Top 2025 Free Agent Signings by St. Louis Battlehawks
Image via X @TheUFL
It was a busy offseason for the St. Louis Battlehawks with the team bringing on multiple free agents who will have immediate impact in 2025.
On Monday, the Battlehawks shared some of their top signings from the offseason with quick profiles on 10 players. What made these additions important was a combination of the NFL experience they bring in and some that are key returning players from the Battlehawks over the last two years.
Let’s look at some of those players who can come in and make St. Louis contenders once again in 2025.
QB Max Duggan
A.J. McCarron’s exit from the team in the offseason opened the door for competition at quarterback. The Battlehawks made a splash signing former TCU and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Max Duggan.
Duggan was a former seventh round pick of the Chargers in 2023, but he would never record a stat in the regular season. He was a star in college for the Horned Frogs though as he threw for 9,618 yards and 73 touchdowns as well as added 1,856 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns in 47 games. TCU went to the national championship in Duggan’s last year in 2022 as he was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Manny Wilkins and Chevan Cordeiro provide tough competition for Duggan entering training camp. A big-name player like Duggan could be the spark needed for the Battlehawks as his style of play is different from McCarron. His athletic ability changes the way St. Louis runs the offense which is needed to keep the offense at a high level.
WR Hakeem Butler
Running it back for the third consecutive season, Hakeem Butler has been the number one receiver on the Battlehawks each season. Butler’s ability to go up to make a grab as well as create big plays has made him a nightmare for secondaries.
In two seasons with the Battlehawks, Butler has caught 96 passes for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has made a league all-team two years in a row and was named the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year last year.
St. Louis continues to have one of the strongest receivers’ rooms in the UFL with Butler being the best of the group. The UFL couldn’t be happier to have Butler back as despite a new quarterback taking over, the Battlehawks are dangerous on offense.
LB Willie Harvey Jr.
Over the last two years, the Battlehawks have leaned on Willie Harvey Jr. to be one of their most consistent tacklers. Harvey has a nose to finding the ball carrier but can also be great in pass coverage.
Last year, he led the UFL in tackles with 79 while adding nine tackles for loss, six pass deflections, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 10 games. He joined Butler on the All-UFL team last season.
The Battlehawks will lean on their back seven as the strength of the unit. Harvey’s ability to pressure the quarterback, stop the run and drop back into coverage makes him one of the best defenders in the league.
DBs Lukas Denis & Nate Meadors
Last season, the Battlehawks’ secondary was ranked second in passing yards allowed behind the Brahmas. That unit only got better this offseason with two former 2023 defneisve backs returning with Lukas Denis and Nate Meadors.
Denis and Meadors each had 37 tackles and two interceptions in 2023 before departing for the NFL after the season. The Atlanta Falcons had Denis on their practice squad while Meadors played for the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers.
St. Louis’ defense looks like the best unit overall in the UFL and could steal the title away from San Antonio. Denis and Meadors brings experience to the defense and will make it almost impossible to be successful throwing the football on them.
