NFL
Who is Brandon Silvers, the Houston Roughnecks QB in the XFL?
Tim Crean started writing about sports in 2016 and joined Sports7 in 2021. He excels with his versatile coverage of the NFL and soccer landscape, as well as his expertise breaking down sports media, which stems from his many years downloading podcasts before they were even cool and countless hours spent listening to Mike & The Mad Dog and The Dan Patrick Show, among other programs. As a longtime self-professed sports junkie who even played DII lacrosse at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, Tim loves reading about all the latest sports news every day and considers it a dream to write about sports professionally. He's a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan from Western New York who mistakenly thought, back in the early '90s, that his team would be in the Super Bowl every year. He started following European soccer — with a Manchester City focus — in the early 2000s after spending far too much time playing FIFA. When he's not enjoying a round of golf or coaching youth soccer and flag football, Tim likes reading the work of Bill Simmons, Tony Kornheiser, Chuck Klosterman, and Tom Wolfe.
All posts by Tim CreanUpdated26 Feb 2023
There are a lot of familiar names and faces in the new XFL. Most of the players who are well-known come from some level of an NFL career. However, a player you may not know is the starting quarterback of the Houston Roughnecks, Brandon Silvers. The XFL franchise's QB went to a small school for college before playing in several spring football leagues. Here is what you need to know about the question, who is Brandon Silvers?
Who is Brandon Silvers?
Houston Roughnecks QB Brandon Silvers started his football career growing up in Pensacola, Florida and went on to play at Gulf Shores High School. Heading into college, Silvers was a three-star prospect and chose Troy over Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, and South Alabama, per ESPN.
His college choice wasn't all that surprising as his uncle, Carey Christensen, was the quarterback for Troy when the team won the 1984 Division II national championship.
Silvers joined the Trojans after they moved to Division I (FBS) and redshirted in 2013. After that, the QB started his next four years in Alabama. As a redshirt freshman, Slivers' 70.5% completion rate broke the FBS freshman record set by Oklahoma's Sam Bradford.
After two 3-8 seasons, Silvers helped turn the Trojans around, going 10-3 and 11-2 in his junior and senior years. Ultimately, Silvers threw for 10,677 yards in his college career with 71 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.
Brandon Silvers went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft but has spent time in minicamps with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets.
While trying to keep his NFL dreams alive, Silvers played in the USFL in 2019 for the Memphis Express. In that Spring football league, he beat out former NFL signal-callers Christian Hackenberg and Zach Mettenberger and ended up splitting time with former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.
Silvers signed with the Seattle Dragons in the last iteration of the XFL before staying with the league in 2023 by signing with the Renegades.
Can Brandon Silvers be an NFL QB?
Ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, pro scouts liked that Brandon Silvers was a four-year starter and team leader. He also had the arm strength to make the throws required of an NFL QB. However, at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, he didn't have ideal NFL size or athleticism.
His NFL.com scouting report coming out of college noted that Silvers was an “average athlete with soft body” and that his decision-making and field-reading were inconsistent. It also stated that “in six career games against Power 5 teams, he's thrown a total of three touchdowns and two interceptions.”
Brandon Silvers is now 28, so his NFL chances are slim and getting slimmer. However, he's done well at every lower-level stop he's made.
And in Week 1 of the 2023 XFL season, he led his Houston Roughnecks to a 33-12 win over the Orlando Guardians. Under long-time NFL coach Wade Phillips, Silvers and his squad were tied with Orlando after one quarter. A 15-point outburst in the second started an eventual blowout, though.
The Roughnecks also outscored the Guardians 12-6 in the fourth to finish the game strong. In the end, Silvers was 26-of-42 for 272 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Brandon Silvers may not get another NFL shot anytime soon.Still, the veteran of Spring football is one of the most fun signal-caller in the new XFL to watch.
