Six UFL Players Have Tryouts With Four Teams Including Cowboys

The UFL announced six UFL players have tryouts with NFL teams ahead of the 2026 season.

The following is a list of UFL players with NFL tryouts:

1. Cowboys – DC Defenders LB Micah Baskerville
2. Cowboys – DC Defenders RB Deon Jackson
3. Cowboys – DC Defenders LB Curtis Jacobs
4. Lions – DC Defenders WR Cornell Powell
5. Bears – DC Defenders LB Brandon Smith
6. Falcons – Louisville Knights DE Xavier Carlton

Powell, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs out of Clemson in the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed a one-year, $207,000 deal with the team.

He bounced on and off the Chiefs practice squad until he was released in November last year, when he caught on with the Seahawks. He re-signed on a futures deal after the season, but signed with the DC Defenders of the UFL after he was waived shortly later. 

Powell had brief stints with Houston and the Steelers’ practice squad last season but was released by Pittsburgh in December and returned to the UFL DC Defenders for the 2026 season.

In 2022, Powell appeared in three games for the Chiefs but did not record any statistics. He did not appear in a game for the team in 2023.

In 2026, Powell appeared in nine games for the UFL DC Defenders and caught 34 passes for 491 yards and one touchdown.