The St. Louis Battlehawks signed offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith and defensive tackle McKinley Williams on Thursday.
Jaryd Jones-Smith is six foot seven and weighs 320 pounds. The 28-year-old from Camden, New Jersey, started eight games for the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2023 and was named to the All-XFL Team after the season.
St. Louis drafted Jones-Smith in the first round (7th pick) in Phase 4 of the 2023 XFL Draft. After the season, Jones-Smith signed with the Washington Commanders and was placed on the practice squad.
Before St. Louis, Jones-Smith signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He also had stints with the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens. He played a combined six NFL regular season games for both Las Vegas and Baltimore. In addition, Jones-Smith played for the San Antonio Commanders (AAF) in 2019 playing eight games before the league folded.
Collegiately, Jones-Smith played four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh (2014-17) playing 33 games for the Panthers, of which 13 were starts. He was selected to play in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game.
McKinley Williams is six foot four and weighs 285 pounds. The 25-year-old from Miramar, Florida, was on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats practice squad in 2023. In 2022, he played one game for the Ticats making one tackle. Before Hamilton, Williams signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He attended training camp but was released before the preseason.
Collegiately, Williams played six seasons at Syracuse (2016-21) with 122 tackles (70 solo, 52 assists), 21 tackles for loss, four sacks, and one fumble recovery in 61 games for the Orange. In his senior year, Williams had 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 11 games.
