NFL training camp is around the corner, and with it will come battles for positions on each team’s 53-man roster.
Plenty of those spots will go to grizzled NFL veterans, but there will also be players hoping to make the jump from the UFL to the NFL ahead of the 2026 season.
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Entering training camp, a total of 23 UFL players have inked contracts with NFL teams. They will look to become the latest spring-league standouts to make it onto 53-man rosters and develop into key role players, like Dallas Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
But which players will have the best chance to make an immediate impact with their new squads? Here’s a look at five former UFL players who could challenge for roster spots in 2026.
Ranking best UFL to NFL players for 2026
1. Tanner Brown
Historically, the biggest NFL contributors to come out of spring football leagues have been special teams players. Aubrey and Jake Bates have turned into two of the NFL’s best kickers, and Brown will look to become the latest in the UFL to NFL kicker pipeline.
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Brown made 89% of his field goals in 2026, good for the second-highest mark among kickers with at least 10 field goal attempts, and made a league-high 25 field goals. He showed good range with a long of 60 and earned the UFL’s Special Teams Player of the Year award as a result of his strong effort.
Brown will compete with Charlie Smyth – who made 12 of 16 field goals across six games for the Saints last season – as he looks to carve out a role in the NFL.
2. Major Burns
Burns was tremendous in his first season with the Houston Gamblers. The former LSU safety led the UFL with four interceptions while allowing a minuscule 29.4 passer rating in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. The imposing safety also has great size at 6-2, 207 pounds, which should help him hold up as a role player at the NFL level.
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Burns landed in a great situation with the Dolphins, who are rebuilding and don’t have much proven talent at safety. That could give Burns a path toward making the 53-man roster, especially if he can continue to show off quality ballhawk skills in the preseason.
3. Ian Wheeler
Wheeler made just one start for the Louisville Kings last season but he emerged as the team’s top running back amid its run to a UFL title. The physical runner showed good burst and averaged an impressive 5.4 yards per carry, which ranked second-best league-wide among qualified runners behind only Marcus Yarns (5.7).
Wheeler also averaged 28.5 yards per kick return last season, which ranked fifth in the UFL. That will give him multiple paths to earning a roster spot with the Bills, who have a solid rotation set at running back with James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson but just five total running backs on their 53-man roster.
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4. Hakeem Butler
Butler led the UFL in receiving yards last season with 641 while averaging a whopping 22.1 yards per reception. That came despite him playing in just nine games and helped him to earn the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award for the second time in three years.
Butler’s size (6-5) makes him a good contested-catch weapon and could allow him to become a contested-catch weapon in the NFL. It hasn’t fully come together for Butler across his three previous NFL stints, but there’s a way the 30-year-old could make an impact in Sean Payton’s offense as a situational red-zone threat.
5. Sean Fresch Jr.
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Position: Cornerback/returner
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Butler isn’t the only Broncos signee who could pan out. Fresch could find himself a role on the roster, though it will more likely come on special teams than on defense.
Fresch logged a solid 33 tackles and two sacks on defense across 10 games (two starts) for the St. Louis Battlehawks. That said, the 5-9, 181-pound defensive back was more impressive on special teams, where he averaged an impressive 10.4 yards per punt return on 32 returns.
Fresch’s return skills give him versatility that could prove valuable in the modern NFL given the game’s increased emphasis on special teams. Of course, it may not be likely for Fresch to be able to beat Marvin Mims Jr. – who averaged 15.6 yards per punt return last season, second-best in the NFL – for the main punt returner job, but Payton could value having extra returner depth available.
Full list of UFL to NFL players for 2026
A total of 23 players have made the jump from the UFL to the NFL in 2026. Here is the full list:
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Atlanta Falcons
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Antwane Wells, WR, Columbus Aviators
Buffalo Bills
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Ian Wheeler, RB, Louisville Kings
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
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Hakeem Butler, WR, St. Louis Battlehawks
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Sean Fresch Jr., CB/KR/PR, St. Louis Battlehawks
Detroit Lions
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Lawrence Keys III, WR, Houston Gamblers
Miami Dolphins
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Major Burns, S, Houston Gamblers
New Orleans Saints
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Tanner Brown, K, Louisville Kings
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Jalen Moreno-Cropper, WR, Houston Gamblers
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking best UFL to NFL players for 2026, including next top kicker
