UFL opening weekend: What ties do Rams have to new spring league?

Puka Nacua’s brother will make UFL debut this weekend

The United Football League (UFL) is set to debut this weekend after the merger of the XFL and USFL. All eight teams will participate in the opening weekend on either Saturday and Sunday, which will help in part to fulfill any offseason football cravings and fill the void between the NFL’s free agency and draft.

What ties do the Los Angeles Rams have to the players you’ll see take the field this weekend? Let’s take a look.

QB Case Cookus, Memphis Showboats

Cookus signed with the Rams during the 2022 season while Matthew Stafford was shut down for the year with concussions and a spinal cord contusion and LA was getting inept quarterback play from John Wolford and Bryce Perkins. We never saw him take the field for LA in royal and sol.

Cookus signed with the New York Giants following the 2020 NFL Draft as a UDFA. He also spent time with the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Las Vegas Raiders. The other quarterbacks for the Showboats are Troy Williams and Josh Love.

DB Kai Nacua, Michigan Panthers

Kai is the older brother of Rams receiver Puka Nacua, and he went undrafted coming out of BYU in 2024. He spent his rookie season with the Cleveland Browns and made three starts. Nacua was released the following offseason and spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Jets. His longest stint was in San Francisco.

Another one of Nacua’s brothers, Samson, may also be on the Panthers or currently employed by the Indianapolis Colts.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

MLB Travin Howard, Birmingham Stallions

Rams fans remember Howard as the defensive player who intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo (strangely now a Ram) in the 2021 NFC Championship game to seal a win over the 49ers and send Los Angeles to Super Bowl LVI, where they eventually won against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams drafted Howard in the seventh round round in 2018 and he spent four seasons in LA.

DE Ethan Westbrooks, Houston Roughnecks

Westbooks signed with the Rams after going undrafted in 2014. He famously won a high profile training camp roster battle over Michael Sam who had been drafted by the team. Westbrook spent five seasons with the Rams and last played in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 2021. He’s now 33 years old.

In 2023 he was named the USFL Sportsman of the Year with the Michigan Panthers.

Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

RB Raymond Calais, Michigan Panthers

Calais was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and he signed with the Rams as a reserve for his second season. He was injured during the preseason for his second year in LA and was on the roster when the Rams won Super Bowl LVI. Calais is currently on the UFL’s suspended list as of March 10th, 2024.

Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

QB Luis Perez, Arlington Renegades

Perez had two stints as a QB for the Rams, in 2018 as a UDFA and then in 2022 at the start of training camp. Perez has been a mainstay in professional football across the XFL and USFL.

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

OL Bobby Evans, Arlington Renegades

The Rams drafted Evans in the fifth round from Oklahoma after he spent his college career blocking for Kyler Murray. He was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie but it was generally never a good sign when he was anything more than a backup for the Rams. He spent the majority of his four-year rookie contract in LA.

Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images