Pita Taumoepenu XFL Stats: Could the 2023 DPOTY secure spot on Browns' NFL roster?

Pita Taumoepenu was named XFL Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday. The former San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker has had a wonderful season with the Vegas Vipers in the XFL. He now looks set to find his way back to the NFL

Coming out of the Utah Utes football program, the edge rusher was drafted by the 49ers in 2017 as the 202 overall pick. His time with the franchise was pretty unsuccessful. He played two seasons with the team, making six appearances.

He would end up finding himself on the roster of the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, and Denver Broncos before his eventual transition to the relaunched XFL. His performance with the Vipers could now earn him a return to the NFL for next season.

How good was Taumoepenu for the Vipers in the 2023 XFL

Taumoepenu was one of the standout players in the XFL this season. The edge rusher finally had the opportunity to play regular football since his college days. He appeared in all 10 games for the Vegas Vipers in the XFL this season.

In what was a brilliant season for the Utah alum, he recorded 26 total tackles and eight tackles for loss throughout the regular season. The linebacker led the league in forced fumbles with four and was also ranked second in sacks with 7.5.

His impressive display for the Vegas Vipers was rewarded with the XFL Defensive Player of the Year, voted by head coaches and Director of Player Personnel. He is now expected to be named to the 2023 All-XFL team which will be announced on Monday, May 8th.

The chances of Taumoepenu signing for the Browns

Taumoepenu has been invited for a workout by the Cleveland Browns next week. This could be the beginning of a potential return to the NFL for the outside linebacker. He will become eligible to sign for an NFL team on May 15th.

The Browns currently have 10 linebackers on their roster with two of them on the reserve squad. This evidently shows there's room to bring in more players in the position for the preseason training. This gives Taumoepenu a good shot at securing a deal with the franchise.

It's now up to the edge rusher to find a way to impress the coaching and scouting team of the Browns when he gets the opportunity to work out in front of them next week. He had a fair outing at the 2017 NFL Combine, running the 40-yard in 4.67 seconds and recording 9ft 4in in the broad jump. A performance at that level could be enough to convince the crew.