NASHVILLE - Terrell Bonds has talked about being a member of the NFL's Tennessee Titans since he played at Tennessee State.
Five years after his college days in Nashville ended, the 5-foot-8, 182-pound cornerback from Miami is back in Music City - and finally on the Titans' roster as a training camp signee.
"For it to actually come true now, it's crazy and I'm thankful for it," Bonds said.
Bonds owes his latest football opportunity to the revived USFL, where he played 10 games this spring with the Pittsburgh Maulers in the league based in Birmingham, Alabama, and he has plenty of company as the NFL starts its first full week of preseason games Thursday night. Bonds was among 42 players from the USFL's inaugural season signed through Tuesday by 26 of the NFL's 32 teams.
USFL MVP KaVontae Turpin is now with the Dallas Cowboys, while All-USFL offensive lineman Cameron Hunt signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and All-USFL tight end Sal Cannella joined the Green Bay Packers. The most popular position for NFL teams adding former USFL players has been wide receiver, with 12, followed by cornerback (nine).
Like Bonds, Turpin has been scrambling to keep his dreams of professional football alive since his college career at TCU ended during the 2018 season. Turpin has bounced from the Fan Controlled Football League to the Spring League and finally the USFL before being signed by Dallas for camp.
"Man, it's like a dream come true. It's a blessing," Turpin said. "I've been in four leagues before I came here. So it's a blessing to be here and know the Cowboys gave me a wonderful opportunity to come here and prove myself."
Many of these USFL players have been in the NFL before.
Hunt played with the Denver Broncos as well as the Raiders, when they were still in Oakland. Bonds played four games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 and then spent the offseason with the Miami Dolphins before being waived last August. Darrius Shepherd caught six passes across the 2019-20 seasons with Green Bay and signed with Denver after reviving his career with the USFL's New Jersey Generals.
"It was really beneficial," Shepherd said of the USFL. "I'm really happy that they put that league on. They did a great job and provided a lot of opportunities for guys as you see people get signed all over the league."
The Post-Crescent photo by Samantha Madar via AP / Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur bumps fists with tight end Sal Cannella (80) during training camp Aug. 5 at Lambeau Field.NFL teams certainly were watching. Not only did 32 officials from the NFL Development Pipeline work USFL games, NFL teams had no issues quickly accessing USFL game video so pro scouts could watch breakdowns for any players they liked.
Titans general manager Jon Robinson said his franchise's pro staff had specific teams to evaluate and grade and met to rank those players just before the USFL's championship game. The Titans previously had worked out both Bonds and cornerback Shakur Brown, Bonds' teammate with the Maulers who signed with Tennessee a few days before Bonds.
"But then certainly watching the USFL and seeing how they performed or things they needed to work on, it gave us more, I'd guess, comfort knowing that we're bringing a guy in that's played football recently," Robinson said.
Having practiced and played this spring gave USFL players a couple of big advantages over those working out on their own hoping for an NFL team to call. First, they're physically ready for the grind of training camp.
"I just got finished with a whole season, so I'm definitely like midseason for me," Brown said.
Still, for the USFL players who spent three months practicing in pads, a full preseason will take a physical toll that will only grow.
"You've just got to be a pro about it," said Cannella, who was in camp last year with the Dolphins before playing with the New Orleans Breakers this spring. "We all went into that season trying to get to this point right here, so we all knew what we signed up for."
Secondly, these USFL veterans also have recent game footage. Robinson said he had to pull up video from the 2021 NFL preseason Sunday when he wanted to check out players on his emergency list who didn't compete in the USFL. Robinson knows only too well the value of that list after his Titans used an NFL-record 91 players last season because of injuries.
"I love it when those guys come in and they just want an opportunity," Robinson said. "We saw that last year ... Hopefully we don't got to go down that road again this year, but guys were looking for an opportunity. Hopefully these two guys will come in here and seize it, and we'll see kind of where it goes from there."
For now, these USFL players are focused on one practice and one day at a time trying to make the most of this latest NFL opportunity. They also want to see the USFL continue.
"I know tons of my friends (from) my college who are out of the league right now who should be in the league," Green Bay wide receiver Ishmael Hyman said. "They need somewhere to go to, so it's a perfect league for that, like a secondary league to get back in."