Tag: Steven Montez

Former Washington quarterback to receive tryout with the 49ers

Steven Montez is getting another NFL opportunity.

The then-Washington Football Team signed former Colorado quarterback Steven Montez as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 NFL draft. With Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith and Kyle Allen on the roster at the time, there was no path to playing time, but Montez hoped to impress enough to earn a spot on the practice squad.

The 6-foot-5 Montez impressed Washington’s coaches in the summer, and the team kept him on the practice squad. With injuries piling up and Washington releasing Haskins late that season, Montez was active for Washington’s final three games.

Around this time, the team signed Taylor Heinicke, and Montez’s trajectory with the team changed. With Alex Smith hurt, Montez was often a snap way from playing, and when Washington won the NFC East, Heinicke started the playoff game and almost pulled off an upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team released Montez in August, and he would spend parts of the next two seasons with the Detroit Lions practice squad. In November, Montez landed with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons where he attempted just two passes in one game.

Now, it looks like Montez is receiving another chance at the NFL. With the San Francisco 49ers shorthanded at quarterback, they are bringing in Montez for a tryout at this weekend’s rookie minicamp.

The 49ers have three quarterbacks who’ll make the 53-man roster unless one is traded: Brock Purdy, Trey Lance and Sam Darnold. Purdy is the presumed starter if he’s healthy after offseason elbow surgery.

For Montez, this is another opportunity to show he belongs in the NFL.

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49ers solve QB problem for rookie minicamp, QB Steven Montez to try out

Good news! The 49ers have a QB to participate in rookie minicamp per Eric Branch.

The 49ers had a small quarterback problem for rookie minicamp. None of the four QBs on their roster are eligible to participate. San Francisco got around the issue by bringing a player in for a tryout at the position.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday reported QB Steven Montez will try out with San Francisco at their rookie minicamp, which will begin May 12.

Montez, 26, spent his college career with the University of Colorado. With the Buffaloes he completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 9,710 yards with 63 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.

The Commanders signed Montez as an undrafted rookie following the 2020 draft. He spent time on their practice squad that year and was elevated to the active roster for three games. Montez spent parts of the next two years on the Lions practice squad.

In 2023 Montez joined the XFL with the Seattle Sea Dragons, but his playing time was nonexistent. He threw just two passes in one appearance.

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CU Buffs in the XFL: Opening weekend roundup

A few former #cubuffs fared well in Week 1 of the XFL season

The XFL is back! This past weekend marked the return of the professional spring football league that gives players, including a few former CU Buffs, another opportunity at moving up to the NFL.

For those who don’t know, this is the third time that the XFL has launched as an offseason alternate to the NFL. The league lasted one season under the direction of WWE chairman Vince McMahon in 2001 and made a return in 2020 before being shut down by COVID-19.

Four forever Buffs took the field for XFL teams this weekend. Below is a quick recap of how they performed:

8 Lions who ended 2022 on the practice squad are now free agents

8 Lions who ended 2022 on the practice squad are now free agents after their contracts expired and did not sign reserve/future deals with the team

Monday marked the day when players who finished the 2022 regular season on the practice squad saw their contracts with teams expire. The Detroit Lions had eight members of the practice squad expire and not sign to a reserve/future contract.

Those eight players are now free agents who can sign reserve/future contracts with any other team or a practice squad deal with one of the eight teams still alive in the postseason.

The eight expired contracts:

PK Sam Ficken

TE Garrett Griffin

QB Steven Montez

CB A.J. Parker

CB Saivion Smith

LB Julian Stanford

OT Jarrid Williams

WR Brandon Zylstra

The Lions have 11 players signed to reserve/future contracts. All of those players were with the Lions practice squad or injured reserve at the end of the season.

For the players not signed to reserve/future contracts, it’s a pretty good sign their time with the Lions is over.

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Lions sign QB Steven Montez to the practice squad

Montez was on Detroit’s practice squad last year

The Detroit Lions needed a third quarterback on the roster after losing Joshua Dobbs to the Tennessee Titans this week. Detroit GM Brad Holmes went out and brought back a familiar old name.

The Lions signed QB Steven Montez to the practice squad on Thursday. Montez has previously been with the Lions in the last offseason but was let go in May. Montez, who also played in the XFL, spent time on Detroit’s practice squad in 2021 as well. He played collegiately at Colorado.

Dobbs was signed by the Titans to their active roster after an injury to starter Ryan Tannehill.

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Former CU Buffs QB Steven Montez signs XFL deal

Steven Montez will continue his pro career in the XFL

The University of Colorado’s all-time leading passer, Steven Montez signed an XFL deal with the Seattle Sea Dragons on Tuesday.

The former Buff was on NFL practice squads the past two seasons with the Washington Commanders in 2020 and the Detroit Lions last year but now, the hope is he can get some legitimate playing time in the XFL. Montez ended his CU career throwing for nearly 10,000 yards and compiling a school-best 63 passing touchdowns.

