Every year, the UFL features some truly inspiring stories from its athletes. Michigan Panthers RB Toa Taua is one of those – as he’s just made it to the next level with the Cleveland Browns, a league source confirms with Pro Football Newsroom. This comes after his workout with the team a day ago.
NEWS: The Cleveland #Browns are signing @USFLPanthers RB Toa Taua, per source.
Taua led the #UFL in rushing touchdowns with six, while proving to be an elite offensive machine for Michigan across the board.
Browns turning to the UFL for some RB depth. pic.twitter.com/R8gZcaEYJC
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) July 26, 2025
Toa’s journey to get to this point is quite impressive. It begins way before the 2025 UFL season, actually. He signed with the Michigan Panthers in 2023, active for one game – completely on special teams.
Last year, Toa was a part of a backfield that featured Wes Hills, Matt Colburn, and Nate McCrary. Toa was let go, but was brought back later in the year – rushing for 26 yards in a week 10 matchup against Birmingham.
After being brought back for UFL Training Camp in 2025, Taua was beat out by new addition Jaden Shirden. Taua was released, and went back to working at a local golf course. However, just two weeks into the year, Colburn went to IR – and Michigan brought Toa back.
He immediately made an impact, seeing his first minutes in week four and scoring a touchdown in their win over the Showboats.
The success continued a week later, when Toa ran for two scores against the St. Louis Battlehawks. It was a tremendous year for Taua, who rushed for 364 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. His six scores led all UFL RB’s – despite not seeing the field much until week four.
In the playoffs, Toa continued to shine. His three touchdowns in the USFL Conference Championship helped lift the Panthers to a victory over Birmingham.
This is Toa’s first true NFL opportunity – and it’s exactly why a league like the UFL exists. He’s never been on an NFL roster, but continued to chase his dreams after a strong career at Nevada.
Toa does more than just run the ball well, too. He’s proven himself as a pass catcher coming out of the backfield, while someone who can also be utilized as blocker/chipper at a high level.
Without the national platform that the UFL provided Toa with, who knows if this would have been possible. Toa is the 18th UFL player to sign an NFL contract – and the second Panther to do so. You can stay up to date on all UFL to NFL signings with our official tracker.
What are your thoughts on Toa Taua signing with the Cleveland Browns? Which Michigan Panthers player should be next? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
