Anthony Lanier II (born May 8, 1993) is an
American football defensive end for the
Saskatchewan Roughriders of the
Canadian Football League (CFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Alabama A&M
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (Alabama A&M) is a public historically black land-grant university in Normal, Huntsville, Alabama. Founded in 1875, it took its present name in 1969. AAMU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshal ...
and was signed by the
Washington Redskins as an
undrafted free agent in 2016.
Professional career
Washington Redskins
After going unselected in the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
, Lanier signed with the
Washington Redskins on May 6, 2016. Standing out in training camp and the preseason, the team announced he made the 53-man roster on September 3, 2016. In his NFL debut in Week 8, Lanier recovered a fumble forced by Chris Baker on Bengals' quarterback
Andy Dalton. He was placed on injured reserve on December 13, 2016.
Lanier was inactive for the first six games of
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. In Week 11 against the
New Orleans Saints, he recorded first career sack on
Drew Brees. He would have a breakout performance in Week 15 against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
recording two sacks, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. On September 3, 2018, the Redskins waived/injured Lanier. He went unclaimed in the waiver stage, and reverted to the team's injured reserve list before being waived with an injury settlement on September 8.
Los Angeles Chargers
On November 7, 2018, Lanier was signed to the
Los Angeles Chargers practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 20, 2018.
On August 31, 2019, Lanier was waived by the Chargers and signed to the practice squad the next day. His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.
Kansas City Chiefs
On January 8, 2020, Lanier signed a reserve/future contract with the
Kansas City Chiefs. He was waived on April 28, 2020.
Lanier had a tryout with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
on August 19, 2020.
New Orleans Saints
Lanier was signed by the New Orleans Saints on August 29, 2020. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5, 2020, and waived with an injury settlement on September 11.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Lanier signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL on March 2, 2021.
References
External links
*
Alabama A&M Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanier, Anthony
1993 births
Alabama A&M Bulldogs basketball players
Alabama A&M Bulldogs football players
American football defensive ends
American football defensive tackles
Basketball players from Savannah, Georgia
Kansas City Chiefs players
New Orleans Saints players
Living people
Los Angeles Chargers players
Players of American football from Savannah, Georgia
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Washington Redskins players
21st-century American sportsmen
21st-century African-American sportspeople