The UFL season is over for HBCU product Chris Rowland, and it was another good audition for him to get back into the NFL.
The former Tennessee State receiver/kick returner recorded the first kick return for a touchdown this season in the league. He took a kickoff back 84 yards into the end zone for the DC Defenders on Sunday.
He finished the regular season with a league-high 1,655 all-purpose yards. That included 262 receiving yards on 20 catches to go along with three scores as a wide receiver in the ten-game season.
One person who isn’t surprised by Rowland’s success is Reggie Barlow. The Defenders’ head coach, an HBCU player and coach product, expected Rowland to show his versatility coming into the season.
“Chris Rowland is an outstanding football player,” Barlow told Harry Douglas in an in-game interview. “We knew that he had a versatile game. He could be a receiver, he could be a returner, play him in the slot, he could be a running back – but more importantly he’s a great guy. A great teammate.”
Rowland will now look to find another opportunity in the NFL. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent and then landed on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2021. He then landed with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. He put up solid numbers in 2022 but an injury sidelined him for all but one game in the following season. He showed up to the UFL healthy and he showed it all season long.
Now he just needs another shot in the NFL.
“This league is all about opportunities,” Rowland said during an interview. “There’s a lot of players that shouldn’t be in this league – which I’m not saying anything bad about that. There are players that can play at the next level and they just need an opportunity.”
UFL players may start to sign NFL contracts following the league’s championship game on June 16.