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Former Pitt QB Gets New NFL Opportunity
Aug 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Kedon Slovis (16) against the Minnesota Vikings in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — A former Pitt Panthers quarterback has joined a new team in the state where he played high school football.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that the Arizona Cardinals signed quarterback Kedon Slovis to their practice squad.

The Cardinals currently have two quarterbacks on their depth chart in starter Kyler Murray and backup Jacoby Brissett, with Slovis having a chance to potentially get a third-string spot.

Slovis played for Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., about 40-45 miles east of State Farm Stadium where the Cardinals play.

He completed 183-of-294 passes (62.2%) for 2,542 yards with 18 TDs and 6 interceptions as a senior in 2018, with ESPN ranking him as a four-star quarterback in the Class of 2019.

Slovis most recently was with the Houston Texans, but they released him on Aug. 26, ahead of the 53-man roster deadline.

He was fourth on the quarterback depth chart for the Texans, behind third-stringer Graham Mertz, backup Davis Mills and starter C.J. Stroud.

Slovis played the most out of any Texans quarterback during the preseason, completing 27-of-43 passes, 62.8%, for 233 yards and one touchdown to one interception.

Houston signed Slovis to their practice squad on Aug. 29, 2024 and then signed him to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 21.

The Indianapolis Colts signed Slovis as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, but waived him ahead of the 53-man roster deadline, allowing the Texans to come in and sign him.

Slovis played at BYU for his final collegiate season in 2023, where he completed 153-of-266 passes, 57.5%, for 1,716 yards and 12 touchdowns to six interceptions in eight games, missing the final four contests due to injury. He won five of those games, but lost the other three on the road in Big 12 play.

He joined Pitt for the 2022 season, after transferring from USC, and succeeded Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett.

Slovis had a decent start with Pitt, but suffered a concussion in the 34-27 loss to No. 24 Tennessee in Week 2 and his production faltered afterwards.

Michael Longo/For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

He completed 184-of-315 passes, 58.4%, for 2,397 yards and 10 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 11 games for the Panthers, finishing with a 7-4 record. 

Slovis played terribly in poor losses, particularly against Louisville, where he threw two first half interceptions, and completed just 14-of-31 passes in a loss to North Carolina. He also struggled with mobility in-and-out of the pocket and the offense struggled as a whole.

He transferred following the end of the 2022 regular season, with former offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. saying that Slovis didn't want to compete with incoming Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec for the starting position in 2023. 

Pitt players also didn't care for Slovis, including former defensive back Marquis Williams tweeting out at the end of the season that Slovis quit on the team.

Slovis started out at USC, where he had an excellent freshman season in 2019, completing 71.9% of his passes for 3,052 yards, 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions, thanks to playing with future NFL wideouts in Amon-Ra Saint Brown, Drake London and Michael Pittman Jr.

His production started to decrease the next two seasons with the Trojans. He had a solid sophomore season in 2020, completing 67.2% of his passes for 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions in six games, but his 2021 season showed a true decline.

Slovis struggled with a neck and lower leg injury as a junior in 2021, which saw him complete 65.0% percent of his passes for 2,153 yards and 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions in nine games. Jaxson Dart would eventually take over the starting position and Slovis would enter the transfer portal following the end of the season.

During his collegiate career, Slovis had both his completion percentage and quarterback passer rating drop each season he played.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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