The latest UFL Lions roster additions are former San Antonio Brahmas<\/a> TE Steven Stilianos,<\/a> Michigan Panthers<\/a> All-UFL Team TE Gunnar Oakes<\/a>, and CB D.J. Miller. <\/a>Running back Deon Jackson<\/a>, fresh off the championship-winning D.C. Defenders<\/a> team, was signed by Detroit last week.<\/p>\r\n 6\u20194\u201d 252 lb. Oakes, a Michigan native and graduate of Eastern Michigan University, spent two seasons with the Panthers. Used primarily as a run-blocker by the Panthers, Oakes saw limited usage in Michigan’s high-powered offense, recording 162 yards and two touchdowns last season.<\/p>\r\n Stilianos attended the University of Iowa with LaPorta and LB Jack Campbell.\u00a0 <\/span>He previously played for the Tennessee Titans before joining the Brahmas last year. Like Oakes, he is known primarily for his run-blocking ability. \u00a0He posted 86 receiving yards and one touchdown. However, one advantage Stilianos brings is his versatility. He played high school quarterback, and he can still throw a football. \u00a0As part of a trick play for the Brahmas last season, he launched a 38-yard touchdown pass\u00a0<\/a>to wide receiver Dee Anderson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n As the Lions prepare for their upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins<\/a> Saturday afternoon, both Oakes and Stilianos have a terrific opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a roster spot. The normally full Lions TE room is down two players following the season-ending knee injury to Kenny Yeboah<\/a> and the temporary absence of Sam LaPorta.<\/a><\/p>\r\n LaPorta, the Lions’ number one tight end, left practice Wednesday with an undisclosed injury. According to Campbell,<\/a> “It\u2019s not major, but he will miss a little bit of time here.”<\/p>\r\n With Yeboah out and LaPorta temporarily sidelined, Oakes and Stilianos<\/a> will compete against promising UDFA rookie Zach Horton<\/a> and veterans Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra<\/a>. Wright has the number two TE spot locked up. Zylstra is a strong candidate for the number-three slot. Horton, the 23-year-old Indiana Hoosier, has had a strong training camp, displaying versatility as a run-blocking TE who can also play fullback.<\/p>\r\n Following the recent season-ending injury of second-year talent Ennis Rakestraw<\/a>, there could be an opportunity for a newcomer in the Lions’ crowded cornerback room. \u00a0 However, competing against fellow UFL talent Whiteside and veterans D.J. Reed<\/a>, Amik Robertson<\/a>, Rock Ya-Sin,<\/a> and Terrion Arnold<\/a>, Miller<\/a> has his work cut out for him.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\r\n In addition, the Lions have several other cornerbacks signed to the 90-man roster: Tyson Russell,<\/a> a UDFA rookie out of Vanderbilt, Allen George<\/a>, and Luq Barcoo<\/a>.\u00a0Russell is a UDFA rookie out of Vanderbilt.\u00a0 <\/span>George, another Vanderbilt graduate, previously spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> and Washington Commanders<\/a>. Former Jacksonville Jaguars\u2019<\/a> Barcoo is a spring football alum who played for the XFL San Antonio Brahmas.<\/p>\r\n Miller, the 5\u201910\u201d 185 lb. cornerback, transferred to Kent State<\/span> from Iowa State for his final two years of eligibility. He appeared in 12 games for the Golden Flashes, recording 50 tackles, three pass defenses, and a fumble recovery. Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a UDFA. \u00a0However, most of his time was spent on the practice squad. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Upon his release, Miller signed with the Panthers in December of 2024. \u00a0During his time with Michigan, he made the most of his opportunity, picking off Stallions quarterback Matt Corral twice in one game. In addition, he was credited with 35 tackles and seven pass breakups. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n One of the biggest advantages of signing UFL athletes is that they\u2019re already in great shape, having just finished the UFL season. They are also eager for a chance to prove themselves in the NFL. These players are hungry and disciplined. Although most of the UFL players signed during the Holmes era were assigned to the practice squad, the Lions signed others who made the roster. \u00a0The team found a talented kicker in Jake Bates, who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last year.<\/p>\r\n The UFL athletes the Lions signed have already met the litmus test. They exhibit the character traits the Lions value. They align perfectly with the team culture. \u00a0Now, these former UFL players have a genuine opportunity to prove themselves with a real shot at making an NFL roster. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n Main Image: Junfu Han \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As training cap injuries mount for the Detroit Lions, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are relying on talented UFL players to fill the roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5208,"featured_media":242526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[24,36],"tags":[33660,8189,33659,33340,33657,33658],"class_list":["post-241966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lions","category-nfl-news","tag-d-j-miller","tag-deon-jackson","tag-gunnar-oakes","tag-jacob-saylors","tag-nick-whiteside","tag-steven-stilianos"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241966"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":242528,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241966\/revisions\/242528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/08\/USATSI_26461005_168400545_lowres-1024x683.jpg\")
The Lions Competition At Tight End<\/h3>\r\n
The Lions Competition At Cornerback<\/h3>\r\n
Why UFL Players Make Sense For The Lions\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n