Ray Mitchell Agnew III (born February 26, 1991) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

executive and former fullback who is a pro scout for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...

and signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in 2014.

Early years

Agnew was born on February 26, 1991, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the

De Smet Jesuit High School De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for boys located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school began classes in the fall of 1967. It was named in honor of the p ...

Spartans. He was a three-year starter at running back and two-year starter at linebacker. He was a two-time first-team all-Metro Catholic Conference selection. Agnew also excelled in

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, recording a top-throw of 14.78 meters (48 ft, 3 in) in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

at the 2009 MSHSAA Class 4 District 2, where he placed 3rd.

Playing career

College

Agnew played from 2010 to 2013 for the

Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The nickname comes from the Saluki, the Royal Dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illino ...

. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2009.

National Football League

Cleveland Browns

Agnew was signed by the

on May 12, 2014, after going undrafted in the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He made his NFL Debut on September 7, 2014, against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, recording two rushing yards on one rushing attempt. He was waived by the Browns on October 20, 2014 and re-signed by the team on November 11, 2014. He was released by the Browns on December 23, 2014.

Dallas Cowboys

Agnew signed with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

on March 13, 2015. He was released by the Cowboys on September 5, 2015.

Washington Redskins

The

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

signed Agnew to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 7, 2015. He was released by the Redskins on September 15, 2015.

Executive career

New York Jets

Following his playing career, Agnew joined the

as a seasonal personnel assistant. In 2019, he was hired full-time by the Jets to serve as a pro scout in their scouting department.

Personal life

Agnew and his fiancé now reside in New Jersey. Agnew is the son of

Ray Agnew Ray Mitchell Agnew Jr. (born December 9, 1967) is an American football executive and former player who is the assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the director of pro personnel wi ...

, the assistant general manager of 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 ...

and former

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who played for eleven seasons in the NFL and has two brothers that are also involved in football, Malcolm, who serves as the running backs coach at Sacramento State, and Keenan, a defensive tackle at Southern Illinois.

References

External links

New York Jets profileWashington Redskins profile

NFL Draft Scout
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnew, Ray, III Living people 1991 births Players of American football from Winston-Salem, North Carolina American football fullbacks African-American players of American football Southern Illinois Salukis football players Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players Washington Redskins players People from Chesterfield, Missouri Players of American football from St. Louis County, Missouri New York Jets scouts New York Jets executives 21st-century African-American sportspeople