The preseason hype machine around the Denver Outlaws offense, once roaring at a fever pitch, is now stuck between best-in-the-league highs and frustrating single-digit lows.
The core four – Pat Kavanagh, Brennan O’Neill, Jared Bernhardt and Logan Wisnauskas – have all been good for the most part. The supporting cast, though, has been inconsistent.
With that in mind, Denver is turning to fresh blood for this weekend’s homecoming at Peter Barton Stadium. The Outlaws are activating undrafted rookie John Dunphey for the first time ahead of Friday’s game against the Utah Archers (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+).
“He’s a natural midfielder. He gives us a lefty presence out of the midfield,” head coach Tim Soudan said. “We really like how quick he is.”
The move is a result of Evan Plunkett’s absence due to military commitments, as first reported by Kevin Brown of Inside Lacrosse. That loss gave the Outlaws a chance to see fresh faces out of the box.
Dunphey is an explosive dodger who brings a different skill set to the Denver midfield. For one, he’s a natural lefty, which makes him unique among the Outlaws’ rostered middies for most of the season. That can lend itself to potential two-man games on the wing with either O’Neill or Wisnauskas.
Beyond handedness, though, Dunphey is a dynamic athlete with fluid moves with the ball in his stick. Between a non-dodger like Graham Bundy Jr. or a converted attackman like Dalton Young, none of Denver’s midfield options can attack a defender quite like Dunphey.
This Princeton offense 😩
John Dunphey has his defender TRIPPING. pic.twitter.com/ygrfS4YAli
— TLN 🥍 (@LacrosseNetwork) May 25, 2026
Dunphey also boasts a strong resume from his career at Princeton, which was capped off by the program’s first national championship since 2001. He scored 21 goals and provided 18 assists as a senior.
“He’s exactly what you hope for in a player and in a teammate,” Princeton head coach Matt Madalon said in a May feature story on the program’s website. “We’d love to have 50 of him.”
Dunphey’s insertion into the lineup comes while another rookie is battling a challenging adjustment to the pro game.
The Outlaws went all in on Plunkett, trading three draft picks to move up and take the Army product fourth overall. It was always a risky move given his future military obligations, but his play hasn’t met the expectations of a top-five pick either this season.
Plunkett flashed this past weekend with a goal and an assist in a 10-8 win over Carolina. Before that, he’d recorded just four points over his first five games, including back-to-back scoreless outings. He’s shooting 7.1% for the season, scoring just two goals on 28 shots.
His playmaking hasn’t quite been there, either, with just four assists to his name in six games played. And Plunkett isn’t the only midfielder searching for form, as Bundy Jr. has gone three games without a goal.
In addition to Dunphey, who will debut Friday night, the Outlaws have Nolan Byrne listed on the protected roster with the availability to play the second game of the weekend (Saturday night against the Philadelphia Waterdogs).
Byrne is a fascinating prospect, only playing four games of college lacrosse at Lafayette before leaving school and eventually signing with the Georgia Swarm in the NLL. Now, two seasons removed from his last field lacrosse experience, he could step on a PLL field.
He had 55 points (36G, 19A) in his rookie season indoors. The Outlaws rate him highly and have been patiently waiting for an opportunity to bring him to a game weekend and potentially see him on the field.
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