February 6, 2023

Riders extend Anthony Lanier II through ’23

Matt Smith/CFL.ca

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II to a one-year contract extension.

Lanier (six-foot-six, 285 pounds) remains in Riderville after bursting on the scene in his second season in Green and White. The Georgia native played 11 games in 2022 earning eight sacks – three of which came in a dominant Week 4 performance against Montreal.

His signing comes a day after the Riders extended fellow defensive lineman Pete Robertson, which ensures some solid defensive pressure on quarterbacks for the 2023 season.

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He also tallied 19 defensive tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His eight sacks and two forced fumbles ranked him sixth in the league in both categories. Lanier II played 10 games in his rookie season, registering 13 defensive tackles and one sack.

Prior to the Roughriders, he spent five seasons in the NFL, initially signing with the Washington Commanders in 2016. He went onto play 15 career games with Washington, making 10 tackles, five sacks, five tackles for a loss, six passes defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. In 2018, Lanier signed with the Los Angeles Chargers where he stayed for two seasons. The 29-year-old also spent portions of 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints.

Collegiately, Lanier played for the Alabama A&M Bulldogs. As a senior in 2015, he made 29 tackles, six tackles for a loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, four quarterback hurries and one pass break-up over eight games. As a junior, he was second on the team in tackles with 54 while adding 18 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Lanier was a two-sport athlete, also suiting up for the Bulldogs’ basketball team.

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