According to the Seattle Times, Montez is expected to compete with former Pitt/James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci for the starting role. Sea Dragons head coach Jim Haslett was complimentary of his two arms heading into the 2023 season:

“Steven is a big kid who is pretty athletic, can make all the throws,” Haslett told the Seattle Times. “Good looking kid, (and) smart. So I think it’s a heck of a twosome. I think it’s the best two guys in the league, and so I’m excited about working with them.”

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Colorado football iconic moments: Upsetting Oregon in 2016

Iconic Colorado football moments: Steven Montez’s historic day, Bryce Bobo’s acrobatic touchdown and Akhello Witherspoon’s interception helped the Buffs beat Oregon in 2016

The date is Sept. 24, 2016. The Buffaloes roll into Eugene at 2-1 to play the 2-1 Oregon Ducks. Colorado has just come off a hard-fought loss in Ann Arbor, a game in which the Buffs lost their starting quarterback, senior Sefo Liufau, to injury. Highly touted freshman Steven Montez will be making the first start of his career as CU looks to capture its first win against Oregon since joining the Pac-12.

The Buffs come out of the gates red hot, scoring on their first four possessions of the game. Phillip Lindsay scores on a 1-yard run on CU’s first possession. A 24-yard Chris Graham field goal completes the second drive for the Buffaloes. Shay Fields hauls in a 7-yard touchdown pass and Montez runs in a touchdown of his own to round out the scoring in those four drives.

Oregon starts slow but is able to counter-punch a bit by ending the half scoring on three of its last four drives — two touchdowns and a field goal — to stay within striking distance of Colorado. Graham puts an end to the first half scoring with a 33-yard field goal. Halftime: 26-17, good guys.

Colorado continues its onslaught by taking the third quarter kickoff and marching the ball 75 yards in only five plays, capped off by a 48-yard strike from Montez to Devin Ross that put the Buffaloes up 33-17. But Oregon wouldn’t go down quietly as the Ducks score 21 unanswered points while the Buffs’ offense slows down. Oregon takes a 38-33 lead into the fourth quarter.

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The black and gold need to find an answer and they have to find it quick. Up to this point, you would never suspect that Montez was a freshman, as he has carved up the Ducks through the air and on the ground. Montez then steps up again in a huge way. At the 8:51 mark of the fourth, he lets loose with a 31-yard bomb to Bryce Bobo and…

Touchdown. The Buffs now lead 41-38, but can they hold on? Fast forward a few minutes and Oregon starts its final drive of the game at the 2:57 mark. The Ducks are able to march down the field and with 55 seconds remaining and produce a first-and-goal from the Buffs’ 7-yard line. Dakota Prukop takes the snap, fires a pass in the endzone and…

The Buffaloes would kneel the ball and leave Eugene with a 41-38 victory. Montez would etch his name in the history books as well, becoming the first Colorado player ever to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in the same game. Talk about putting an exclamation point on a recording breaking first start.

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Lions waive QB Steven Montez

Montez was on the Lions practice squad for most of 2021

The Detroit Lions have made another roster move in advance of this weekend’s rookie minicamp. Quarterback Steven Montez was waived on Wednesday morning.

Montez never suited up for the team but was on the practice squad for the bulk of the 2021 season. He was originally an undrafted free agent out of Colorado who spent time with the Washington Commanders prior to joining the Lions last fall. He returned to Detroit on a reserve/future contract earlier this offseason.

Detroit already has three veteran QBs under contract. Jared Goff is the starter, and the team paid to bring back both Tim Boyle and David Blough as backups. No undrafted rookie QBs have been signed as of yet, though the team could score a UDFA on a rookie tryout basis this weekend.

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Lions sign 9 from the practice squad to reserve/future contracts

The Lions locked up nine of the players from their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday

One of the first orders of business for NFL teams in the offseason is to handle the players who ended the season on the practice squad. Those players, who are not technically under contract to the team any longer, are free to do what they wish.

For the players the Detroit Lions and other teams wish to keep around to at least start the 2022 offseason, they can sign reserve/future contracts. They are effectively commitments by the team to bring the players back with a chance to compete for spots in the coming season.

The Lions locked up nine of the players from their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday:

DE Eric Banks
LB Tavante Beckett
DE Bruce Hector
WR Javon McKinley
QB Steven Montez
CB Parnell Motley
OT Dan Skipper
CB Saivion Smith
TE Shane Zylstra

The Lions also activated OLB Austin Bryant from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Bryant missed the final two games.

Lions reveal the 4 protected practice squad players for Week 1

The protection means that another team cannot sign these players to their active roster until the protection ends after this week’s games are done

Fresh off creating the team’s 16-player practice squad, the Detroit Lions have revealed the first week’s protected players from the practice players.

Protecting practice squad players is a wrinkle that was added last season and carries over due to overwhelmingly positive reception from both teams and players. Each team can protect up to four players each week, which means another team cannot sign those practice squad players to their active rosters. The protection ends after the week’s games are complete.

The Lions chose to protect safety Jalen Elliott, defensive end Bruce Hector, kicker Zane Gonzalez and quarterback Steven Montez for Week 1. Montez was signed to the practice squad after cutdowns, while the others have been with Detroit since training camp.