| No. 44 –Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1999-02-28)February 28, 1999 (age 26) Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Arizona (2017–2020) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021: 6th round, 196th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Gary Brightwell Jr. (born February 28, 1999) is an American professionalfootballrunning back for theCincinnati Bengals of theNational Football League (NFL). He has previously played in the NFL for theNew York Giants andCleveland Browns. He playedcollege football atArizona.
Gary graduated in 2017 from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. His senior season he served as team captain and was First-team all-conference and first-team All-State MIAA. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a senior rushing for 519 yards and eight touchdowns on 78 carries.[1]
In his time at Arizona, Brightwell rushed for over 1,300 yards and had nine rushing touchdowns.[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+3⁄4 in (1.80 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.58 s | 1.62 s | 2.62 s | 4.48 s | 7.51 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 17 reps | |
| All values fromPro Day[3][4][5] | ||||||||||||
Brightwell was drafted by theNew York Giants in the sixth round, 196th overall, of the2021 NFL draft.[6] On May 13, 2021, Brightwell officially signed with the Giants.[7] On December 30, 2021, Brightwell was placed oninjured reserve after suffering a neck injury.[8]
Brightwell had his first career rushing touchdown in Week 5 against theGreen Bay Packers in the 27–22 victory.[9] In the 2022 season, Brightwell appeared in all 17 games. He totaled 31 carries for 141 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.[10]
Brightwell entered the 2023 season third on the running back depth chart. He suffered a hamstring injury in Week 7 and was placed on injured reserve on October 28, 2023.[11] He was waived with injury designation on May 30, 2024.[12]
On August 3, 2024, Brightwell signed with theJacksonville Jaguars.[13] He was waived on August 27.[14]
On August 29, 2024, Brightwell was signed to theCleveland Browns practice squad.[15] He was promoted to the active roster on September 21.[16] Brightwell was waived by the Browns on October 1, and re-signed to the practice squad.[17] He was released on October 29.[18]
On November 11, 2024, theCincinnati Bengals signed Brightwell to their practice squad.[19] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 7, 2025.[20]
Brightwell's father was murdered at a gas station when Brightwell was five months old, his older sister was killed in a car crash when he was a senior in high school and his grandmother who taught him how to play football died just weeks before the NFL draft.[21]
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