5 UFL players to watch for the Detroit Lions on opening weekend, including a former Lions preseason standout

The Lions are one of the leading teams in the NFL when it comes to signing UFL players. Here are five guys they might have interest in this summer

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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It’s spring football time! The UFL will have its opening weekend this Friday, and it’s time to set the table and think about some of the players the Lions might look to sign after the UFL season, and give them a shot at camp.

The Lions love UFL players. They currently have four former UFL players on their roster. Jake Bates, Nick Whiteside, Jacob Saylors, and Thomas Gordon. We asked Lions head coach Dan Campbell about the value of these players last summer.

“I think it’s because you have instant tape on those guys, right? They’re fresh. (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) does a great job, and that’s one of the things that he’s made a point of is like, ‘Man, let’s get guys in here that have just played, they’re in shape, we’ve seen the tape.’ These aren’t guys that haven’t been moving, man. They’ve been in football shape doing real things, real cuts, real contact, real all of it. So that’s important to get you through camp, and then you get a look at these guys.”

With that in mind, here are five players to watch for the Lions this spring:

Edge Nelson Ceaser

The Lions are already familiar with Ceaser. They had a formal meeting with him at the 2024 NFL Combine. Ultimately Ceaser wound up going undrafted and signed with the Seahawks. They waived him at the end of camp, and then he went to the UFL to play for the San Antonio Brahmas. The Bills had him out for camp last season, and ultimately, he didn’t make the roster there either.

This year, he’ll play for the Columbus Aviators. At just 24 years old, there could be some intrigue from the Lions to take another look at Ceaser at camp. Maybe he can find a role in Detroit.

Edge Willie Taylor III

Taylor was a half-sack away from leading the UFL in sacks in 2025. Suprisingly the then 25-year-old did not receive any invitations to NFL training camps. This year, he has a chance to go out and get himself into consideration for UFL Defensive Player of the Year again, and maybe get a shot to head to an NFL camp. He has some NFL experience with the Jaguars, but has not gotten a chance to get back.

Edge Ron Stone Jr.

Interestingly enough, Stone is the brother-in-law of Packers quarterback Jordan Love. So here’s his chance to really put his foot down and make sure his sister is getting treated right by sacking Love in a game.

Stone was really good at Washington State and got a shot with the Raiders in 2024, but did not make their 53-man roster. He had four sacks in the UFL in 2025 and is now signed with the Aviators. He’s still in his early 20s.

DT Travis Bell

The Bears took Bell in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he spent time with them, the Bengals, Falcons, and the Vikings. He’s been getting shots at training camps every summer. He’ll play in the UFL for the first time this season for the Louisville Kings this spring, and if he can show he has something the NFL still wants, the Lions might bring him in to compete for a spot on the interior of their defensive line.

CB Steven Gilmore

Lions fans will remember Gilmore for how well he played for Detroit in the 2023 preseason. He knocked it out of the park and landed a 53-man roster spot. In 2024, it didn’t go as well, and he was released. Since then, he’s been one of the best cornerbacks in the UFL and is a guy who is deserving of another shot. He spent last summer with the Cardinals and played well in the preseason, but they just didn’t have a spot for him on their roster. Now he heads back to the Stallions to show he still has more to offer.

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