Johnny Buchanan, an inside linebacker for the St. Louis Battlehawks, was placed on injured reserve on Monday. After learning that linebacker Drew Lewis had signed a contract with the team, the team moved swiftly to replace him.
After playing for the San Antonio Brahmas and Houston Roughnecks the previous season, where he recorded 24 tackles and one sack, Lewis is a well-known name to XFL fans. In 2020, Lewis played his first spring football game with the Roughnecks, where he recorded five appearances and 17 tackles. He played in Houston again in 2022, this time with the USFL’s Gamblers, when he had 13 tackles. In 2019, Lewis played a stint in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints.
With eleven linebackers on the roster, the St. Louis defense is strongest when it comes to linebackers. Pita Taumoepenu, the 2023 XFL Defensive Player of the Year nominee, Mike Rose, and Carson Wells are examples of players that require depth to help them. On March 10, UFL teams must reduce their roster to 58 players in order to begin the first round of roster cuts.
On March 30, St. Louis will travel to Detroit to play the Michigan Panthers in order to kick off their season.
In 38 games during his time at Colorado, Lewis amassed 167 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, and eight pass deflections while playing.
The Battlehawks selected Buchanan last summer in the 2023 Rookie Draft. After not being selected by the NFL in the previous draft, he was expected to play in his first professional football game.
With 326 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 52 games from 2018 to 2022, Buchanan was a vital member of the Delaware defense. Throughout his career, he was named to the All-CAA team three times, including the First Team twice in 2020 and 2022.