The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio on Thursday. The match starts at 8 PM local time and 5:30 AM IST (Friday).
Three USFL players – quarterback Kyle Sloter, cornerback Ike Brown and receiver Isaiah Zuber – will feature in the game. While the former will suite up for the Jaguars, the latter two will play for the Raiders.
Also read: MLB: St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs to headline 2-game series in June, 2023 in London
Kyle Sloter, who signed with the Denver Broncos in 2017, spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders. The 28-year-old threw for 1,798 yards and nine touchdowns in his one season with the New Orleans Breakers.
“There’s a lot of history in this game. It’s an honor to be able to play in it. It’s definitely cool to come back,” Sloter said, according to Fox Sports, referencing Tom Benson Stadium.
Also Read: MLB: San Francisco Giants acquire J.D Davis, send Darin Ruf to the New York Mets
“It’s always nice to be in familiar territory. Mentally, I’ve been able to envision myself in some of the positions I’m going to be in, just in my surroundings and knowing what it felt like to be on that turf and in that stadium.”
The QB will likely be in action on Thursday night as NFL’s No 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence will not play.
Also Read: MLB: Yankees pitcher Luis Severino fumes after being put on injured List
“I’m one of the few people that will be out there that have seen game action as recently as a month and a half ago,” Sloter said.
“A lot of these guys are playing their first game from a year ago this time, where preseason was the only time that they [play]. Or they’re rookies that haven’t played at this level before. So I’m sure, for a lot of guys, the lights will be a little bit bright and mistakes will be made. For others, some people rise to that.”
Brown participated in the 2022 Inaugural USFL season, playing for the New Orleans Breakers. In seven games, he registered 14 tackles (8 solo) and two interceptions. Prior to NFL, he appeared in 41 games for Florida International University, getting 23 starts and totalling 102 tackles.
Zuber was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft in 2020.