Kendall Hinton facts for kids
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Hinton with the Denver Broncos in 2021
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| Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | February 19, 1997 Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Southern Durham (Durham, North Carolina) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | Wake Forest (2015–2019) | ||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
Kendall Hinton was born on February 19, 1997. He is an American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL). Hinton played college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He started as a quarterback and later became a wide receiver. In 2020, he joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. That same year, he had to play as an emergency quarterback because all the team's regular quarterbacks were in COVID-19 quarantine. This made him the first non-professional quarterback to play a lot in an NFL game since 1965!
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Kendall Hinton grew up in Durham, North Carolina. He played quarterback at Southern Durham High School. During his junior year, he was an amazing player. He threw for 3,972 yards and scored 39 touchdowns. His skills helped his team win a 3–AA championship title.
College Football Journey
Kendall Hinton was considered a promising player by experts like 247Sports and Rivals. He decided to play college football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2014.
Freshman Year Success
In 2015, as a first-year student, Hinton played in nine games and started two. He showed his talent by throwing for 929 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 390 yards and scored seven touchdowns. In one game against Army, he stepped in for an injured player. He led his team to a 24–21 win by passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he set a Wake Forest record for most passing yards (245) in a player's first start.
Overcoming Injuries and Role Changes
During his second year, Hinton hurt his ankle. This injury kept him from playing for the rest of the season. He was given a medical redshirt, which means he could play another year later without losing eligibility. In 2017, he was the main backup quarterback. He even started one game against Clemson, throwing for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
In his junior year, Hinton faced a challenge when he was suspended for the first three games. After returning, he became the backup quarterback. Even though he thought about leaving Wake Forest, he decided to stay for his final year. This was a big turning point!
Transition to Wide Receiver
For his senior year, Hinton made a big change. He switched from playing quarterback to playing slot receiver full-time. This move paid off! He caught 73 passes for 1,001 yards and scored four touchdowns. This showed how versatile and talented he is as a football player.
Professional Football Career
After college, Kendall Hinton signed with the Denver Broncos in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. This means he wasn't chosen in the NFL draft but was still signed by a team. He was later moved to the Broncos' practice squad, which is a group of players who train with the team but aren't on the main roster.
Emergency Quarterback Moment
In November 2020, something very unusual happened. All four of the Broncos' main quarterbacks couldn't play in a game because of COVID-19 pandemic rules. Kendall Hinton, who had played quarterback in college, was the only player on the team with experience at that position. So, he was moved to the main team to play as an emergency quarterback against the New Orleans Saints.
It was a tough game, and the Broncos lost 31–3. Hinton completed only one pass for 13 yards and threw two interceptions. Even though it was a difficult situation, he stepped up when his team needed him most. After the game, he returned to the practice squad.
Becoming a Key Wide Receiver
In 2021, Hinton was waived by the Broncos but quickly re-signed to their practice squad. He was then promoted to the active roster. He caught his first career touchdown pass in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2022, Hinton continued to move between the practice squad and the active roster. He played in several games, making important catches for the Broncos. He was signed to the active roster permanently in October 2022. In 2023, he was briefly on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he couldn't play due to an injury, but he was activated later that year. He was waived by the Broncos in August 2023. He later joined the Cincinnati Bengals.
