Surprisingly, the only former Chiefs honored in the UFL were all defenders.
The United Football League has put its inaugural All-UFL team following the completion of its first season as a newly-formed merger between the USFL and XFL. Comprised of eight franchises, the league put together a quality product and multiple former members of the Kansas City Chiefs were on their version of an All-Pro list.
Let's take a closer look at the players who were honored.
Daniel Wise
If one player on this list was likely to earn a second chance with the Chiefs, it might be Daniel Wise. That's because Wise was signed by K.C. in the winter of 2023 and spent the entire offseason with them before being cut when active rosters were due.
When the Michigan Panthers came calling a few months later, Wise signed on and stood out during this UFL season despite being placed on injured reserve in early May. He finished the year with 1.5 sacks and 17 total tackles for the Panthers.
Breeland Speaks
For all the negativity heaved upon Breeland Speaks over the years, it's nice to finally see him flourishing at the game of football even if it came years after he was taken in the second round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
If you'll remember, Speaks was the very first draft selection of Brett Veach's career as the Chiefs general manager. That entire 2018 NFL Draft class was miserable for K.C. but trading up for Speaks in the second round was the worst move of all.
Since 2018, the Raiders, Bills, Giants, Cowboys, and 49ers have all given Speaks a chance even after his initial run with the Chiefs but the only playing time he ever earned was the 16 games played during his rookie season six years ago. Fortunately, the Michigan franchise has given Speaks a chance to shine in each of the last two seasons.
DeAndre Baker
The D.C. Defenders were wise to take a shot to see what DeAndre Baker could do in the UFL. After all, he was a former first-round pick of the New York Giants and he spent a few years around the NFL, so he brought considerable experience and talent to his new team.
Baker will be familiar to Chiefs fans as another reclamation attempt by Veach—think Mike Hughes, Cam Erving, Reggie Ragland, Corey Coleman, John Ross—as a practice squad signing late in 2020 following his surprising release from the New York Giants. From there, Baker would only play 10 games in two years in K.C. due to a broken femur.
Baker rewarded the Defenders with solid pass coverage and 22 tackles on the year.