Who would be better off signing with the XFL?

Now that the XFL has started to sign players, who might benefit from the opportunity the rebooted league will provide?

After the failure of the AAF, the reboot of the XFL will stand without competition as a spring football league in 2020. They have announced they will sign eight quarterbacks, with an eye on who NFL teams let go of as camp and the preseason goes on, heading into the inaugural player draft in October.

On Thursday, the XFL announced Landry Jones as the first quarterback to sign with the league.

Jones started five games for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the 2015-2017 seasons, before landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 and the Oakland Raiders back in March before he was cut. He recently worked out for the Detroit Lions, but was not signed in the wake of an injury to backup Tom Savage.

It has not been determined which XFL team Jones will land with. But the Dallas team, with his former college coach Bob Stoops as head coach, feels like the favorite.

With Jones out of NFL options right now and trying to stay in football, who else might benefit from staying visible with a fresh start in the XFL?

The obvious name at the top of the list for the XFL is Johnny Manziel. He landed in the CFL after NFL opportunities dried up, then went to the AAF with the Memphis Express. It’s now come to selling car insurance as a celebrity endorser for “Johnny Football,” which is really pretty sad.

Another, albeit far more controversial, name who could be attached to the XFL is Colin Kaepernick. To this point, though, Kaepernick hasn’t has linked interest to the upstart league.

Trent Richardson washed out in the NFL, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. But he was perhaps the biggest success story in the AAF, leading the abbreviated league with 12 touchdowns from scrimmage. He worked out for the XFL in July, and it’s safe to say he’ll land somewhere in the league. Another chance in the NFL is probably not coming, but never say never.

A notable player who could easily get an immediate shot in the XFL is wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. If the Minnesota Vikings can’t find someone to take him in a trade, they’ll just cut him. If another NFL team doesn’t pick him up, the XFL becomes an option for the former first-round pick.

Otherwise, expect some names you may recognize but are cut late in the NFL preseason to get some kind of opportunity in the XFL.

Any list of possible players for the XFL, however unlikely it is as he pursues baseball, has to include Tim Tebow. The new league will need star power, and leaving aside his shortcomings as a pure passer Tebow would bring plenty of that.