St. Louis Battlehawks Re-Sign Seven More Players
The St. Louis Battlehawks have been active in free agency over the past couple of months. In their latest batch, the team has re-signed seven players for the 2025 UFL season
RB Mataeo Durant
Mataeo Durant is ready to enter his third season with the Battlehawks. He spent the 2023 season with the team in the XFL, making one start in nine games. He finished the year with 117 rushing yards.
This season, Durant burst onto the scene in week two. He rushed for over 100 yards in their win against Arlington, ultimately putting the game away with a massive run he broke off in the late fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Mataeo went down with an injury early in their week three matchup against San Antonio – ending his season.
Having Mataeo in the backfield is excellent news for this offense, as he’s a piece who should provide the team with consistency and playmaking – both on the ground, and through the air. Durant had 134 yards and a score in 2024.
WR Jahcour Pearson
Peezy is back. One of the most electrifying players in all of spring football returns to The Lou for another year, looking to build upon the role he etched out for himself in St. Louis this past season. Jahcour Pearson began his spring career in the XFL, with the Seattle Sea Dragons. He led the league with 670 receiving yards, posting four touchdowns along the way.
In the UFL, it took a while for Jahcour to get on the field, as a Training Camp injury kept him sidelined the first three games. In week four, Pearson led the Battlehawks receiving core with 70 yards and a score, immediately making an impact when he hit the gridiron.
However, Jahcour finished the year with just 26 receptions for 217 yards and a touchdown. He only caught 16 passes from weeks 5-10, something that needs to change next season.
OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty
Juwann Bushell-Beatty now officially returns for his third season with St. Louis as well. Juwann has started in all 21 games with St. Louis at right tackle, and has consistently been one of the top offensive linemen in the spring scene.
In 2024, Bushell-Beatty had a 61.4 Offensive Grade via PFF (70.3 Pass Block/52.0 Run Block). St. Louis has boasted excellent O-Line play the last two years, largely due to retaining key pieces such as Juwann.
LB Callahan O’Reilly
Sadly, we didn’t get to see Callahan O’Reilly’s full potential in 2024, because an injury cut his season short. O’Reilly was a rookie who signed with the Battlehawks to begin his professional career, after a tremendous career at Montana State.
With an injury to Mike Rose early on, O’Reilly saw the field quite a bit the first few weeks. In three games, Callahan posted 20 tackles and 0.5 sacks, filling in quite well in his first action. He left with an injury in week four, and didn’t return to the lineup in 2024. Now, Callahan will look to stay healthy for a full season in 2025 with St. Louis.
DB Brandon Sebastian
While the Battlehawks revamped their secondary in 2024, one of the pieces who stuck around was Brandon Sebastian. Brandon played with St. Louis in 2023, posting 25 tackles and three interceptions – starting in all ten games.
In the 2024 season with St. Louis, Sebastian started in seven games played, before a hand injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. He compiled 14 tackles, an interception, and six PBU’s with St. Louis this year. Brandon is a guy that DC Donnie Abraham speaks very highly of, so it’s not surprising to see the team bring him back for 2025.
DB Chris Payton-Jones
Chris Payton-Jones island is a real thing. Jones was brought over to the Battlehawks in the Dispersal Draft process, after spending the XFL season in Seattle. He was lockdown over there, allowing few receptions throughout the year.
Chris was someone that St. Louis was eager to get their hands on in free agency. They knew they needed to make some adjustments in the secondary, and Payton-Jones fit the bill perfectly. Chris started in all 11 games this year, totaling 37 tackles, two TFL’s, and five PBU’s. His Defensive Grade via PFF was 72.6 – well above average. Having the veteran presence of Payton-Jones on defense for a second straight season is nothing but good news for St. Louis as a franchise.
S Kameron Kelly
Finally, the St. Louis Battlehawks have re-signed Kameron Kelly, who was another new addition to the defense this past season. He originally was with the XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, totaling 17 tackles and two interceptions in 2023. Kelly was let go when Wade Phillips took over in San Antonio, leaving him available for the taking by St. Louis.
The Battlehawks took full advantage, bringing Kelly in who proceeded to start at multiple positions for St. Louis throughout the year. He primarily played at safety, but was moved to cornerback for the final three games due to injuries.
Kelly finished the UFL season with 42 tackles, three interceptions (T-1st in the UFL), and two PBU’s. He was quietly one of the UFL’s best defenders, and now will run it back with the Battlehawks for another campaign.
Final Thoughts
Similar to the Birmingham Stallions, the St. Louis Battlehawks are bringing back quite a few of the same faces for 2025. It makes sense, since this team was deep with talent in 2024. It was their lack of execution down the stretch – plus an injured A.J. McCarron – that kept them from reaching the ultimate goal. General Manager Dave Boller is one of the best in the business at constructing a quality roster, and these latest moves are simply more evidence of exactly that.
What are your thoughts on these latest moves by the St. Louis Battlehawks? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
