The New Jersey Generals have had a busy offseason. There are still three months until Season 2 of the USFL commences in mid-April. And the league and its teams are still sure to see plenty of roster activity in the coming weeks.
New Jersey Generals Year Two Additions/Subtractions
USFL teams have entered uncharted territory for recent alternate professional football leagues. An offseason where teams have to endure losses in free agency, re-sign key players, and lure new ones into the fold. As it stands currently, the New Jersey Generals have 69 players on their off-season roster.
Considering all the players, the Generals have lost in free agency to the NFL and XFL. 69 is a healthy number at this stage of the offseason. Especially with USFL teams expected to carry a 50-player roster when the season starts in the Spring.
The USFL hasn’t officially announced if there will be a supplemental draft before season two starts. But the indication late in 2022 from sources inside the league was that there would be some small-scale player selection process before camps start up in March. The unofficial off-season roster max is 75 players. But no team has approached that number….yet.
To give you an idea of where the Generals stand in roster size by comparison to other USFL teams. This is the current roster head count for all seven of the league’s other teams.
Memphis Showboats (63), Pittsburgh Maulers (59), Houston Gamblers (59), Birmingham Stallions (55), Michigan Panthers (54), Philadelphia Stars (52), and New Orleans Breakers (44).
Replenishing The Generals Roster
Mike Riley’s Generals, like most USFL teams, have seen some departures from 2022. Both in the coaching staff and player roster.
Key departures from the 2022 New Jersey Generals: QB Luis Perez, WR Darrius Shepherd, WR KaVontae Turpin, OT Garrett McGhin, OL Mike Brown, DT Destiny Vaeao, DB D’Vaunte Bausby, DB Dejuan Neal, and Defensive Coordinator Cris Dishman
The most intriguing position to watch on New Jersey in 2023 will be at quarterback. Luis Perez, who shared time with DeAndre Johnson and then fully took over the starting job late in the 2022 season, is gone. Kyle Lauletta, who drew some NFL interest late in the year from the Miami Dolphins, figures to battle Johnson for playing time. But the possibility exists that the Generals could add another signal-caller to the mix before the smoke clears this offseason.
The Generals have done a great job in recent days of replacing key losses in their secondary. Having claimed former Maryland standout Marcus Lewis from the Philadelphia Stars and signing former Ravens defensive back Iman Marshall.
New Jersey has also brought back Terry Poole to their offensive line. A key re-signing with another first-team All-USFL player Garrett McGhin departing for the XFL. Calvin Ashley and Isiah Battle are in line to replace McGhin.
However, replacing NFL Pro Bowler and 2022 USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin will be no small feat. To help assist in the challenging task, the Generals have signed veteran WR/KR De’Mornay Pierson-El.
The New Jersey Generals may still be a year away from calling the Garden State home. As USFL 2023 prepares to play in at least four Hub locations this coming season. (Birmingham/Memphis/Canton & Michigan). But Mike Riley’s troops are not that far away from claiming the USFL championship as their own. The Generals came ever so close to achieving that goal in 2022. How they handle the latter stages of their current offseason could determine if they can finish the job in 2023.
New Jersey Generals Current 2023 Roster (1/18)
| OFFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Ashley#71 | T | 24 | 6’6″ | 310 lbs | Florida A&M |
| Isaiah Battle#0 | T | 29 | 6’7″ | 310 lbs | Clemson |
| Braedon Bowman#80 | TE | 28 | 6’4″ | 235 lbs | South Alabama |
| Woody Brandom#88 | TE | 26 | 6’5″ | 260 lbs | Sam Houston State |
| Justin Calderon#60 | T | 23 | 6’3″ | 321 lbs | Chadron State |
| Bryson Cannon#0 | TE | 24 | 6’2″ | 238 lbs | Eastern Michigan |
| Kingston Davis#29 | RB | 25 | 6’0″ | 225 lbs | Miles (AL) |
| Cam Echols-Luper#18 | WR | 27 | 6’0″ | 195 lbs | Western Kentucky |
| Marcus Green#0 | WR | 26 | 5’9″ | 191 lbs | Louisiana-Monroe |
| Brandon Haskin#76 | OL | 32 | 6’3″ | 315 lbs | Tennessee State |
| Evan Heim#69 | C | 25 | 6’3″ | 305 lbs | Minnesota State-Mankato |
| Arthur Jackson III#0 | WR | 24 | 6’0″ | 185 lbs | Eastern Michigan |
| De’Andre Johnson#1 | QB | 26 | 6’2″ | 188 lbs | Texas Southern |
| Jahmir Johnson#0 | T | 25 | 6’5″ | 300 lbs | Texas A&M |
| Charles Jones#0 | TE | 26 | 6’4″ | 255 lbs | Tulane |
