Cato June has a Super Bowl championship ring and a distinguished National Football League résumé.
What the 30-year-old linebacker doesn't have is any guarantees as he joins the Omaha Nighthawks two days before rosters have to be set.
June is one of four players recently signed by the Nighthawks. He and kicker Justin Medlock practiced with the team Tuesday. Wide receiver Devard Darling arrived midway through the workout and will be in pads Wednesday, while linebacker Nick Greisen was expected to join the club Wednesday.
Their arrivals come as the United Football League team is paring its roster to meet Thursday's limit of 52. Six players were waived Monday, and two more — cornerback Patrick Wells and guard Julius Coston — were removed from the active roster Tuesday.
Nighthawks coach Jeff Jagodzinski said after Tuesday's workout that the recently signed players will be evaluated just as any other player has been since the start of training camp.
“If they're coming in right now, you know that they're football players,'' Jagodzinski said. “We'll see how they fit into what we're doing. If they can help us, they stay.
“I tell you right now things are very, very competitive in practice. I gave them a couple of days off, and these guys came back and acted like a mature team and went right to work.''
Asked if any of the new faces have been guaranteed anything, Jagodzinski replied, “There are no guarantees for anybody, but that's what makes a guy fight for a position.''
The Nighthawks had seven linebackers on the roster before the addition of June and Greisen. All seven have been with the team since training camp started Aug. 21.
The coaches wasted no time in seeing what June can do: He was thrown into Tuesday's drills.
“You got to get right out there and get going,'' June said. “I'm already behind the fellows in terms of learning the defense. It's just about getting acclimated with the guys and getting back into the swing of things.''
The former Michigan star has been playing professional football since 2003, when he made the Indianapolis Colts as a sixth-round draft pick. He played special teams his first season with the Colts, then became a starter in 2004.
June made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and was the leading tackler on the Colts' Super Bowl winning team in 2006.
He played the next two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then joined the Houston Texans as a free agent in 2009. He broke an arm during training camp and was released at the end of training camp. He signed with the Chicago Bears last Dec. 1 but was waived after playing one game with the team.
A free agent, June was looking for an NFL opportunity. But he recently decided it was time to get back to work and signed with Omaha.
“I'm like a lot of guys here,'' he said. “There is no way to duplicate playing football. You just can't find a place to play pick-up, full-pads football. You can't go somewhere and practice taking on a fullback.
“You have to be on a team to do those things. You have to be with 11 guys and try to make things happen.''
June said he knows that his résumé indicates that he's been able to play at the highest level. He's in Omaha, he said, to prove that he's still capable of playing with the best.
“The good thing about this league, for a lot of guys, is that it's a way to prove that you belong with the elite players of the world,'' he said. “This is a great platform, and there are a lot of great football players here.
“People here love football. Some guys are not looking to get back in the NFL but are here because they love the game. Others are trying to get to the next level. Others are trying to get back. That's a mix that calls for a lot of good football to be played.''
Offensive line coach may not be replaced
Omaha Nighthawks coach Jeff Jagodzinski said he's uncertain whether he'll replace offensive line coach Pat Ruel, who left the team to take a similar position with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.
Ruel replaces Alex Gibbs, who unexpectedly resigned Saturday. Ruel rejoined Seahawks coach Pat Carroll, for whom he worked for five seasons at Southern California.
“I'm really happy for Pat and his family,'' Jagodzinski said. “I've know Pat Ruel for 25 years, and I was his graduate assistant back in 1985. He got the opportunity to go to Seattle, and I think I might have been the second happiest guy for him.''
Jagodzinski worked with the offensive linemen at Tuesday's practice.
“That's my background,'' he said. “We'll see if we're going to bring another guy in here or not.''
Jagodzinski said seeing Ruel make the NFL is no different from seeing a Nighthawk player get the opportunity.
“I want my players to get back to the NFL or wherever they want to go professionally,'' he said. “It's the same thing with the coaches. I think you have a problem when no one wants your coaches.
“When people want your coaches or your players, it means you have the right guys.''
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
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