The Philadelphia Stars released running back Jordan Scarlett, wide receiver Devon Williams, and defensive back De’Vante Cross on Sunday as they had to get their roster down from 58 to 54. In addition, the Stars placed linebacker Darius Hodge on the injured reserve list.
Jordan Scarlett, a 26-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was on the Edmonton Elks practice squad in 2022. The Carolina Panthers drafted Scarlett in the fifth round (154th pick) in the 2019 NFL Draft.
He played one season in Carolina with four carries for nine yards in nine games. In the preseason, Scarlett had 29 carries for 81 yards, five catches for 47 yards, and one touchdown in three games.
After Carolina, Scarlett was on the practice squad of both the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. In April of 2022, Scarlett signed with the Montreal Alouettes but was released during training camp. Scarlett joins a stacked backfield that includes Darnell Holland, Dexter Williams, Matt Colburn, and Paul Terry.
Collegiately, Scarlett played three seasons at Florida (2015-16, 2018) with 344 carries for 1,846 yards, 12 touchdowns, 15 catches for 108 yards, and one tackle in 35 games. In his final season as a Gator, Scarlett had 131 carries for 776 yards, five touchdowns, and ten catches for 84 yards in 13 games.
Devon Williams, a 22-year-old from Lancaster, California, signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2022 but was released during training camp.
Collegiately, Williams played two seasons at USC (2018-19) with five catches for 98 yards, one touchdown, and returned a blocked punt for five yards for a touchdown in 13 games for the Trojans. In addition, he caught three passes for 77 yards, and a touchdown against Oregon State.
Then, Williams transferred to Oregon (2020-21) with 50 catches for 843 yards, and six touchdowns in 18 games for the Ducks. In his final season at Oregon, Williams led the Ducks with 557 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 35 receptions in 14 games.
De’Vante Cross, a 25-year-old from Allentown, Pennsylvania, signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent and later signed with the Green Bay Packers. He played two preseason games for the Packers with one tackle and one pass breakup.
Cross played quarterback at Parkland High School. He was rated a three-star recruit according to ESPN.com, 247sports.com, and Scout.com. Furthermore, he was teammates with ex-Eagles running back Miles Sanders.
In his senior season, Cross completed 201 of 345 (58.3%) passes for 2,947 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He led Parkland to four straight district championships, and three as the starting quarterback. In addition, Cross carried 216 times for 1,385 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.
Collegiately, Cross played five seasons at Virginia (2017-21) with 129 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, 21 pass breakups, and six interceptions in 59 games, of which 34 were starts for the Cavaliers. In his final season, Cross made 24 tackles, six pass breakups, and one interception in nine games.
Darius Hodge, a 24-year-old from Wake Forest, North Carolina, was with the Miami Dolphins for two seasons.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed Hodge as an undrafted free agent in 2021. In the preseason, Hodge made six tackles and 1.5 sacks in three games. Hodge played four regular season games for the Bengals in 2021. After being released, Hodge was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.
Collegiately, Hodge played four seasons at Marshall University (2017-20) with 116 tackles, 15.5 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two blocked kicks in 33 games for the Thundering Herd.
In his final season, Hodge made 63 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in ten games.
