Tag: Kyle Sloter

Former Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter selected in first round of USFL Draft

The USFL is holding its draft. And former Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter was just selected in first round

You may or may not know this, but the USFL is back. Yes, THAT USFL. The one that originally formed in 1985 and lasted just one season before folding is making another run at it 37 years later.

Their inaugural draft is currently being held and is in day two.

Day one began with, as you might expect, quarterbacks. With all eight teams making their selection for who they hope will be their starter.

The number one overall pick by the Michigan Panthers was former Michigan QB Shea Patterson. And the final pick of that first round was recent Raiders practice squad QB Kyle Sloter.

The 6-5 Sloter went undrafted out of Northern Colorado in 2017. Initially he was signed by the Denver Broncos. After being signed to various practice squads over a four-year period, including the Vikings, Cardinals, and Bears, he was signed by the Raiders to a reserve/future contract in January of 2021.

Sloter was released in April, but brought back once the team formed their practice squad in September and remained on the practice squad most of the season until the Vikings signed him to their active roster on December 29 only to waive him five days later.

Now, starting in April, he will have the opportunity to show his skills in actual games to try to prove to NFL clubs that he deserves another shot.

Former Vikings QB Kyle Sloter taken in first round of USFL Draft

Sloter gets taken in the top-10

Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyle Sloter is officially the top draft pick for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers.

NFL legend and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announced the 28-year-old signal caller as the No. 8 overall pick of the 2022 USFL Draft on Tuesday.

Sloter was a depth signing late last season for the Vikings with starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and backup Nate Stanley being put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. However, he didn’t get an opportunity to see the field with the team promoting veteran Sean Mannion as the starter and rookie third-round draft pick Kellen Mond as the primary backup.

Sloter was ultimately waived by the Vikings in early January.

The resurrection of the USFL gives Sloter and others a chance to resume their professional playing careers, while also seeing the field more consistently. Perhaps it even opens up an opportunity for a return to the NFL at some point.

Sloter has spent his NFL career being bounced around practice squads. His recent stint with the Vikings was actually the second in his career. He was with the team for two years before getting waived back in August 2019 as well.

Now, he’ll finally have a chance to captain the ship as the quarterback for the Breakers.

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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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USFL drafts some former Lions players in unique format

Some former Detroit Lions were among the players selected on the first day of the USFL draft

The USFL is coming back soon, with the eight-team league resurrecting later this spring. The new USFL held its first player draft on Tuesday in a unique format, one that saw a couple of players who had Detroit Lions ties selected in the first 12 rounds.

Unlike the NFL draft, the USFL locked each round into just one position group. The first round was strictly reserved for quarterbacks. Two who had cups of coffee with the Lions, Jordan Ta’Amu and Kyle Sloter, were among those chosen in the inaugural draft.

Ta’Amu, taken No. 2 overall by the Tampa Bay Bandits, was on the Lions practice squad in 2020 and then with Detroit in the following offseason. Sloter was on the Lions roster for the final few games of the 2019 season after injuries to Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel. Sloter is now the property of the New Orleans Breakers.

The second through fourth rounds featured defensive linemen and edge rushers, with the fifth through seventh rounds focused solely on offensive tackles. Rounds 8-11 was all about cornerbacks and the 12th circled back to quarterback. The USFL deployed a snake draft concept, with the team picking last in one round earning the first pick in the next.

No other players with Lions ties were selected, though some familiar names did come off the draft board, including former Michigan Wolverines CB Channing Stribling, DE Carlo Kemp, and the league’s No. 1 overall pick, ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson.

Ex-Viking Kyle Sloter earns $51K for being inactive against Packers

Kyle Sloter had an incredible payday for being inactive Sunday for Minnesota

Nice work if you can find it.

Kirk Cousins was out due to COVID-19 so the Minnesota Vikings had to rummage through discarded quarterbacks because they weren’t certain if Sean Mannion would be able to play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.

That would have left the Vikings with only rookie Kellen Mond, so they went out and signed Kyle Sloter.

Mannion, as it turns out, was good to go, so after six days of being on the active roster, Sloter was inactive for Sunday’s NFC North clash.

And a day later, he was gone, waived.

But don’t shed any tears for Sloter. For his efforts, he earned a game check worth $51,111.

Kyle Sloter tops the list of inactives for Vikings vs. Packers in Week 17

It’s officially down to Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond.

The Minnesota Vikings already face a mountain of a challenge without quarterback Kirk Cousins in their Sunday Night Football showdown with the Green Bay Packers. All Vikings fans could do was hold their breath ahead of Sunday’s release of players on the Week 17 inactive list.

