getty John Wetzel #75 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Yes, it’s true. The Falcons have signed offensive lineman, John Wetzel to a one-year contract just hours after letting him go.
Kinda like when you break up with your significant other to see if you can live without them but come to the conclusion you actually can’t and beg for them back the next day.
Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic.
We have signed John Wetzel to one-year contract.
📝 – t.co/3UgNzIDMwk
It was reported just two days ago the Wetzel had been released. Then again, the Falcons didn’t announce it on their social media platforms, so maybe they knew it wasn’t their best decision.
Falcons release John Wetzel
Wetzel signed a one-year contract with Altlanta last April. The Falcons later released him during training camp before the regular season. And then when rookie guard Chris Lindstrom broke his foot, the Falcons decided to re-signed Wetzel, again in September. Wetzel appeared in just two games with the Falcons during the 2019 season. and was up and down from the active roster. He played a total of 18 snaps at left guard.
Wetzel Pretzel in the NFL
Wetzel, 28, played college football at Boston College.
After going undrafted in 2013, Wetzel signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders. He was hurt in August and put on the injured reserve list and by October he was waived from the team with an injury settlement.
Wetzel was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to the practice squad by November 2013. He signed multiple reserve/future contracts with them up until 2015. He did not play a game as a Cowboy.
He spent less than a month with the Indianapolis Colts practice squad from November to December of 2015.
He was quickly picked up by the Arizona Cardinals practice squad and after a month, he signed a future/reserve contract with them. When left tackle, Jared Veldeer was injured in the 2016 season, the Cards started Wetzel. He ended up starting another 11 games after D.J. Humphries’ injury and signed a one-year deal. He played in a total of 40 games as a Cardinal and made 24 starts. After almost three years with the Cardinals, Wetzel was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury.
Wetzel at 6-foot-7 and 328 pounds is known as a versatile lineman, playing both at guard and tackle for the Cardinals.
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Potential O-Lineman Prospects
During the 2019 draft, the Falcons spent two first-round picks on offensive linemen. It’s projected to go a little differently this year. Last week at the NFL Combine they did have some one-on-one time with OL prospects.
Here is a list of who Atlanta met with:
- Austin Jackson, Southern Cal. – Planned formal
- Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon – Informal
- Jedrick Wills, Alabama – Informal
- Jon Runyan, Michigan – Informal
- Jonah Jackson, Ohio State – Informal
- Logan Stenberg, Kentucky – Informal
- Solomon Kindley, UGA – Informal
Solomon Kindley is a guy with a lot of potential at the OL and will be gone early. You can’t go wrong with a UGA pick. If the Falcons do pick him up, he will be on board with it.
Cap Expected to Rise
With the NFL salary cap expected to rise, that brings good news for the Falcons with free agency. They still have a lot of choices to make, but a pump in the cap could make things somewhat easier.
It’s still not enough to bring back Hooper, but at least find someone like him.