Kyle Peko (born July 23, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

. He played

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at Cerritos College and Oregon State. Peko signed with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

as an undrafted free agent following the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

Professional career

Denver Broncos (first stint)

On May 3, 2016, Peko signed with the

as an undrafted free agent following the

. On September 20, he was released by the Broncos, and re-signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on September 22. He was promoted to the active roster on December 28. During the 2017 season, Peko was involved in multiple transactions; he was signed and released five times. On September 1, 2018, Peko was waived by the Broncos and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was released on September 11.

Buffalo Bills

On September 12, 2018, Peko was signed to the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bills on December 31. On August 31, 2019, Peko was waived by the Bills and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 24, and was waived on November 2.

Indianapolis Colts

On November 4, 2019, Peko was claimed off waivers by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, but was waived five days later and re-signed to the practice squad.

Denver Broncos (second stint)

On December 14, 2019, Peko was signed by the Broncos off the Colts' practice squad. On July 28, 2020, Peko announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He was released after the season on February 18, 2021.

Tennessee Titans (first stint)

On July 26, 2021, Peko signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on August 26. He was released on September 6, and re-signed to the practice squad on October 13. He was promoted to the active roster on November 17. Peko put up 1.0 sack in each of the last two games of the season, the only sacks in his career to date. He also put up the only forced fumble in his career in the first of those last two games, a 34–3 win against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Las Vegas Raiders

On March 22, 2022, Peko signed with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

. He was released on August 30, and re-signed to the practice squad on September 5. On September 13, Peko was released from the practice squad and re-signed on October 26. On December 6, Peko was signed to the Raiders' active roster. On July 25, 2023, Peko re-signed with the Raiders. He was released on August 13.

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On August 14, 2023, Peko signed with the Titans. He was released on August 29 and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 19. In Week 13 against the

, Peko put on a season-best performance with 2 QB hits and 1 pass defensed against quarterback Gardner Minshew; the Titans lost 31–28 in overtime. Peko was placed on injured reserve on December 13, where he remained the rest of the season.

Detroit Lions

On May 7, 2024, Peko signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 11. On October 13, 2024, against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, Peko suffered a torn pectoral muscle that resulted in him being placed on injured reserve after undergoing season–ending surgery.

Personal life

Peko is the younger cousin of nose tackle Domata Peko, who was drafted by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in ; the two became teammates on the

in . In 2019, Peko's wife, Giuliana, was diagnosed with cancer, specifically stage 3

Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...

, and Kyle was excused for the first day of Bills' training camp. Peko later announced that her treatment was successful and she was cancer-free. They have two children together.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bio

Oregon State Beavers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peko, Kyle 1993 births Living people American sportspeople of Samoan descent Players of American football from Orange County, California Sportspeople from La Habra, California American football defensive tackles Oregon State Beavers football players Denver Broncos players Buffalo Bills players Indianapolis Colts players Tennessee Titans players Las Vegas Raiders players Detroit Lions players Pacific Islander American players of American football