Jacob William Brendel (born September 10, 1992) is an American professional football center for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA. Brendel was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Jake Brendel
refer to caption
Brendel with UCLA in 2015
No. 64 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1992-09-10) September 10, 1992 (age 32)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:299 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:Plano East (Plano, Texas)
College:UCLA (2011–2015)
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:71
Games started:37
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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A native of Plano, Texas, Brendel attended Plano East Senior High School, where he played as a defensive tackle in his first 2 years.

He was moved to the offensive line as a junior. He served as a team captain and was a two-time first-team All-district at the offensive line. He was regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was listed as the No. 15 center prospect in his class.[1]

College career

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After redshirting his initial year at UCLA, Brendel became a fixture at center after spring practice and started all 14 games for the Bruins in 2012.[2] He was named first-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News, CBSSports.com, and Football Writers Association of America,[3][4][5] and second-team Freshman All-America by College Football News.[6]

As a junior in 2014, he was the team's most experienced offensive lineman. After missing the season opener against Virginia with a knee injury, he returned to start the rest of the season.[7] Brendel was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference second-team.[8]

He requested an evaluation of his NFL draft stock, but decided to return for his senior year,[7] when he again earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors.[9] The three-time team captain finished his UCLA career with a school record of 52 starts.[10] Brendel graduated from UCLA in Spring 2015 with a degree in Business Economics. He was named to the first-team All-Pac-12 Academic team.

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
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
6 ft 4+18 in
(1.93 m)
303 lb
(137 kg)
31+58 in
(0.80 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
5.01 s 1.72 s 2.89 s 4.27 s 7.31 s 28.0 in
(0.71 m)
9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)
25 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11][12]

Dallas Cowboys

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Brendel was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2016 NFL draft on May 6.[10] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cowboys.[13] The next day, he was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad.[14] He was released from the practice squad with an injury settlement on September 29.[15]

Miami Dolphins

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On October 11, 2016, Brendel was signed to the Miami Dolphins' practice squad.[16] He was promoted to the active roster on November 19.[17] He appeared in one game.

In 2017, he appeared in all 16 games as a backup center.

On September 2, 2018, Brendel was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury.[18] He was activated off injured reserve on November 2.[19] He played in four games, starting three at left guard and center due to injuries. He was placed back on injured reserve with a calf injury on December 12, 2018.[20]

Denver Broncos

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On April 18, 2019, Brendel signed with the Denver Broncos.[21] He was released on August 31.[22]

Baltimore Ravens

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On November 27, 2019, Brendel was signed by the Baltimore Ravens, but was released three days later on November 30.[23]

San Francisco 49ers

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On February 7, 2020, Brendel was signed by the San Francisco 49ers.[24] On August 6, Brendel announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[25]

On August 31, 2021, Brendel was waived during final roster cuts.[26]

On March 9, 2022, Brendel re-signed with the 49ers.[27] He was named the 49ers starting center for 2022, starting all 17 games.

On March 15, 2023, Brendel signed a four-year contract extension with the 49ers.[28] Brendel was a starter in Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers lost to the Chiefs 25–22 in overtime.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com Ranking - Rivals.com offensive centers 2011". yahoo.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  2. ^ Yoon, Peter (August 16, 2012). "Jake Brendel is UCLA's man in the middle". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Sporting News' 2012 Freshman All-American team - NCAA Football - Sporting News". Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  4. ^ "CBSSports.com 2012 All-Freshman Team". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "FWAA > News > Freshman All-America Team". sportswriters.net. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "Scout.com: 2012 CFN All-Freshman Team". Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Wang, Jack (January 15, 2015). "Life after Brett Hundley begins now for UCLA football". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015.
  8. ^ Klein, Gary (December 2, 2014). "USC places five players, UCLA one on All-Pac-12 first team in football". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Kaufman, Joey (December 1, 2015). "UCLA DT Kenny Clark on All-Pac-12 first team; eight Bruins on second team". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Archer, Todd (May 2, 2016). "Cowboys have two draft visitors among undrafted deals". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "Jake Brendel Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jake Brendel, UCLA, C, 2016 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  13. ^ Helman, David (September 3, 2016). "Three Former Draft Picks Among Cowboys' Cuts; McFadden Moved To NFI". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018.
  14. ^ Helman, David (September 4, 2016). "Cowboys Sign Sanchez, Release Showers; 7 Added To Practice Squad". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017.
  15. ^ Bouda, Nate (September 29, 2016). "Cowboys Waived C Jake Brendel From Practice Squad With Settlement". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Poupart, Alain (October 12, 2016). "Notebook: Butler back in familiar position; other notes". MiamiDolphins.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  17. ^ Kelly, Omar (November 19, 2016). "Dolphins cut CB Chris Culliver; elevate center Jake Brendel from practice squad". Sun-Sentinel.com.
  18. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "Dolphins Activate Jake Brendel, Place Cordrea Tankersley On IR". MiamiDolphins.com. November 2, 2018.
  20. ^ "Dolphins Sign Hroniss Grasu". MiamiDolphins.com. December 12, 2018.
  21. ^ DiLalla, Aric (April 18, 2019). "Broncos sign OL Jake Brendel and CB Trey Johnson, release CB Craig Mager". DenverBroncos.com.
  22. ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 31, 2019). "Broncos make series of roster moves to reach 53-man limit". DenverBroncos.com.
  23. ^ Brown, Clifton (November 30, 2019). "Ravens Bring Offensive Lineman Up From Practice Squad". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  24. ^ Williams, Charean (February 7, 2020). "49ers sign center Jake Brendel". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  25. ^ Williams, Charean (August 6, 2020). "49ers announce Jake Brendel opt out, the 67th NFL player to take option". NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  26. ^ Levine, Ben (September 1, 2021). "49ers Get Roster Down To 53". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  27. ^ "49ers Sign OL Jake Brendel to a One-Year Extension". 49ers.com. March 9, 2022.
  28. ^ "49ers Re-Sign OL Jake Brendel to a Four-Year Deal". 49ers.com. March 15, 2023.
  29. ^ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
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