Alex Singleton is the definition of never giving up on your dreams.

Singleton, who has been playing football since he was a very young child, had always dreamed of making it to the NFL. Although he went undrafted and found himself unable to make any final rosters, he continued to keep pushing, ultimately finding himself in the CFL.

Today Singleton currently leads the Denver Broncos in total tackles and holds the record for the second-most total tackles ever in an NFL game.

Finding Inspiration From His Family

Singleton grew up in Thousand Oaks, CA. 

Beginning as a child, Singleton was a volunteer for Special Olympics. He was inspired by his older sister Ashley, who was diagnosed with down syndrome and had been a Special Olympics athlete from a young age. 

He played football at Thousand Oaks High School. Initially deemed too small, Singleton had a huge five-inch growth spurt between his junior and senior years. 

He went on to receive all-conference and all-county honors in his final season. Singleton was also named to the All-CIF Northern Division team and earned defensive MVP honors. He graduated a year early at only 17 years old.

After high school, Singleton committed to the only school that offered him a scholarship, Montana State. While in college, he appeared in 38 career games over four seasons. He totaled 275 tackles (173 solo), 4.5 sacks, five interceptions, nine passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. 

Following college, Singleton attended the 2015 NFL Pro Day. However, he went undrafted.

Dominating the CFL

He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks but was released the following September. Singleton spent some brief time on the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings practice squads before being released from both.  

His attention turned to the Canadian Football League. Because his mom was born in Toronto, he was able to become a dual citizen just in time for the 2016 draft. 

The Calgary Stampedes selected Singleton with the sixth overall pick. 

Singleton quickly became a CFL superstar. 

He played in all 18 regular season games in his first season, as well as two playoff games. He finished the season with 65 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, and three forced fumbles.

In Singleton’s second season, he was selected as the team’s nominee for the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player, most outstanding Canadian and most outstanding player awards. He broke the franchise record for most tackles in a season with 123.

His final CFL season matched the previous year in tackles with 123. Singleton added two forced fumbles and was named to his second CFL All-Star team. On January 7, 2019, Singleton was released by Calgary, so he could pursue the opportunity to chase his NFL dream.

Finally Making It to the Big Leagues

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Singleton in 2019. He was a victim in the final set of roster cuts. However, he was quickly re-signed to the practice squad. 

For the first time in his football career, Singleton was promoted to an active player and made his first appearance in an NFL game in Week 7. He played in 10 games, but only on special teams.

In 2020, he made his first appearance on defense in Week 4. With less than six minutes left in the game, Singleton recorded his first career interception and ran it back for a touchdown. 

He was named a starter in Week 6. For the season, Singleton had 11 starts, recorded two sacks, and led the Eagles in tackles at 120.

In 2021, he was unanimously voted as one of the team’s captains. He again led the team in tackles for the second year in a row with 137. 

Singleton credited his sister for all of his success.

“Everything from the way I play, from the way I look at everybody in this world is from my sister,” Alex said. “From a best friend to my biggest supporter to my best competition, she makes the world a much better place not only for me but for my friends, my family.”

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

At the time, Singleton was not welcomed with open arms by Broncos Country. Many questioned whether or not he could play as a starting linebacker in the NFL.

However, he proved those doubters wrong.

In last Monday’s loss, Singleton started in place of an injured Josey Jewell. He piled up 21 combined tackles (4th most in NFL history) and 19 solo tackles (2nd most in NFL history).

Through six weeks, he has 44 combined tackles. He currently leads the team in that statistic, replicating his previous two seasons with the Eagles. 

He’ll have another opportunity to show off on Sunday when the New York Jets (4-2) visit the Denver Broncos (2-4), with kickoff scheduled for 2:05 PM MST.