Several former Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play in next weekend’s UFL Championship Game between the D.C. Defenders and Michigan Panthers. Both teams punched their ticker with conference titles Sunday. The Defenders blew out the St. Louis Battlehawks, 36-18, while the Panthers defeated the Birmingham Stallions in similar fashion, 44-29.
Both teams are populated by ex-Steelers, though they’re largely made up of ones who only spent time in training camp with the team and did not see regular-season action. For the Defenders, OT Tykeem Doss, RB Darius Hagans, CB Kiondre Thoams, OL Jarrid Williams, and CB Isaiah Johnson apply. Doss was signed late in 2024 camp as depth after injuries struck.
Hagans was an intriguing UDFA in 2023 but failed to stick while Thomas spent 11 days with the team in last year’s training camp. Williams was an early camp cut in 2023 while Johnson brought an intriguing frame and fourth-round pedigree of the Las Vegas Raiders. However, he spent limited time with Pittsburgh.
The lone player on the Defenders’ roster who saw regular-season action with Pittsburgh is K Matt McCrane. He appeared in one game for the Steelers in 2018, filling in for an injured Chris Boswell. He made three field goals and one extra points in a 16-13 win over the Cincinnati.
The Panthers have just a pair of former Steelers, DL T.J. Carter and K B.T. Potter. Neither played in a regular-season game for Pittsburgh. Carter was rostered during training camp in 2021 while Potter signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
The Defenders and Panthers will face each other Saturday, June 14. Starting quarterbacks for each side will be Jordan Ta’amu and Bryce Perkins, two players who have spent time in the NFL.
The UFL is concluding its second season after the XFL and USFL merged to make one combined and hopefully solvent league. After their seasons wrap up, players from both rosters will attempt to land in NFL training camps later this summer.
