After the rebranded XFL had to cancel their season midway through because of the coronavirus, the window for XFL players to sign with NFL teams opened. P.J. Walker of the Houston Roughnecks, the assumed XFL MVP, was the first domino to fall as he signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers earlier today. The St. Louis BattleHawks have now had their first casualty, as starting quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has signed a deal with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs according to his agent. Ta’amu was the first ever player on the BattleHawks roster, as he was assigned to the team in the fall of 2019 when each of the eight teams were assigned a quarterback. Ta’amu started all five regular season games for the BattleHawks, going 3-2 and had the stat line of 97/134 (72.4%) for 1,050 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, two interceptions, and finishing with a QBR of 101.3. Ta’amu did a lot of damage on the ground as well, totaling 217 yards rushing and one touchdown on 41 carries.
The passing stats may not appear as outstanding, but St. Louis was a run heavy offense under offensive coordinator Chuck Long and Ta’amu showed great poise in the pocket with pinpoint accuracy on throws of all ranges. Ta’amu, 22, is now getting his second chance in the NFL although in terms of true opportunity it is more like a first chance. Ta’amu went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft after spending two seasons at Ole Miss, only one of which he was the team’s starter for the full season after he transferred from a JUCO. Ta’amu had the measurables, coming in at 6’3” and near 220 lbs. However, due to a weak QB draft class in terms of talent, NFL teams stayed away from drafting QB’s which led to Ta’amu not being selected. However, Ta’amu would sign an undrafted free agent deal with the Houston Texans. He played alongside QB’s Deshaun Watson and A.J. McCarron in the 2019 preseason, but still did not see many reps come his way. Ta’amu nearly made the team but was released on the last round of roster cuts in late August.
This led Ta’amu to the XFL, where he showed NFL scouts in just five short games that he can compete at a high level against other talented football players. His time in St. Louis was short and even more short than we even wanted, not being able to see him play for a full season and possibly lead the BattleHawks to an XFL title. Despite that, Ta’amu had a great showing of character for this team and this city and adopted the KaKaw faithful as his own. He will be moving three hours west, playing behind the greatest quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes and with one of the best offensive geniuses the NFL has ever seen in Head Coach Andy Reid. Ta’amu at only 22 years old has gotten himself into an ideal situation for his career and can only go up from here. Good luck #10.
