It’s been a quiet off-season for the Memphis Showboats, as the team has only made one transaction during the 2023 USFL offseason, however on August 1st, the Showboats announced that Tight End Daniel Helm was being released. After an injury to TE Shane Zylstra, Dave Birkett announced that Helm will be signing with the Detroit Lions in an effort to supplement their Tight End room.
Helm was signed by Memphis on January 5th prior to the 2023 USFL season. He put together a solid campaign serving as a security blanket for QB Cole Kelley hauling in 20 receptions for 205 yards in 10 games. Helm now joins his 7th NFL team since coming out of Duke as a UDFA in 2019. He’s appeared in 14 games at the NFL level recording 1 Reception for -1 Receiving Yards.
Helm now becomes the first Showboat and 3rd Tight End in the USFL to earn an NFL opportunity since the season ended. With Tight Ends like Matt Seybert, Sage Surratt, and Clint Sigg all still available the USFL could see over half of their Tight Ends earn NFL opportunities. Regardless as NFL training camp continues to progress, more USFL players will be granted an opportunity to showcase their skillsets moving forward into 2023.
