Alex Reed Singleton (born December 7, 1993) is a Canadian-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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for 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 ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Montana State Bobcats and was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

after the

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. He has also been a member of the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

, and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

Singleton was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the

on May 8, 2015. He signed a three-year contract worth $1,578,500 and received a $3,500 signing bonus. On September 5, he was released.

New England Patriots

Three days later, Singleton was 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 ...

of the

. He was released on September 15, 2015.

Minnesota Vikings

Singleton was signed to the

' practice squad on December 22, 2015. He was released on April 13, 2016.

Calgary Stampeders

Singleton was selected by the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 CFL Draft. He had acquired a Canadian passport in October 2015, having qualified for dual citizenship because his mother was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Under then-recently implemented CFL rules, Singleton's Canadian citizenship automatically qualified him to be counted as a Canadian "national" player – previously, players who did not play a meaningful part of their amateur football careers in Canada were counted as "international" players even if they were Canadian citizens. Singleton signed with the team on May 17, 2016. He made his CFL debut on June 25, 2016, against the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. Singleton had an exceptional first season in the CFL and quickly became one of the Stampeders important players on defense. Over the course of the season, he played in all 18 regular season games, and the Stamps two playoff games. He contributed 65 defensive

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 9

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles, and 3 forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

. On November 1, 2017, Singleton was announced as the team's nominee for the CFL's most outstanding defensive player, most outstanding Canadian and most outstanding player awards, including sweeping all votes in the defensive and Canadian player categories. His 121 tackles going into week 20 of the CFL season were already the most in Calgary Stampeders history. Singleton's 2018 season matched the previous year in tackles with 123. Although he recorded no sacks, Singleton did add 6 special teams tackles for the Stamps, as well as 2 forced fumbles and was named to his second CFL All-Star team. On January 7, Singleton was released by the Stampeders so he could pursue NFL opportunities.

Philadelphia Eagles

On January 7, 2019, Singleton signed with the

along with CFL teammate Marken Michel. Singleton played in all four preseason games for the Eagles, and contributed with 28 defensive tackles and one forced fumble. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019, but was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day. On October 16, 2019, Singleton was promoted to the active roster following the release of linebacker Zach Brown. He played in 10 games, only on special teams. In Week 4 of 2020 against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

on '' Sunday Night Football'', Singleton went into the game on defense due to an injury to T. J. Edwards. With less than 6 minutes remaining in the game, Singleton recorded his first career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

off a pass thrown by Nick Mullens and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown during the 25–20 win. By Week 6, Singleton became a starting linebacker for the Eagles. In Week 11 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, Singleton led the team with 12 tackles, sacked

Baker Mayfield Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Oklahoma Sooners ...

once, and recovered a fumble lost by Mayfield during the 22–17 loss. In Week 17 against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

on ''Sunday Night Football'', Singleton led the team with 14 tackles and sacked Alex Smith once during the 20–14 loss. Overall, Singleton played in all regular season games with 11 starts and led the Eagles in tackles at 120. As a result, he earned an additional $464,296 through performance-based pay. On March 1, the Eagles placed a one-year exclusive-rights free agent tender on Singleton, which he signed on March 25, 2021. On September 6, it was announced that he was voted by his teammates to be a team captain for the 2021 season. After initially playing at the starting linebacker position, he was relegated to backup and replaced by Davion Taylor in Week 6. He was put back into the starting position in Week 12 after an injury to Taylor. In Week 16 against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, he caught an interception off a deflection from Rodney McLeod and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown, his second career pick-6. He was placed on the

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list on January 3, 2022. He was activated one week later on January 10, missing just one game where the Eagles did not play their starters as they had already clinched a playoff spot. Singleton finished the season as the team's leading tackler for the 2nd year in a row with 137, the most in a single season by any Eagle since Byron Evans in 1992. In the wild card game against the Buccaneers, Singleton led the team in tackles with 16, which included 4 tackles for loss and one sack in the 31–15 loss.

Denver Broncos

On March 18, 2022, Singleton signed a one-year contract with the

reportedly worth $1.1 million guaranteed with $750k in playing time incentives. The move reunited him with quarterback

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

, whom Singleton had formed a relationship with during his short stint in Seattle. On October 17, 2022, during a Week 6 game against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, Singleton recorded 19 solo tackles and a total of 21 combined tackles in the 19–16 overtime loss. His 19 solo tackles tied

Derrick Brooks Derrick Dewan Brooks (born April 18, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for his entire 14-year career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college footbal ...

for the second-most solo tackles in a single game in NFL history. Despite an underwhelming season for the Broncos, Singleton had a career year, ranking 5th in combined tackles during the season with 163. On March 13, 2023, Singleton signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension with $9 million guaranteed. Prior to the 2024 season, Singleton was voted a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

by his teammates. On the opening drive of the Broncos' Week 1 game against the

, Singleton intercepted a pass by Geno Smith. In Week 3 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, Singleton ruptured his ACL. Singleton still managed to play every defensive snap for the rest of the game despite his injury occurring in the 1st quarter. He was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 25.

Statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Denver Broncos bioMinnesota Vikings bioMontana State Bobcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singleton, Alex 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Thousand Oaks, California Players of Canadian football from California American sportspeople of Canadian descent Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award winners American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers Montana State Bobcats football players Seattle Seahawks players New England Patriots players Minnesota Vikings players Calgary Stampeders players Philadelphia Eagles players Denver Broncos players Thousand Oaks High School alumni