Former CFL Star Linebacker Continues to Shine in NFL
There are times when a football player has to perform well in another league before getting a shot in the NFL. That’s what happened with current Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton, who played in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders for three seasons before getting his NFL break.
Singleton started in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. He also bounced between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.
After not making any of their rosters, he was drafted in the first round of the 2016 CFL Draft by the Stampeders. That’s where his football career started to take off, playing three seasons in Calgary with much success.
He finished those three seasons with 311 defensive tackles, 17 special teams tackles, four sacks, six forced fumbles and one interception. Singleton collected some hardware in the process, winning the Most Valuable Defensive Player Award in 2017 and being named a CFL All-Star twice in 2017 and 2018. He played a critical role in the Stampeders winning the Grey Cup in 2018 over the Ottawa Redblacks.
After the Grey Cup, he would get his shot back into the NFL signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019. His breakout season was 2020, recording more than 100 tackles and a pick-6 earning. After a 137-tackle season in 2021, Singleton signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022.
The 2022 season was a career year for Singleton recording 163 tackles in 17 games played. He re-signed with the Broncos in the offseason to a three-year, $18 million contract. In 2023 so far, Singleton is tied for seventh in the NFL in tackles with 100.
The boost the CFL was able to provide to Singleton is one of the key reasons he has had success in the NFL over the last five years. Earlier this year while attending a Calgary Flames game, Flames TV asked Singleton to reflect on his time in the CFL. For Singleton, the CFL is close to his heart, and appreciates the support from Canadian football fans.
"I've always said, I have a whole country behind me," Singleton said. "I think that's the coolest part of the CFL and Canada in general. [Fans of certain teams] might've hated me for the three years when we were playing against them, usually the Roughrider fans. They all follow me, and the support they give is so cool."
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.