-0 at the time.
While Vaughns had a great showing for Arlington, Perez was ultimately named the XFL Championship game MVP. The Renegades’ quarterback completed 26 of his 36 total pass attempts in the game for 288 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
During the XFL regular season, Vaughns, a USC product, caught 31 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown. He really came alive in the Renegades’ two playoff games, as he caught 11 total passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in those contests.
Vaughns entered the NFL in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent. He originally joined the Steelers as a practice squad player during his rookie season and bounced on and off that unit a few times. The Steelers re-signed Vaughns to a Reserve/Future contract after the 2021 season ended and he stayed on the team up to the final rounds of roster cuts.
During the 2022 preseason, Vaughns caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown as a member of the Steelers and he led the team in receiving after the three exhibition games. Even so, Vaughns was waived by the Steelers in late August, and he remained unsigned throughout the 2022 season. Arlington ultimately selected Vaughns in the 10th round of the XFL Supplemental Draft in January.
Vaughns was one of four former Steelers players on the Renegades’ roster Saturday night. The other three were defensive tackle Josiah Coatney, defensive tackle Doug Costin and cornerback Shakur Brown.
With the XFL season now over with, it will be interesting to see if Vaughns can latch onto another NFL team for the summer. The Steelers are expected to sign at least one XFL player after this weekend in wide receiver Hakeem Butler, who played for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Additionally, tackle Chidi Okeke, also a member of the Battlehawks this past season, is participating in the Steelers rookie minicamp this weekend as a tryout player.
