3 Biggest Training Camp Storylines with 2025 Arlington Renegades
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The turnaround at the end of the 2024 season gives Renegades fans optimism entering training camp with plenty of storylines to follow.
Last season’s 3-7 team received somewhat of a makeover with about half the roster new from the 2024 squad. The good news is they have some key players back from last season, including Luis Perez, Donald Payne, and Marquette King.
Arlington’s newest additions certainly have added more intrigue to this season’s team with many watching to see what happens in training camp. Here’s a look at the top storylines for the Renegades entering training camp in 2025.
Running Back Battle
The backfield in Arlington might look very different from 2023 and 2024. There is no longer De’Veon Smith, Leddie Brown, or Devin Darrington. According to the training camp roster sent to the media, the current running backs are Kalen Ballage, Dae Dae Hunter, and Ike Irabor.
Hunter is the only returning running back for the Renegades. Last season, he had 74 yards rushing and one touchdown. Ballage is no stranger to spring football after spending the 2023 season with the San Antonio Brahmas as he ran for 149 yards and added 82 receiving yards.
Irabor is the newest member of the team. He played four seasons at Union College and rushed for 3,626 yards and 47 touchdowns. In October, he signed with the Renegades.
Over the last two seasons, Smith has been the team's lead back, but Arlington has had success using two running backs. This feels like a running back by committee group, as Hunter has the most experience with the offense, but Ballage has NFL experience. Except all three backs will receive playing time.
Which Newcomer Steps Up
33 players on the Renegades training camp roster are new and don’t have numbers assigned to them entering the new season. The team worked hard to bring in new talent that would make an immediate impact.
On defense, Chris Odom and Jabrill Cox headline the top new players signed with Cox’s experience with the Cowboys, which will help give the Renegades a much-needed upgrade at linebacker. Odom recently joined the team after being released by the Houston Roughnecks, but he is a top performer after being a two-time spring football all-team selection in the USFL and UFL.
The special teams received a change at kicker, with former Ram Lucas Havrisik being signed to take over kicking duties. He only had one season in the NFL in 2023, but he missed just five of his 20 attempts, so he and King will help keep the Renegades’ special teams one of the best in the league.
On offense, there are two position groups worth watching out for: the offensive line and wide receivers. Eight offensive linemen are new and could change the lineup a bit from last season. Three new players are at wide receiver, with former Cleveland Brown Damon Sheehy-Guiseppi being the most intriguing. It remains to be seen whether he can make the final roster with a crowded wide receiver room.
Defensive Line Concerns Addressed?
Arlington doesn’t have their top three sackers from last season and had to address the pass rushers on defense. Odom has already been discussed in detail regarding how massive of a signing he was. There are also newcomers like Darryl Johnson, Durrell Johnson, and Marquise Lawson-Greenwood.
Watch for Tuzar Skipper to come off the edge. In 2023, he had six sacks for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. Willie Taylor III is another linebacker that will most likely be an edge rusher after racking up 5.5 sacks in the past two seasons for Arlington.
This defense focuses on pass rush, as it is deep in the secondary but needs to put pressure on the quarterback. While it may have lost some of its top guys, the talent level is there to make up for it and might be more potent than 2024’s group.
