Denis Excited for Return to St. Louis

For Lukas Denis, it was an easy decision.

Wait through another off-season and hope for a chance in the NFL or return to the St. Louis Battlehawks and create his own opportunity.

“I’d rather play ball now while I’m still in love with the game,” said Denis. “I just had such a great experience. If I was going to come back, there’s no place I’d rather be than with the Battlehawks.

In 2023, Denis had a pair of interceptions to go with 37 tackles in 10 games with the Battlehawks. He then signed with the Atlanta Falcons and spent the NFL season on their practice squad. Denis agreed to a Futures contract during the off-season and again competed for a position in training camp before being released this past August.

“Being cut after preseason, you’re waiting for an opportunity,” Denis explained. “You’re staying in shape, optimistic and all that. Then towards the back half of the season, you realize that time is winding down.”

That hunger to play and to do so in St. Louis, drove the decision to return to the Battlehawks.

“You really can’t ask for much if you’re not putting active ball on tape,” Denis continued. “You can’t expect somebody to remember what happened a year ago, two years ago. Realistically, the game moves a lot faster than that and there’s a really high exchange rate in professional sports. You have to keep putting the best film out there.”

And for Denis, playing in Defensive Coordinator Donnie Abraham’s mix of traditional zone and man-to-man coverages provides the perfect chance to display his talents.

“I feel like that’s one thing, we had a lot of dimensions with our defense here in St. Louis,” Denis said. “So the transition straight to Atlanta was somewhat seamless. It’s almost the same terminology, but just a different word, but still the same functionality as a word I’d be using prior in Donnie’s defense.”

Denis will compete at safety with a group that returns Dravon Askew-Henry, Nico Bolden, Qwynnterrio Cole, and Kam Kelly. Nate Meadors is also back with the Battlehawks after having traveled a similar path to Denis with the Pittsburgh Steelers this past year.

And former Rutgers standout Avery Young, who has spent time with San Francisco and Tampa, is also looking to make an impact.

St. Louis Battlehawks season tickets are available now at uflbattlehawks.com/tickets or contact the ticket office at tickets@uflbattlehawks.com for more information.