On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns reportedly signed running back Toa Taua (5’-10”, 218 pounds). He played this spring with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL. The roster has another UFL player already in training camp in TE Sal Cannella of the Arlington Renegades.
The team has been searching for another running back ever since the second-round draft pick Quinshon Judkins was arrested for domestic violence. The expectation is that Jenkins will be suspended for six weeks.
RELATED: IN-HOUSE OPTIONS TO REPLACE QUINSHON JUDKINS
Not only did the running back room have a vacancy, but LB Jordan Hicks surprisingly retired, which left a roster spot open. Browns GM Andrew Berry saw it as an opportunity to do the two birds with one stone thing:
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
Who is Toa Taua? Glad you asked.
Beginnings
First off, let’s tackle the pronunciation of his name. It is toe-a, tau-uh. Taua is a Polynesian name. And Polynesians are known for deep family roots.
It was said that Taua was one of the hardest-hitting players ever to play high school football in the State of California. He attended Lompoc High School in Lompoc, California, located just north of Los Angeles and a stone’s throw from the Vandenberg Space Force Base.
He was a two-way player, manning the running back position as well as playing linebacker. Taua rushed for 4,612 yards on 501 carries and scored 76 touchdowns during his prolific high school career, including 1,673 yards in his senior season with 26 scores. On the defensive side, he had 193 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one pick-six, and 8.5 sacks. He became a starter as a freshman.
In his junior year, Taua earned the 2016 All-Area MVP award. He was a three-time Los Padres League MVP winner, and after his final season, he was a nominee for the school’s “Player of the Decade” award.
He was heavily recruited and ranked a four-star prospect by Rivals.com. He received offers from Iowa State, Nevada, San Diego State, New Mexico, Cal, Arizona State, Washington State, and Utah State. Ultimately, he chose Nevada.
Nevada put him straight to work. He became their starter at RB and led the team in rushing with 872 yards with six touchdowns. Taua was named the “Mountain West Freshman of the Year.” The following season, he was again the starting RB with 807 yards, six TDs, and was voted All-Mountain West Honorable Mention.
Before his junior campaign, he was placed on the preseason watch lists for the Doak Walker Award and the Paul Hornung Award.
In his junior year, he rushed for 675 yards with four TDs and was named Second Team All-Mountain West. He had two senior years due to the pandemic. In those years, he had 732 and 911 rushing yards, scored six and 11 touchdowns, and was named All-Mountain West Honorable Mention.
Taua also showed great receiving hands with 163 career receptions for 1,192 yards, four touchdowns, and a 7.3 average yards per reception.
Playing pro ball
The 2023 NFL draft came and went. He was invited to participate in the Philadelphia Eagles team rookie minicamp, but was not offered a training camp contract. And that, could have been that.
Instead, he signed a deal with the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League for the 2023 spring season, but signed late because of his Eagles deal. He played in one game, mainly on special teams.
Photo by Stew Milne/UFL/Getty Images
When Michigan merged into the United Football League (UFL), Taua played two seasons. This past year, he rushed for 357 yards on 81 carries with six touchdowns, plus had nine receptions for 76 yards and an 8.4 yards per reception average.
He was the UFL rushing touchdowns leader.
RELATED: 2025 UFL RUSHING STATS
The Panthers played in the UFL Championship Game after going 6-4-0 but lost 58-34. Taua had eight carries for 34 yards and two catches for 17 yards.
And now, he is with the Browns, hoping to crack this final 53-man roster. His style to the end zone is to run over his opponent. He runs a 4.79 in the 40.
At least, if nothing else, he will get a taste of what an NFL training camp is like. And if he does not make the final cut, he could ride the practice squad until he hears his name called to go suit up for a real NFL contest.