Norwegian American QB Alek Toergensen signed to Washington Redskins practice squad

Norwegian/American quarterback Alek Toergensen did not have to wait long after being cut by the Atlanta Falcons last week. The 6’2″, 229 lb signed with the Washington Redskins not long after after getting a call while in New York City.

He had his bag packed and a day later he was on the Redskins practice squad and out on the field.

He spoke with Jake Kring-Schreifels of the Redskins:

“I got the call to come here and I was ready to go, my bags were packed, nice easy flight from New York and it was a lot of fun,” he said after his first day of practice. “A whirlwind of emotions, the lowest low’s and the highest high’s – it’s been a crazy experience so far.”

Washington had waived quarterback Nate Sudfield and made the call to Toergensen. If they hadn’t, he was ready to travel to Oslo, Norway, where his father was born, raised and now lives, coaching a women’s crew team. Now, he’ll wait to go at a later date.

Although he grew up in Huntington Beach, California, he has visited Norway many times. His father as well as his grandmother and aunt still live there. Although he doesn’t speak fluent Norwegian, he can get by.

The University of Pennsylvania product played in the East-West Shrine game, where he first caught Redskins  head coach Jay Gruden’s eyes,

He didn’t receive an invitation to the NFL Combine in February. But his credentials helped him. He was Penn’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (52) completion percentage (65.1) and total offense (7,937 yards), along with being a two-time first-team All-Ivy selection.

“I think at Penn he had a good career, and then I watched every throw that he had in the East-West Shrine game and I thought he had a good, quick arm and an accurate arm,” Gruden said.

In three preseason games with Atlanta, behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub, Torgersen did not see much playing time. He had just 20 pass attempts, completing eight of them for 95 yards with two interceptions.

“It’s going to take a little time, a little bit of an adjustment period for me but I’m ready to take on the challenge,” Torgersen said. “It’s a lot fun to learn a new offense, learn a new system and meet some new guys.”

Source: Washington Redskins.