| Jake Lacina#68 | OL | 26 | 6’4″ | 300 lbs | Augustana (SD) |
| Kyle Lauletta#11 | QB | 27 | 6’3″ | 222 lbs | Richmond |
| Landon Lenoir#23 | WR | 24 | 6’1″ | 192 lbs | Southern Illinois |
| Toleafoa McMoore#0 | C | 24 | 6’0″ | 290 lbs | Vanderbilt |
| Alonzo Moore#13 | WR | 30 | 6’1″ | 195 lbs | Nebraska |
| Robert Myers#70 | OL | 31 | 6’5″ | 325 lbs | Tennessee State |
| Daquan Neal#0 | QB | 26 | 6’3″ | 200 lbs | Elizabeth City State |
| Warren Newman#0 | WR | 23 | 5’8″ | 175 lbs | Jackson State |
| Chibueze Nwanna#0 | OL | 24 | 6’7″ | 338 lbs | Charlotte |
| De’Morney Pierson-El#0 | WR | 27 | 5’9″ | 195 lbs | Nebraska |
| Chris Platt Jr.#0 | WR | – | 5’11” | 172 lbs | Baylor |
| Terry Poole#72 | T | 30 | 6’5″ | 325 lbs | San Diego State |
| Randy Satterfield#81 | WR | 27 | 6’4″ | 210 lbs | Lyon College (AR) |
| Wes Saxton Jr.#17 | TE | 29 | 6’4″ | 240 lbs | South Alabama |
| Mason Sikes#44 | TE | 24 | 6’4″ | 240 lbs | Western Illinois |
| Darrell Stewart Jr.#0 | WR | 26 | 6’2″ | 217 lbs | Michigan State |
| Jonathan Timmons#0 | OL | 24 | 6’3″ | 327 lbs | Alabama A&M |
| Bruce Trigg#0 | OL | 24 | 6’4″ | 300 lbs | North Carolina Central |
| Anthony Turner#0 | WR | 24 | 6’4″ | 221 lbs | Grand View |
| Darius Victor#27 | RB | 28 | 5’8″ | 209 lbs | Towson |
| Trey Williams#3 | RB | 30 | 5’7″ | 200 lbs | Texas A&M |
| Saige Young#0 | OL | – | 6’4″ | 305 lbs | Vanderbilt |
| DEFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dravon Askew-Henry#7 | S | 27 | 6’0″ | 203 lbs | West Virginia |
| Mike Bell Jr.#12 | S | 25 | 6’2″ | 210 lbs | Fresno State |
| Adehkeem Brown#0 | CB | – | 5’10” | 173 lbs | Quincy |
| Justin Cates#0 | DE | 25 | 6’2″ | 257 lbs | North Carolina A&T |
| Jalen Choice#50 | LB | 25 | 6’3″ | 234 lbs | Jacksonville State |
| DJ Daniel#20 | CB | 24 | 6’1″ | 185 lbs | Georgia |
| Trae Elston#21 | CB | 28 | 6’0″ | 185 lbs | Ole Miss |
| Willie Eubanks III#0 | LB | 24 | 6’2″ | 230 lbs | The Citadel |
| Paris Ford#24 | S | 24 | 6’0″ | 190 lbs | Pittsburgh |
| Angelo Garbutt#49 | LB | 25 | 6’2″ | 232 lbs | Missouri State |
| Kolin Hill#55 | LB | 26 | 6’2″ | 235 lbs | Texas Tech |
| D’Juan Hines#4 | LB | 28 | 6’1″ | 235 lbs | Houston |
| Toby Johnson#90 Marcus Lewis | DL DB | 31 25 | 6’4″ 6’1 | 320 lbs 206 lbs | Georgia Maryland |
| Shalom Luani#25 | S | 28 | 6’0″ | 201 lbs | Washington State |
| Iman Marshall#0 | CB | 25 | 6’1″ | 210 lbs | USC |
| Hercules Mata’afa#93 | DE | 27 | 6’2″ | 252 lbs | Washington State |
| Hasan Muhammad-Rogers#0 | S | 26 | 5’11” | 175 lbs | Lincoln (MO) |
| Chris Orr#45 | LB | 25 | 6’0″ | 227 lbs | Wisconsin |
| Jermaine Ponder#0 | DB | 28 | 6’0″ | 200 lbs | St. Francis (PA) |
| Kenneth Randall#0 | DT | 27 | 6’4″ | 300 lbs | Charleston (WV) |
| Tyshun Render#99 | DE | 25 | 6’3″ | 255 lbs | Middle Tennessee State |
| Michael Sam#0 | CB | 26 | 6’1″ | 194 lbs | Louisiana Tech |
| Deyon Sizer#95 | DL | 26 | 6’4″ | 280 lbs | CSU Pueblo |
| Kevin Thurmon Jr.#0 | DT | 26 | 6’3″ | 298 lbs | Arkansas State |
| Tyrone Truesdell#0 | DT | 23 | 6’2″ | 347 lbs | Florida |
| Christian Tutt#22 | CB | 23 | 5’11” | 185 lbs | Auburn |
| Kalani Vakameilalo#98 | DT | 26 | 6’3″ | 322 lbs | Oregon State |
| Bryan Wright#0 | LB | 27 | 6’3″ | 238 lbs | Cincinnati |
| Bryson Young#56 | LB | 24 | 6’5″ | 250 lbs | Oregon |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Flanick#89 | LS | 26 | 6’1″ | 235 lbs | Army |
| Caden Novikoff#14 | K | 25 | 6’0″ | 190 lbs | Houston |
| PLAYER COUNT | AVG AGE | AVG HT | AVG WT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | – | 26.0 | 6’1″ | 242.3 lbs |
Ken Granito
January 21, 2023 at 12:44 pm
Hi cool update. You knew Mike Riley and company would do whatever they to put a good football team on the field in 2023. This definitely shows some good work bringing so much good talent together. I am sure at the end there will be some cuts that will br picked up by other USFL teams and maybe even Canadian teams showing what an eye for talent Mr. Riley has and how he can game-plan for them. I give him so much credit after seeing the job he did with last year’s team recognizing talent and putting them in the best place to succeed. Only the Jets would have an awesome OC in front of them and not see him. Just happy we have him in Jersey, but not really. Interesting to see what changes happen between today and opening day.
Ken Geanito
January 21, 2023 at 12:48 pm
One last thing. I don’t know if they have replaced Chris Dishman, but Jerry Holmes and Johnny Lynn might be possible candidates that have good experience in this arena and local ties. If you play like Jerry Holmes did, you for sure would be one tough and intelligent football player.