The New Orleans Saints landed one of the early stars of the XFL, the upstart professional football league that closed its inaugural season early in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Per his agent Aston Wilson, the Saints signed Houston Roughnecks defensive back Deatrick Nichols, who paced the XFL with three interceptions (and six pass breakups) in its first five weeks. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound defender also recorded 24 tackles (with three tackles for a loss of yards).
With both pro leagues agreeing to allow former XFL players to sign contracts as free agents with NFL teams on Monday, Nichols becomes one of the first to make the jump from one level to the next, along with Roughnecks quarterback P.