A lot changed for Kyle Sloter in 10 months since his last start on a football field. He got a college degree. He was offered a job as a financial adviser. He went undrafted, signed with the Broncos shortly after, then watched his life turned into the American dream, as a third-string quarterback fortuitously positioned to vie for a backup job in the NFL.
The “nobody” was suddenly on the brink of being somebody and already had a celebrity following.
Thursday evening, he had one more chance to make his dream a lasting reality as the Broncos hosted the Cardinals in their preseason finale — a game meaningless for its score but significant for Sloter and more than two dozen others clawing for roster spots.
“Every job is on the line, obviously,” coach Vance Joseph said. “These guys are playing for their NFL careers.”
And although Sloter’s entrance couldn’t have been much worse, he found his rhythm — and the end zone — to carry the Broncos to a 30-2 victory and give his coaches plenty of reasons to consider him for a roster spot.
He finished 15-of-23 in passing for 220 yards, one touchdown, two sacks and a 110.8 passer rating.
In his opening drive, Sloter went 0-for-1 and was sacked in the end zone for a safety as Cardinals linebacker Alex Bazzie blew by right tackle Donald Stephenson for the takedown.
A dropped pass by Jordan Taylor forced the Broncos to settle for a 52-yard field goal on the subsequent possession, and then Sloter, slow to get rid of the ball, was sacked again, inches away from taking another safety.
“It was a rough start. I got to be better there, no excuses on that,” Sloter said. “But it’s a learning experience and I’m going to hopefully continue to get better.
“Every player has play calls that work in their mind more than others. It’s ones that you’ve run in practice a thousand times where you just want to see it go into their hands. I think it was just a matter of doing that and things got turned around pretty quickly. I got my confidence and we were able to get it rolling.”
After some words of encouragement and a pat on the helmet by Joseph, Sloter regrouped and connected with Anthony Nash for a deep completion, then handed it off for a 27-yard run by Stevan Ridley. Ridley capped the drive by plowing through a few Cardinals defenders for a 3-yard touchdown.
“He had a slow start tonight with the safety and taking a sack backed up, but he came out of it and had three 80-yard scoring drives. So he’s been impressive,” Joseph said. “He’s a young, poised quarterback. He’s very, very intelligent. So I’ve been impressed with Kyle.”
The good got better for Sloter. He led the Broncos to two more scores in the second half, including a 13-play, 96-yard drive in the fourth. Sloter threaded the needle for a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Steven Scheu for the final score and further make his case as a backup, at least in the short-term.
Joseph said the team planned to get through the preseason before visiting their options in temporarily replacing injured Paxton Lynch. They could keep Sloter on through Week 1 to get a vested veteran at a lower rate (veterans signed during the season are guaranteed only 25 percent of their salary, whereas those signed for Week 1 are guaranteed the full salary). Or they may seek outside help immediately when the list of free agents swells to some 1,100 players Saturday afternoon.
As the Broncos mull the options at quarterback, however, they must also mull some difficult decisions across the roster. They have a long list of valuable receivers. They finally have help on the offensive line, and plenty more at running back. And they have depth to envy in the defensive backfield, where both veterans and rookies alike may be gone.
The top play Thursday came from that group. Undrafted rookie Dymonte Thomas picked off a pass by Trevor Knight and ran it back 58 yards for the score to give the Broncos a 17-2 lead late in the second quarter. Denver likely won’t have room for him on the 53-man roster. But he might have a shot at the 10-man practice squad.
Cornerback Brendan Langley, however, unofficially joined the Baby No Fly Zone after his performance, when he displayed the speed and power that prompted the Broncos to spend a third-round draft pick on him in May. He was described then as “raw,” as an inexperienced project with the potential to be a great. He showed why with four total tackles and a pass breakup in the win.
The totality of OTAs, and minicamp and especially preseason are weighted. But one good day can sway the judges. And one bad day can end dreams.
“That’s not up to me. I put my best out there and whatever happens I can leave — or stay — with my head high,” Sloter said. “I don’t have any regrets about anything. I felt like I was prepared. I took my lumps here and there, but for the most part I just tried to rebound from those and come back stronger and get a little bit better each day. … I hope I’m here in Denver and things work out.”
