The Dallas Cowboys have turned the UFL into their own personal farm system, signing 6-foot-3, 215-pound veteran NFL cornerback Ameer Speed after 1 season with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers.
“Ameer Speed is the third Gamblers player to sign an NFL contract this week, making his way to the Cowboys,” Pro Football Newsroom’s James Larsen wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Speaks volumes to the quality roster Kevin Sumlin & Co. put together in Houston this UFL season.”
Speed was a 6th-round pick (No. 214 overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2023 NFL draft. He played 1 season for the Patriots, and the Cowboys will now be his 6th team in 4 seasons, following stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Houston Texans.
Speed joined the Gamblers halfway through the season and finished with 14 tackles and 5 pass breakups in 5 games while making just 1 start.
The Cowboys went big on trying to revamp their secondary this offseason after having the NFL’s worst secondary in 2025, using a pair of draft picks on defensive backs with safety/nickelback Caleb Downs in the 1st round and cornerback Devin Moore in the 4th round. They also added a starter at safety with Jalen Thompson on a 3-year, $33 million free agent contract.
Speed Won CFP National Championship in 2021
Speed, a Jacksonville, Florida, native, played 5 seasons at Georgia and won a College Football Playoff national championship in his final season in 2021, when he played in 13 games and started a career-high 3 games for the Bulldogs.
He entered the transfer portal and became a full-time starter for the 1st time at Michigan State in 2022, when he started 11 games with 62 tackles and 5 pass breakups.
“Speed’s tape and production don’t stand out,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “However, his rare size and speed, along with his potential to star on special teams, could give him a chance to find an NFL home.”
Cowboys Struck Gold With Pair of UFL Signees
Two of the most important players on the Cowboys roster were plucked from the UFL: NFL All-Pro kicker Brandon Aubrey and NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl return specialist Kavontae Turpin.
Aubrey holds the NFL career record with 6 field goals made from 60 or more yards and is a 3-time NFL All-Pro in each of his 1st 3 seasons with the Cowboys. Aubrey cashed in big this offseason with a 4-year, $28 million contract extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.
Aubrey was an All-American soccer player at Notre Dame and a 1st round pick (No. 21 overall) by Toronto FC in the 2017 Major League Soccer Draft before switching sports in 2019. He spent 3 years training before he signed with the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, where he played in 2022 and 2023.
After Turpin went undrafted in 2019, he spent 1 season with the Frisco Fighters in the Indoor Football League, 1 season with the Wroclaw Panthers in the European League of Football, 1 season with the Glacier Boyz in the Fan Controlled Football League, followed by 1 season in The Spring League with the Sea Lions.
Turpin caught a break with the New Jersey Generals in 2022, where he was named USFL Most Valuable Player with 921 all-purpose yards and 5 touchdowns in just 10 games.
Turpin signed a 3-year, $13.5 million contract extension with the Cowboys after he led the NFL in kickoff return yards in 2024.
Cowboys Bring Speed to Roster With 6-foot-3, 215-Pound Veteran Cornerback