After cruising past the Michigan Panthers last week, the Stallions made a few moves to fill out the roster. The team has brought in WR Carlos Henderson, LB Trey Baldwin and OT Michael Rodriguez out of Louisiana Tech, all three of whom have ties to Skip Holtz from his time there. Holtz has done a fantastic job at crafting this roster, and bringing in some reinforcements familiar with his systems is a positive move.
Carlos Henderson was a 3rd Round Draft Pick by the Denver Broncos in 2017, and was lauded for his speed, return skills and big play potential. However, due to a thumb injury, a family matter that arose during training camp, and a one-game suspension, Henderson didn’t play a down in Denver, leaving many wondering what could have been. He landed in Washington, then in Saskatchewan with the Roughriders before getting a shot in the USFL.
At 27, he’s still in his prime and could immediately come in and help elevate this WR corps. Victor Bolden Jr., Osirus Mitchell and Marlon Williams have been doing a fantastic job, but you can never be too deep here. If the team wants to focus either he or Bolden Jr. more on offense, the other should be able to pick up more return duties to stay fresh. I’m not sure exactly how he’ll fit into a rotation at this point, but it’s a very high-upside signing.
Trey Baldwin has a great build for a modern linebacker at 6’1″ 235, and was heavily productive with Bulldogs from 2018-2021. He made All- CUSA second team in 2020, and was an honorable mention in 2021. He finished his time there with 223 tackles, 16 for loss, a sack, 10 pass breakups and 3 interceptions.
I’d bet Holtz brought him in to shore up their off-ball linebacking depth, with Scooby Wright’s status up in the air the past few weeks. Solid addition behind Demarquis Gates and Brody Buck.
Michael Rodriguez was the Bulldog’s longtime starter at Left Tackle, and was actually listed as one of the top linemen available for the USFL back in February by americanfootballinternational.com. The 6’6″ 300 pound prospect recently played with the TSL, and has been with the Seahawks, Jaguars and Washington in the NFL. He’s also had a stint with the Redblacks up in Ottawa, and was taken by the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL Draft.
He was let go on April 4th, but is now back with the best team in the league, alongside his former teammates and coaches. The Stallions offensive line has been solid, but more help at LT is always a good thing, and he knows the system already.
These three signings have helped bulk up this depth chart, and I’m interested to see what these guys can do.
