Nashville Kats Playbook: Road Warriors

The 2025 Arena Football One season is in full swing. Week 6 is upon us and all eight teams are laser-focused on the task at hand. For General Manager / Head Coach Darren Arbet, the ebbs and flows of the season are evident. Roster movement is also prevalent, with players heading to IR, new signings occurring, etc. We caught up with Coach Arbet ahead of tonight’s highly anticipated matchup with the Washington Wolfpack to discuss all things Kats! Looking to watch AF1 this season? Head to EvergreenNOW! and Vice TV to get all the action on all of your streaming devices!

team health

On the injury front, the Kats have placed Wide Receiver Lance Evans along with Defensive Backs Kenny Veal and Ky’Von Smith on the 14-day Injured Reserve list. Nashville does get back Defensive Back Derrick “DJ” Maxwell, Jr., as he has been activated off IR. Coach Arbet spoke about who would be stepping up to fill in for Veal in his absence. “Multiple guys. All of those guys can play well back there. Byron Edwards is playing well. Shaun Lewis. Amos Coleman. They should do just fine.”

new faces head to nashville

With Evans heading to IR, Nashville has signed Wide Receiver Milton Williams III. Williams III had a great year for Nashville last season and now joins the fold in 2025. Williams III joins a receiving corp consisting of Robert Jones, Jr., Jordan Gandy, Antwane Grant, and Dakari Thorpe. Coach Arbet gave a great answer when asked about Williams III’s role for his new team. “[Williams III is a] big body guy that can play. He can play very well. [He] gets open and has great hands. [He has] tremendous speed for a guy his size.” Nashville has also signed former University of Alabama / McNeese State Kicker Gunnar Raborn. A quick turnaround for Raborn, who was just signed yesterday, is set to kick in Thursday night’s game against Washington. Arbet spoke on his new kicker saying “[He] started off at Alabama. [He has a] strong leg and good accuracy. A two-time All-American at McNeese State. When he kicked for us, he made everything. We’re excited to see how he plays tonight.”

week 6 practice

Following an off week for the club in Week 5, the focus in practice shifted to the Wolfpack for Week 6. We asked Coach Arbet about how his team looked and how they prepared for Washington this week. We started with the quarterback position and how each of his players looked. “I thought they looked good. I like Tyler Kulka. I like Dalton [Oliver]. He understands the game really well. He can read coverages really well. I think we’re getting better every week.” Next, we pivoted to his offensive linemen who have the tall task of protecting the quarterback. The Wolfpack lead the league in sacks heading into Week 6 action. Coach Arbet talked about how Washington has assembled a great defensive line and what the Kats need to do tonight in the trenches. “The thing about them [Washington] is, they get up the field. They’re fast, and they get after it every play. They are a strong team on the defensive line. We need to be able to make sure we block them.”

Lastly, the Wolfpack are led by the dual-threat playmaking abilities of Quarterback Ed Crouch. We asked Arbet how he and his team prepared for Crouch this week in practice. “You have to be able to contain him. Anytime you see him, he can take off. He has good speed and good vision. He has had a lot of success playing quarterback.” The Kats look to get their second win of the season tonight on the road against Washington. Be sure to tune into EvergreenNOW! when the game kicks off at 10:00PM EST.