[ad_1]

After earning an XFL Championship Title in 2023, the Arlington Renegades fell short of their goals in the UFL. They finished with a 3-7 record, with the 4th seed in the XFL Conference.

While the offense did perform quite well under Luis Perez, Arlington’s lack of execution in late game scenarios was their downfall, as they got off to an 0-6 start this year.

As we head towards the UFL’s 2025 season, there are several big questions surrounding this Arlington Renegades franchise. The most important of them all, though: What will they do at the quarterback position next year?

Let’s take a look at who Arlington rostered in 2024, and what the Renegades might be working with in the near future.

Luis Perez

The spring king himself, Luis Perez’ efforts in 2024 cannot be understated enough. Without his accomplishments, the Renegades would’ve been completely irrelevant this season. Luis put Arlington on his back week in and week out, leading the UFL in almost every passing category.

Perez needs no introduction at this point. We know what someone of his caliber brings to the table. He’s elite with his decision making, has an accurate arm, and knows where to go with the football. He’s the definition of a leader on the football field.

Really, Luis’ only shortcoming is that he’s less mobile than some of the other quarterbacks in the UFL. He’s more of a traditional pocket passer, which did fit into Chuck Long’s offensive system quite well this year. However, with the shift towards dual threat QB’s (i.e. Adrian Martinez), one has to wonder if an adjustment could provide more of an offensive spark in future seasons.

That said, every single coach we spoke with this year had high praise for Perez. They consistently commended him as one of the top signal callers in the UFL. Memphis Showboats’ HC John DeFilippo had this to say about Perez prior to their matchup in week seven:

“I’m really impressed with their QB Perez. I talked to our defense and our team – nothing he does is flashy, but it’s just efficient. He has the three traits that you look for in quarterbacks: decision making, timing, and accuracy. I think he’s elite on all of those three levels…we have our hands full.”

Luis proceeded to complete 27 of his 32 pass attempts against Memphis, throwing for 296 yards and 3 TD’s in that game. Perez led the UFL this year with 2,309 passing yards and 18 TD’s, tossing just four interceptions. His accuracy was on full display, completing 67% of his passes. Luis’ 89.0 Offensive Grade via PFF has him in elite territory in the UFL’s inaugural season.

Lindsey Scott Jr.

With the first pick in the XFL Dispersal Draft, the Arlington Renegades selected Lindsey Scott Jr., who originally had intended to play for Wade Phillips and the Houston Roughnecks.

The star out of Incarnate Word was highly sought after by spring football teams this offseason. He was actually drafted by the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers, before getting drafted by the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks, signing a Letter Of Intent with Houston.

In Arlington, many expected Lindsey to make an impact given his tremendous success as a dual threat QB at UIW. He set records during his final season, throwing for 4,686 yards and 60 TD’s. While Scott did show flashes of this talent for the Renegades, he wasn’t utilized often. When he was, it was more so as a gadget player for specific sets in Long’s offense.

Lindsey ended up throwing for just 47 yards (on 6/7 passing) and a touchdown with Arlington this year. He also ran for 72 yards and two scores.

Holton Ahlers

Arlington’s depth at quarterback was quite impressive in 2024. They signed Holton Ahlers to the roster ahead of Training Camp, after he spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks during the NFL’s preseason.

Ahlers was another young prospect, who like Scott, was expected to make some noise. However, with Perez’ dominance of the snap counts, Holton hardly saw any action at all. In fact, he was only on the active roster for the final two games in 2024.

Holton is a guy who has outstanding potential in the spring football scene. He was a force to be reckoned with at ECU, serving as the starting quarterback for his final four years there. Ahlers threw for 13,932 yards and 97 touchdowns across his college career. Not to mention, he ran for 1,446 yards and 25 scores on the ground. Given some of the QB struggles certain UFL franchises dealt with in 2024, Holton being stuck as QB3 in Arlington felt like a waste.

Uncertain Future

This biggest dilemma for Arlington in all of this: Luis Perez may be retiring. Multiple broadcasts this season indicated that Luis decided to return to the Renegades in hopes of making one more run at making an NFL roster.

Now, players change their minds all the time. There is certainly a chance that Luis decides to run it back in 2025. If he does, that instantly puts him as the front runner to be Arlington’s quarterback next season. He was not the problem for the Renegades this year, obviously. They can have a winning record with Perez at the helm – and would have this year without the defensive lapses, and self-inflicted wounds across the board.

However, if Perez doesn’t return…that presents a whole new can of worms for Arlington. Neither Scott or Ahlers proved themselves as the quarterbacks of the future for Arlington. Granted, this isn’t necessarily their fault. Lindsey Scott saw the field for just 44 snaps this year. Meanwhile, Ahlers had just three snaps across the final two games. They both have potential, but weren’t given the opportunity to develop their skill sets in 2024.

Additionally, with all of these players’ contracts expiring in August, there is no guarantee that Ahlers and Scott decide to return in 2025. Neither are locked in for Training Camp quite yet. With this in mind, we could end up seeing some new faces in Arlington next season.

Final Thoughts

Another factor to keep an eye on: the UFL Rookie Draft. On July 17th, each UFL team will be able to draft 10 NFL-Draft eligible rookies. It will be intriguing to see if HC Bob Stoops and GM Rick Mueller target any quarterbacks, as there are quite a few who are available.

Arlington’s front office and personnel will have to ask themselves some difficult questions this offseason. Would the team want an aging Luis Perez back for one more year? Or will they decide to go in a different direction to cultivate a younger star with NFL potential?

These answers remain to be seen. Luckily, the Renegades have several months to figure it out.

What are your thoughts on the Arlington Renegades QB situation heading towards 2025? Who do you want to see start for this franchise? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!

FuboFubo



[ad_2]

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here