Ask anybody about the upstart XFL and most of the conversations will center around two quarterbacks. One is P.J. Walker of the Houston Roughnecks, a former practice squad alumni for the Indianapolis Colts, and Cardale Jones of the D.C. Defenders, the same man who won a national championship for Ohio State. Both men have staked their respective teams out to 2-0 starts this season and are already generating buzz for possible NFL returns. However, neither of them is the QB the Chicago Bears should be watching.
While those two have understandably held the limelight, one of the more impressive players this season resides in St. Louis. His name is Jordan Ta'amu. A former undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, he spent training camp and the 2019 preseason with the Houston Texans. After being waived, he accepted an opportunity to join the newly established Battlehawks where he became their starter.
Through two weeks, he's been quite impressive completing 50-of-64 passes for 493 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Good for a 106.58 passer rating. He's also rushed for an additional 109 yards and another touchdown. One could argue neither interception was his fault two. One came while his arm was being hit. The other took place on what he thought was a free play following a defensive offsides. It wasn't called but replays showed he was right to think so.
Suffice to say the kid has played much better than expected.
Chicago Bears have a lot to like about Ta'amu
Ta'amu is a fascinating story. A native of Hawaii, his dream was to play at the University of Hawaii. However, they denied him. So he went the junior college route at the New Mexico Military Institute. For two years he thrived and was eventually contacted by Hawaii to come there. He declined, having already committed to transfer to Ole Miss. In two seasons there, he appeared in 19 games, throwing for 5,600 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Every talent evaluator said the same thing. He was a pro talent with size and arm strength but hadn't yet learned how to process defenses fast enough. This might explain why he chose to take the opportunity to join the XFL. While it's not the NFL level in terms of talent, it provided much-needed playing time for him to continue gaining experience. Clearly this has served him well thus far.
It doesn't hurt that his head coach is Jonathan Hayes, a man who played and coached in the NFL from 1985 to 2018. The kid is getting a good education on how to play the position like a pro. If the Bears are smart, they'll consider adding him to their depth chart after the season concludes in April.
