A familiar face to Cincinnati is looking for another shot in the NFL. Former Bearcat quarterback Brendon Kay was extended an invitation to the first ever NFL Veterans Combine as one of six quarterbacks in attendance, and one of 100 players overall. Kay was cut from the Pittsburgh Steelers roster last summer and recently signed a contract with the New Orleans Voodoo of the Arena Football League.
Kay last played for the Bearcats in the 2013 season and went undrafted in the NFL draft the following year. Any free agent can be invited to the Veterans Combine as long as they haven’t been signed by the time of the combine, which was held March 22. The question for Kay is what could this mean for him.
Kay starred for the Bearcats for his senior year, once the newly hired head coach Tommy Tuberville gave him a shot over then-junior Munchie Legaux. Kay would pass for over 3,300 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to a 9-4 season, including an appearance in the Belk Bowl. However, the great opportunity Tuberville gave him didn’t yield a similar opportunity at the next level. Will a good combine showing give him the shot he needs?
Unfortunately for Bearcat fans, that answer is likely no. Kay has proven that he has talent, but can he match at the next level what the 32 starters can do, or even what some of the best backups can do? Kay’s future in the NFL is likely as a backup where his use would only come into play due to an injury. That doesn’t rule out him ever receiving an opportunity, shown by players like Ryan Lindley of the Arizona Cardinals getting a chance to play after season-ending injuries to both the starter, Carson Palmer, and backup, Drew Stanton.
UC has proven that it can filter quality players into the NFL, such as Connor Barwin and Kevin Huber. Kay will be looking to write his own name on that list, but with so much time before the NFL season begins, a lot can change for the better.
However, with already a signing coming from the Veterans Combine by the Arizona Cardinals in former West Texas A&M and Jacksonville Jaguar wide receiver Nathan Slaughter, the process has already shown that this new combine is successful for players that made a strong showing. In fact, former players talk about it as a great way to find out if they still have what it takes to play in the NFL. Players like Michael Bush were able to find out that they truly didn’t have much left to give any NFL teams. After running a 4.91 40-yard dash, Bush was quoted saying, “There goes my career.”
The same can’t be said for Kay. The lack of coverage on his performance is a combination of having a middle of the road showing at the veterans combine and not being a guy the media flocks to, like they do with Michael Sam. That doesn’t mean that Kay didn’t get noticed, but it might mean that teams aren’t rushing to sign him without doing private team workouts.
Kay certainly will have to prove his worth with those teams and, as stated earlier, will likely be brought in solely as a backup, or even lower on the totem pole as just a practice squad player. Either way, Kay will be a part of an NFL franchise. Now Kay is simply waiting for his phone to ring.
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