Really, now—you can start breathing again.

The goal here for the Vikings’ coaching staff obviously points to sticking with the more experienced players, although many have wondered why rookie quarterback Kellen Mond and even rookie guard Wyatt Davis couldn’t nab starts in this game.

However, with Kyle Sloter officially ruled out, Mond would be the next man up in an emergency.

Cousins was ruled out on Friday after news broke of him testing positive for COVID. So the Vikings are expected to march into the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field with backup Sean Mannion as their starting quarterback.

The team is also playing without their second-leading receiver, Adam Thielen, in a must-win situation.

Yes, even with a diminished roster—somehow, someway—the Vikings are still clinging to their playoff hopes like a hair on a biscuit.

Why do Vikings fans like QB Kyle Sloter so much?

The curious case of Kyle Sloter.

On Tuesday, the Vikings made a minor roster move, but it’s one that garnered praise from parts of the Minnesota fanbase.

The team signed QB Kyle Sloter to the active roster. Minnesota currently has backup QB Sean Mannion residing on the COVID-19/Reserve list, so Sloter, who has some familiarity with the Vikings, can serve as depth for now.

Sloter originally signed with Denver as an undrafted free agent in 2017. The quarterback thrived that preseason. He completed 31 of 43 passes for 413 yards. He also had three touchdowns and had no interceptions.

Despite that, the Broncos waived Sloter in September of 2017. The team still wanted Sloter for its practice squad, but Minnesota ended up landing him instead.

Sloter then spent two seasons with the Vikings. He had a great preseason once again, this time in 2019, going for 443 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in four games, but he ended up getting cut at the end of training camp that year.

So, why have so many Vikings fans been drawn to a player who did well for the team in the preseason?

Overall, Sloter represents a lot of what Vikings fans like: he’s a relatively unknown quantity who’s shown flashes of potential.

Also, Sloter has the appeal of an underdog with Vikings roots. Minnesota was just his second team. He didn’t look like a promising prospect in college and he has been a journeyman during his NFL career.

Sometimes, I think Minnesota fans have a tendency to overvalue what they don’t see Sunday after Sunday. Many fans were clamoring for Dru Samia to start at guard in 2020, the same way people want guard Wyatt Davis to get a starting nod this year. It can be easier to see the potential or upside of someone than it is to see what’s already out there in front of you.

Overall, Sloter is mostly just upside. Who knows, though, maybe he’ll get a chance and thrive, just like he did in the preseason all those years ago.

Vikings sign former preseason hero QB Kyle Sloter

With QB Sean Mannion still on COVID-19/Reserve, the Vikings announced the signing of Kyle Sloter.

Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater — these are the names of quarterbacks that many Vikings fans prefer over current starter Kirk Cousins.

Cousins is better than both statistically speaking, but due to Cousins’ large contract, you can at least make the argument that Minnesota would be better off with Keenum or Bridgewater.

If you really scour the comments of Vikings stories, you’ll even find a more obscure name who some want back: QB Kyle Sloter.

Sloter went on a tear in the Vikings’ 2019 preseason. He completed 39 of 51 (76.5-percent) of his passes, finishing with 443 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

It’s like the Vikings have been listening. With Minnesota backup QB Sean Mannion on the COVID-19/Reserve list, the Vikings elected to bring back Sloter. Minnesota announced that it signed Sloter to the active roster Tuesday.

Additionally, the Vikings signed T Rick Leonard to the practice squad. TE The team also released Brandon Dillon and WR Damion Ratley from the practice squad.

Bears sign DT Anthony Rush to active roster, QB Kyle Sloter to practice squad

Chicago added depth on the defensive line with the signing of DT Anthony Rush to the active roster.

Following news that defensive end Roy Robertson-Harris will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, the Chicago Bears have added depth on the defensive line.

The Bears signed defensive tackle Anthony Rush to the active roster, the team announced Tuesday. Chicago also officially added quarterback Kyle Sloter to the practice squad.

The Bears defensive line took a blow with the loss of Robertson-Harris and John Jenkins being sidelined with an ankle injury. Rush was an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, but he was waived July 27. In nine games with the Eagles and four games with the Seattle Seahawks, Rush notched 14 tackles, including three tackles-for-loss, two pass breakups and 0.5 sacks.

The addition of Sloter comes as insurance should back-up quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who suffered an injury to his right throwing shoulder, not be ready in time for Monday night’s game. Sloter, who had a workout with the Bears last week, has been impressive in preseason, posting an 11-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and averaging a 74% completion percentage and a 119.8 quarterback rating.