The new XFL, if this news proves a harbinger of similar try-outs to come, seems on track to be far more legitimate than its predecessor. According to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, former NFL players Christine Michael and Kony Ealy were among those who took part in the XFL Summer Showcase on Friday in Dallas.
Other notable players who participated are former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Landry Jones, former Dallas Cowboys running back Lance Dunbar, former Houston Texans wide receiver Keith Mumphery, and former Carolina Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander.
It's Michael, though, whose name football fans are most familiar with among the players who tried out for the XFL on Friday. A second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2013 after a stellar college career at Texas A&M, Michael played 37 games with the Seahawks and Cowboys across four seasons in the NFL, rushing 1,080 total yards and scoring seven touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry. He also had 26 catches for 135 yards and a score.
The 28-year-old Michael last appeared in an NFL game in 2016. He signed subsequent contracts with the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts, but was released by both teams before the regular season.
Ealy, meanwhile, was a second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in the 2014 NFL Draft. He acquitted himself well as a rookie in limited action, and seemed poised for stardom after a promising sophomore season that culminated in a dominant performance at the Super Bowl, where he made history with three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble in Carolina's loss to the Denver Broncos. Ealy's play tailed off from there, though, as he quickly fell out favor with the Panthers and failed to make an impact at multiple stops thereafter.
He played on the practice squads of the Cowboys and Oakland Raiders last year.
The XFL kicks off in February 2020.
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