Canadian offensive lineman Brett Boyko has signed with the XFL’s Orlando Guardians.
The 30-year-old native of Saskatoon most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, playing eight games and making several starts at both tackle spots. He became a free agent following the season and was not re-signed.
Boyko was a highly-touted offseason addition by the B.C. Lions in 2019, after they originally selected him 14th overall in the second round of the 2015 CFL Draft and were forced to wait for him to exhaust all NFL opportunities. He played 15 games and made five starts, but struggled noticeably when he was on the field.
The six-foot-seven, 305-pound blocker initially signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted NFL free agent in 2015, spending the season on the Eagles’ practice roster. He later spent three seasons (2016-2018) with the Los Angeles Chargers and played in one NFL game.
The native of Saskatoon has previously attempted to go the spring football route and was a member of the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2019. He played eight games before the league ceased operations.
Collegiately, Boyko started in all 43 games he played across four seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. As a senior, he was named second-team All-Mountain West after moving from left tackle to left guard and allowing just one quarterback sack on the year.
