Tag: Case Cookus

Former Viking Case Cookus Shines in UFL Opening Weekend

Once a player leaves the NFL it is tough for them to find their way back into the limelight, on Sunday one former Viking found his way back.

Once a player leaves the NFL, it is tough for them to find their way back into the limelight. On Sunday, one former Viking found his way back.

Case Cookus, who was a member of the Vikings practice squad in 2021, stole the show of the league’s Sunday slate. Now a member of the Memphis Showboats, Cookus led his team to a win after completing the highlight playoff the weekend.

The game itself was a defensive battle, but the hot start on offense came from Cookus and the Memphis Showboats. His team would go on to win 18-12 with himself passing for 204 passing yards and one touchdown, which can be seen above.

The UFL as a whole had a lot of bright moments; Cookus dominated its Sunday slate. With several other Vikimgs on the rosters, there is a good chance more former Vikings will be getting noticed as their season progresses.

Ex-Broncos backup QB named starter for UFL’s Houston Roughnecks

Remember Jarrett Guarantano? He had a brief stint with the Broncos in 2022. He’s now set to start in the UFL this spring.

A former Denver Broncos (backup) quarterback has been named a starter in the United Football League (a new spring league formed by the merger of the XFL and USFL).

The Houston Roughnecks will start Jarrett Guarantano in their season opener next weekend, coach Curtis Johnson announced Wednesday.

Guarantano, 26, played college football at Tennessee and Washington State before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. After the Cardinals released Guarantano from their practice squad midway through his rookie season, he tried out for Denver. Two weeks later, the Broncos signed Guarantano to their practice squad.

He was elevated to the game-day roster in Week 15 to serve as a backup behind Brett Rypien (Russell Wilson was out with a concussion). Guarantano was fully promoted to the 53-man roster the next week. Denver cut the QB last summer and he signed with the UFL last December.

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Guarantano isn’t the only QB who had a cup of coffee with the Broncos set to play in the UFL this spring.

Case Cookus, who lasted three days in Denver during the 2021 offseason, has had quite a journeyman career. After his brief stint with the Broncos, Cookus went on to spend time with three NFL teams, one CFL team and one USFL team. He is now set to play for the Memphis Showboats in 2024.

Two other ex-Denver quarterbacks — Paxton Lynch and Kyle Sloter — were backups in the XFL last spring but are now free agents.

Also of note: former Broncos coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will serve as the head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas.

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The new UFL spring football league will feature at least 20 ex-Broncos

The XFL and USFL have merged to form the UFL. The spring league will feature at least 20 former Broncos players, plus coach Wade Phillips.

Last month, the XFL and USFL announced that they have merged ahead of the 2024 spring season, forming a new United Football League (UFL).

The XFL and USFL brands will remain intact as each will be repurposed as a conference in the UFL. The new league will feature eight teams — four in the XFL conference and four in the USFL conference.

The 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions will face the 2023 XFL champion Arlington Renegades in the 2024 UFL season opener on March 30.

Former Denver Broncos coach Wade Phillips will serve as the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas, and the league will feature at least 20 former Broncos.

The UFL has only gone through one phase of its player dispersal process so far. The next round of player dispersal will take place on Jan. 15, followed by free agency on Jan. 16. So it’s possible that more former Broncos players could join the league before the March 30 opener.

Here’s a look at the 20 players under contract so far.

11 former Broncos set to play in the USFL this spring

There are 11 former Broncos playing in the USFL this spring.

Who’s ready for more spring football?

In addition to the ongoing 2023 XFL season, the USFL is also set to kick off its spring schedule this weekend with eight teams. The XFL’s season started earlier and they got a head start on landing talent, signing 24 former Denver Broncos players this spring.

While the XFL is entering Week 9 of its regular season, the USFL will begin Week 1 on Saturday. There are 11 former Broncos in the USFL this year, most of whom had brief stints on Denver’s offseason roster.

There were 20 former Broncos in the USFL last spring, including quarterbacks Kyle Sloter and Paxton Lynch, who now play in the XFL.

Denver signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd last August after he competed in the USFL last spring. Last November, the Broncos signed fellow USFL wide receiver Victor Bolden to their practice squad. Denver will undoubtedly consider talent from the XFL and USFL again this year after those leagues wrap up their respective seasons.

Here’s a quick look at the 11 former Broncos playing in the USFL in 2023.

Rams sign QB Case Cookus, C Cole Toner to practice squad

The Rams have added a quarterback to the practice squad in case Matthew Stafford or John Wolford can’t play this week

We’ve gotten our first sign that Matthew Stafford and/or John Wolford may not be able to play on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Los Angeles Rams announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed quarterback Case Cookus to the practice squad, along with center Cole Toner.

Stafford is being evaluated for a concussion after leaving Sunday’s game in New Orleans. Wolford missed the game with a neck injury, which he suffered in Week 10 when he started in place of Stafford. Bryce Perkins replaced Stafford against the Saints this past week.

