St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback Manny Wilkins will miss the rest of the UFL season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in Saturday’s game against the Arlington Renegades. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

ST. LOUIS, MO — The St. Louis Battlehawks got the news they were hoping not to hear on Monday, when they found out that quarterback Manny Wilkins will miss the rest of the United Football League season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

The injury happened last Saturday in St. Louis’ game against the Arlington Renegades at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.

Wilkins went down untouched, on the fourth play of the game. He was scrambling away from a defender and his right leg collapsed as he tried to make his way into the open field.

The former Arizona State standout and Green Bay Packers practice player was not able to get up and had to be carted off the field, while his teammates and opponents from the Renegades offered him blessings and well wishes.

“A very traumatic injury, I’m just really sick for him,” Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht said. “Praying for him to have a quick recovery, a healthy comeback for him mentally and physically and we’re going to be there all the way to support him throughout.”

St. Louis placed Wilkins on injured reserved and he will have surgery later this week. Recovery time is unknown, but Wilkins, who had completed 45-of-69 passes for 498 yards in St. Louis’ first three games, will not be able to play any more this season.

Manny Wilkins was the UFL Week 2 Player of the Week. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

“Aaron Rodgers spoke to him, his former teammate with the Green Bay Packers who clearly went through a very traumatic injury with his Achilles and offered him some insight on things for him to do,” Becht said.

Wilkins was a practice squad quarterback for the Packers in 2019. Becht said Rodgers reaching out to him is a testament to Wilkins being likeable and to Rodgers as a teammate.

However, with Wilkins nearing his 30th birthday this November, Becht admits it’s hard for anyone to come back from an Achilles injury.

Though no player wishes to see a teammate injured, the door is now wide open for former TCU quarterback Max Duggan to lead St. Louis and showcase his talent for the NFL.

Becht was proud of Duggan on his gameplay after Wilkins went down despite not having practice reps.

“Max initially came in and kind of held the fort down. As we got into the game, I just felt like that’s where you saw he doesn’t get reps,” Becht said.

He added due to the league trying to temper down the reps for starters, the backup quarterback doesn’t get any reps.

“I’m 100% confident that Max will play better and do a lot more things with a full week of practice and preparation. So I really didn’t lose any sleep over that,” Becht said.

Winning the first two games may seem a long time ago to fans after these last two games, but Becht isn’t worried.

“The best thing about it is we get to come home this week and next week and get back on track. Our team is excited. They’re ready to come back to St. Louis and play. It’s a critical game for us, but we’re 2-2 man, the sky is not falling, we’re one game out of first place,” Becht said.

Max Duggan will start at QB for the Battlehawks, beginning on Saturday. (Photo courtesy: TheUFL.com)

The Battlehawks will be back in action on Saturday, when they’ll host the Michigan Panthers in a game at The Dome at America’s Center. Kickoff that evening is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

2025 ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location	TV	Results
March 28, 2025 (Friday)	7 p.m.	Away	Houston Roughnecks	TDECU Stadium		W 31-6 (1-0)
April 6, 2025 (Sunday)	5:30 p.m.	Home	San Antonio Brahmas	The Dome at America’s Center		W 26-9 (2-0)
April 13, 2025 (Sunday)	2 p.m.	Home	DC Defenders	The Dome at America’s Center		L 27-15 (2-1)
April 19, 2025 (Saturday)	11 a.m.	Away	Arlington Renegades	Choctaw Stadium		L 30-15 (2-2)
April 26, 2025 (Saturday)	6 p.m.	Home	Michigan Panthers	The Dome at America’s Center
May 2, 2025 (Friday)	7 p.m.	Home	Arlington Renegades	The Dome at America’s Center
May 11, 2025 (Sunday)	2 p.m.	Away	Memphis Showboats	Liberty Stadium
May 17, 2025 (Saturday)	12 p.m.	Home	Birmingham Stallions	The Dome at America’s Center
May 23, 2025 (Friday)	7 p.m.	Home	San Antonio Brahmas	The Dome at America’s Center
May 30, 2025 (Friday)	7 p.m.	Away	DC Defenders	Audi Field