DC Defenders

The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The Defenders compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is owned by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The Defenders play their home games at Audi Field. The team won the UFL championship in 2025.

History

McMahon era (2020)

On December 5, 2018, Washington, D.C., was announced as one of eight cities that would join the newly reformed XFL, as well as Seattle, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Dallas. On February 21, 2019, the team hired Pep Hamilton, who was most recently an assistant with the Michigan Wolverines football team, as their first head coach and general manager. The team name and logo were revealed on August 21, 2019, followed by the uniforms on December 3, 2019.

On October 15, 2019, the Defenders announced their first player in team history, being assigned former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones. Later that day, the 2020 XFL Draft took place. The Defenders selected wide receiver Rashard Davis with the first overall pick, but he did not play for the team and later signed with the Tennessee Titans.

On February 8, 2020, the Defenders won the first game in modern XFL history, defeating the Seattle Dragons by a score of 31–19. On February 15, 2020, the Defenders beat the New York Guardians by a score of 27–0, which was the first shutout in modern XFL history. On March 12, 2020, the XFL announced that the remainder of the 2020 XFL season had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 10, 2020, the XFL suspended operations and terminated all employees, players, and staff.

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia era (2023–present)

On August 3, 2020, it was reported that a consortium led by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Gerry Cardinale (through Cardinale's fund RedBird Capital Partners) purchased the XFL for $15 million just hours before an auction could take place; the purchase received court approval on August 7, 2020. In March 2022, a report emerged that Reggie Barlow would become the new head coach of the D.C. XFL franchise, confirming that Washington, D.C., would return as an XFL city. Barlow's hire was official on April 13, 2022, as well as the return of the D.C. franchise on July 24, 2022. On October 31, 2022, the XFL announced that the Defenders name would be returning, this time with a brand new logo.

In September 2023, '' Axios'' reported that the XFL was in advanced talks with the USFL to merge the two leagues prior to the start of their 2024 seasons. On September 28, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced their intent to merge with details surrounding the merger to be announced at a later date. The merger would also require regulatory approval. In October 2023 the XFL filed a trademark application for the name ''"United Football League"''. On November 30, 2023, Garcia announced via her Instagram page that the leagues had received regulatory approval for the merger and were finalizing plans for a " combined season" to begin March 30, 2024. The merger was made official on December 31, 2023.

On March 22, 2025, head coach Reggie Barlow departed the Defenders and quarterback coach Shannon Harris took over in an interim role for the 2025 season. Three days later, Harris also appeared to resign to join Barlow at Tennessee State. Harris would be named the UFL Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 6–4 record, culminating in a 58–34 victory over the Michigan Panthers in the 2025 UFL championship game.

Current roster

Players

Staff

Player history

Current NFL players

Notable players

XFL Offensive Player of the Year award winners

Coach history

Head coach history

Offensive coordinator history

Defensive coordinator history

XFL Coach of the Year award winners

Championships

North Division championship games

XFL Conference championship games

UFL championship games

Rivalries

The Defenders have a rivalry against the St. Louis Battlehawks. At the end of their first meeting of the 2023 season, three players were ejected after a brawl broke out. A week later, the Battlehawks' quarterback, A. J. McCarron, called their competition the "first XFL rivalry."

Franchise matchup history

* Defunct teams in light gray.

Season-by-season record

Records

Starting Quarterbacks

Regular season – ''As of June 9, 2025''

Postseason

Most games as starting quarterback

Market overview

The Baltimore–Washington area has a history of several teams in alternative professional football. The USFL had the Washington Federals (a mostly unsuccessful franchise) in its first two years. Then the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars moved from Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland, in 1985, winning the USFL's final championship. The Canadian Football League's Baltimore CFL Colts/Stallions were the only successful American team in the league during their two-year existence in the mid-1990s (and were the only American-based team to win the Grey Cup, the CFL's championship). Indoor teams to have played in Washington include the Washington Commandos and the Washington Valor (which folded two months before the Defenders' first game) of the Arena Football League, and the D.C. Armor of American Indoor Football Association, in addition to several teams based in Maryland.

The Defenders join the Washington Commanders, Washington Nationals, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, D.C. United, Washington Spirit, Capital City Go-Go, and Old Glory DC as professional sports teams based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

Defenders fans have taken up a tradition of assembling beer snakes out of empty beer containers. The snake constructed at the March 8, 2020, game vs the St. Louis Battlehawks ended up spanning several rows, including a contribution from then-Commissioner Oliver Luck.

In the 2023 season opener against the Seattle Sea Dragons, fans threw lemons onto the field after stadium security personnel confiscated several attempts at making a beer snake, delaying the game for a few minutes. This prompted the Defenders to discuss the issue with Audi Field security and set new guidelines that allowed the beer snake to return during the next home game on March 5.

Despite playing in the UFL's smallest stadium by capacity, the Defenders have the second-highest attendance in the league as of 2024, regularly playing to at-capacity or near-capacity crowds at Audi Field.

See also

* Sports in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

*

{{WashingtonDCSports

American football teams established in 2018
2018 establishments in Washington, D.C.
United Football League (2024)