The Dallas Cowboys signed Bryan Anger in 2021, bringing in the veteran to compete with incumbent punter, Hunter Niswander. Niswander was a practice squadder just a year earlier, taking the job from Chris Jones, but Anger soon displaced him, and he’s been a staple of the team’s special teams mix ever since.
But recent performance has many wondering if Anger’s price tag is worth keeping him around in 2026. Coming off his worst season since arriving in Dallas, now might be the best time to bring in competition. There are two punters from the UFL who could, in the tradition of talent like kicker Brandon Aubrey and returner/receiver KaVontae Turpin, potentially beat Anger for the job. The Cowboys should be evaluating the worth of Colby Wadman from the Birmingham Stallions and Jack Browning from the Orlando Storm.
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Anger’s PFF grade has gradually declined since the 2023 season, from 87.5 (2023) to 76.4 (2024) to 68.7 (2025). His net punt yards have started to slide as well, from 45.3 to 42.6 yards, and his percentage of punts inside the 20 has dropped from 38.6% in 2023 to 34.1% in 2025.
If Dallas were to eventually cut Anger, they would avoid paying his $3.1 million base salary, according to OverTheCap. Anger has earned over $29.2 million already in his career.
Looking at how well Wadman and Browning have performed in the UFL, it would make sense for the Cowboys to bring in competition for Anger.
Both ranked in the top-5 in punting, as Browning’s net punt yards numbers are similar to Anger’s at 48.6 yards, while Wadman’s was slightly better at 49 yards. Both had longer punts than Anger’s long of 65 yards; Waldman at 66 yards and Browning at 68.
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The stat lines may be similar to Anger’s, but with the incumbent falling from the NFL’s second-best punter in 2023 to 12th in 2024 and down to 19th in 2025, it’s fair to think the fall will continue.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys could look to challenge Anger with UFL standouts
