Quarterback Kyle Sloter could be landing back in the Windy City. The Chicago Bears are bringing in the former preseason darling of the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos for a tryout during rookie mini-camps this weekend, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Sloter spent part of the 2020 season on the Bears’ practice squad, so he’s no stranger to Chicago.
With Andy Dalton, Justin Fields and Nick Foles all on the roster and perennial practice squad quarterback Tyler Bray now departed, the Bears will need a replacement for Bray on the PS this season. Could Sloter be the guy? Considering head coach Matt Nagy’s tendency to keep quarterbacks around who have some familiarity with his system, Sloter could be the front-runner for the position right now.
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Kyle Sloter is Known for Standout Preseason Performances
Sloter played college ball at Southern Miss before transferring to Northern Colorado. He was signed by the Denver Broncos in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. He became known as a bit of a preseason superstar after going 31-43 for 413 yards and tossing three touchdowns and no interceptions with a passer rating of 125.4 during the preseason with Denver that year. He had another standout preseason with the Vikings in 2019 after completing 76.5 percent of his passes (39-of-51) for 443 yards and four touchdowns.
He was eventually released by both teams before the regular season began, and after spending the 2019 season on both the Arizona Cardinals’ and the Detroit Lions’ practice squads, he made his way to Chicago in 2020.
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Sloter Was on the Bears Practice Squad in 2020
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Sloter joined the Bears’ practice squad last November, and he signed a reserve/future contract with the Las Vegas Raiders this spring before being released mid-April.
Sloter is an athlete, to be sure, with impressive maneuverability for his size. He spent some time at both running back and wide receiver in his collegiate days at Northern Colorado from 2015-16, but he has yet to see the field during an NFL regular-season game.
While Foles is even more massive at 6 feet, 6 inches and 243 pounds, Sloter is far more athletic, and he’s far larger than the other two quarterbacks on the Bears roster: Dalton is 6 feet, 2 inches and 220 pounds, and Fields is 6 feet, 3 inches and 227 pounds.
“I know I can be a starter in this league,” Sloter said at the close of the 2019 season, via Sports Illustrated. “Nothing in this league has told me that I can’t be.”
He has yet to make that happen, but we’ll see whether he lands a spot on Chicago’s practice squad after his tryout.
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Bears to Host Massive Ex-Vikings QB for Tryout: Report