Cookus, who’s from Thousand Oaks, came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and has had stints with the Giants, Broncos, Vikings and Raiders since then. He was last on an NFL roster in August of 2021 but was cut by the Raiders before the season began. Since then, he spent five days in the CFL with the Edmonton Elks and was recently drafted into the USFL by the Philadelphia Stars.

Toner was a fifth-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2016 and has played 14 games in his NFL career. He was last with the Texans in 2021, playing and starting one game.

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Paxton Lynch was outplayed by a former Broncos minicamp QB in USFL game

Former Broncos minicamp QB Case Cookus has looked better than former Broncos first-round pick Paxton Lynch in the USFL.

How the mighty have fallen.

Once a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Paxton Lynch is getting outplayed by another former Broncos quarterback in the USFL. That’s not a typo.

Earlier this week, the 28-year-old Lynch led the Michigan Panthers in battle against the Case Cookus-led Philadelphia Stars. That’s right: Lynch was outdueled against a former Broncos QB you’ve never heard of. Cookus took home a dub, winning 46-24.

Cookus totaled a 145.4 quarterback rating, completing 20-of-26 passes for 247 yards and four (!) touchdowns. Cookus also rushed for more than 100 yards, including an 79-yard score on the ground.

The performance earned Cookus an Offensive Player of the Week nomination (fans can vote on Twitter).

Lynch, meanwhile, totaled an 80.3 quarterback rating. He completed 27-of-40 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Lynch threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as well. Some things never change. Oof.

Lynch’s Panthers (1-7) are scheduled to next face off against the New Jersey Generals (7-1) on Saturday, while Cookus’ Stars (5-3) will take on the Pittsburgh Maulers (1-7) on Sunday.

Lynch appeared in five games (four starts) for the Broncos, going 1-3 as a starter. Lynch is now getting a second chance in the USFL. Perhaps things will turn around for the former first-round pick at some point.

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Philadelphia Stars score on long pass after interception

Case Cookus with a 41-yard touchdown pass for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Stars saw the Michigan Panthers go 88 yards after the play after an interception Friday.

So, they returned the favor in the second quarter, too.

Shea Patterson of Michigan had his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage and it floated into the hands of Jordan Moore.

Case Cookus came onto the field and called a pass play.

Cookus, who played college ball at Northern Arizona, was making his first start in three years. He dropped for a pass and was able to get the ball over the fingertips of a Panthers defender and into the hands of Diondre Overton.

The play was good for 41 yards and after the PAT the teams went into halftime tied at 17.

Cookus explained how and why the play worked to FS1’s Brock Huard.

3 ex-Broncos QBs selected in USFL draft

Former Broncos quarterbacks Kyle Sloter, Paxton Lynch and Case Cookus were selected in the USFL draft.

When Paxton Lynch was cut by his CFL team, we thought the quarterback’s football career might be over. That speculation proved to be premature.

After selecting former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson with the first overall pick of the USFL draft on Tuesday evening, the Michigan Panthers later added Lynch in the 12th round (the second round dedicated to QBs).

Lynch, a former Denver Broncos first-round draft pick, now appears poised to serve as Patterson’s backup in the new league this spring.

Another former Broncos quarterback, preseason fan favorite Kyle Sloter, was picked by the New Orleans Breakers in the first round. Kyle seems to be the early favorite in New Orleans to start over 12th-round pick Zach Smith.

A third ex-Denver QB, Case Cookus, was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars in the 12th round after Philly picked Bryan Scott in the first round. Cookus had a cup of coffee with the Broncos last May.

The USFL will wrap up its inaugural draft on Wednesday.

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Ex-Giants Clayton Thorson, Kyle Lauletta selected in USFL draft

Three former New York Giants quarterbacks, including Clayton Thorson and Kyle Lauletta, were selected on Day 1 of the USFL Player Draft.

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The 35-round inaugural USFL Player Draft kicked off on Tuesday night in Birmingham, Alabama with 12 rounds — each specific to a single position — completed.

First up were the quarterbacks and at No. 5 overall, former New York Giants backup Clayton Thorson got the nod. He is headed to the Houston Gamblers.

The 26-year-old Thorson was originally signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019. The former Northwestern star then spent two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Giants in 2020.

Thorson spent two years with the Giants, but never appeared in a regular season game.

Two picks later at No. 7 overall, the Pittsburgh Maulers drafted ex-Giant Kyle Lauletta.

Lauletta was a fourth-round pick of the Giants in the 2018 NFL draft, but his career in East Rutherford was short-lived. He was waived as a part of final roster cuts in 2019 and went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In two career games, both with the Giants, Lauletta went 0-for-5 passing and compiled -2 yards rushing (kneel down).

In addition to Thorson and Lauletta, former Giants quarterback Case Cookus (2020) was also selected by the Philadelphia Stars in Round 12.

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Top Vikings storylines recently

Miss anything? Here are some big Vikings storylines.

Minnesota is in the midst of an interesting offseason.

The Vikings let go of several veterans to make room for big-ticket free agency signings. That and more has led to one of the most interesting training camps in recent memory.

For Vikings fans, it can be hard to take in all the information from the past week. So here is a helpful list for anything you may have missed: