Inside The Huskies

Ex-Husky DT Bronson Joins Patriots After USFL Stint

He previously played in regular-season games for three NFL teams.

Dan Raley

Defensive tackle Josiah Bronson Jr. shown with the New Orleans Saints in a 2021 game against the Buffalo Bills at the Caesars Superdome.
Defensive tackle Josiah Bronson Jr. shown with the New Orleans Saints in a 2021 game against the Buffalo Bills at the Caesars Superdome. / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Josiah Bronson, former University of Washington defensive tackle, continues to squeeze every ounce out of his pro football career that he can.

On Sunday, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound Bronson joined the New England Patriots for their fourth training camp practice. He became one of 28 USFL players from last season who have signed with NFL teams for the coming season. He appeared in 10 games for the Memphis Showboats and collected 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Undrafted in 2021, Bronson previously played six games for the New Orleans Saints and one game for the Cleveland Browns that season, and another contest for the Miami Dolphins in 2022 in his journeyman career.

Bronson, 27, from Kent, Washington, spent four seasons with the Huskies, appearing in 29 games and starting 14,. He initially began his college career at Temple but was injured, didn't play as a freshman and returned to the Northwest.

After finishing up in the COVID-shortened, four-game season for the UW, Bronson entered the NFL as a free agent, becoming a member of New Orleans' practice squad. He worked his way onto the active roster and played in six games, but was released in December.

He was claimed off waivers by the Browns, lasted two weeks and appeared in one game for Cleveland before getting cut again.

In 2022, he joined the Dallas Cowboys on a reserve/futures contract, was let go and spent time with the Dolphins, appearing in one game early that season.

Bronson becomes one of 10 candidates competing for an interior lineman position with the Patriots.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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