Bradlee Anae joins the New York Jets
According to his agent, former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Bradlee Anae has signed with the New York Jets on a reserve/future deal.
https://twitter.com/davidcanter/status/1483840064622940163
Anae appeared to confirm the news on Twitter.
— Bradlee Anae (@BradleeAnae) January 19, 2022
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end was selected by Dallas out of the University of Utah with the 179th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He’d play in only 11 games over two seasons in Dallas, recording two tackles.
At Utah, Anae emerged as one of the nation’s most productive pass rushers in his 2019 senior season. Anae collected 13 sacks and led the Pac-12 with 62 pressures. That total ranked fourth-best among all edge rushers in the nation – one spot behind future Jets teammate Bryce Huff (64) of Memphis.
Back in 2018, Anae sacked a true freshman BYU quarterback who goes by the name of Zach Wilson.
Bradlee Anae sacks Zach Wilson #Jets pic.twitter.com/IcTJWHTVaR
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) January 19, 2022
In Dallas, Anae struggled to get on the field. Anae played seven games in his rookie year and almost exclusively played on special teams, logging only six defensive snaps.
Anae got an opportunity to play for the Cowboys defense early in 2021 but it was short-lived. He appeared in three of the team’s first five games and got 50 defensive snaps, picking up two tackles and two pressures. Anae earned an overall defensive grade of 45.1 from Pro Football Focus over those three appearances, particularly struggling against the run, where he earned a 46.9 run-defense grade.
Anae played a fourth game in Week 8 but got no defensive snaps. Two days later, he was waived and placed on the practice squad, where he remained for the rest of the year.
Most of Anae’s live-game defensive action in the NFL came in the 2021 preseason. Over three games, Anae played 113 snaps, collecting five pressures and four tackles. He graded well as a pass rusher at PFF (73.3 pass-rush grade) but poorly as a run defender (48.2 run-defense grade).
Anae joins cornerback Javelin Guidry as the second Utah alum on New York’s roster.
