Yeah, that’s confusing but that’s show biz baby! The Falcons signed punter Ryan Allen to a one-year deal back in February but decided to release him on Friday.
But wait a minute. The Falcons a planning to re-sign him under a different agreement, per Jason Butt of The Athletic.
While the Falcons cut punter Ryan Allen today, he is re-signing a different agreement to stay with the team. It’s basically a procedural move similar to when Atlanta cut and signed John Wetzel in the same week earlier this month.
The new agreement is planned to save the team money elsewhere. The Falcons made a similar move with offensive lineman John Wetzel too.
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Ryan Allen’s NFL History
Ryan Allen is a seasoned punter. He entered the NGL in 2013, spending his first six seasons with the New England Patriots.
Allen appeared in 96 games for the Patriots. He proved how reliable of a punter he was as a Patriot. He averaged an impressive 45.3 yards per punt during that time period.
The Patriots followed the same protocol similar to what the Falcons recently did with Allen, they cut him to free up cap space prior to the 2019 season.
The Falcons picked up Allen after their starting punter, Matt Bosher was injured. Allen made his first appearance in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. During the 2019 season, Allen played a total of eight games with the Falcons, averaging a respectable 41.9 yards per punt.
Signed in the middle of the season, Allen proved his worth as a Falcon. He finished with a very successful first season. He punted 28 times for 1,172 yards averaging almost 42-yards per attempt. Half of Allen’s 28 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line. He also ended the season with only three touchbacks. Eight punts landed inside the 10-yard line and five of them were placed inside the 5-yard line. Allen is known for having a way of pinpointing opponents deep in their own territory.
The Falcons re-signing Allen won’t guarantee him a starting position. He will have to battle it out against the Australian punter the Falcons signed last month, Sam Irwin-Hill. Offseason should be interesting while these two battle it out.
Wetzel’s Deal
The Falcons signed offensive lineman, John Wetzel to a one-year contract just hours after letting him go.
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.
Falcons Moving on From Bosher
Since the Falcons signing a new contract with Irwin-Hill, it looks like Matt Bosher will be released. The Falcons signed in 2011 as a sixth-round pick and has punted the past nine seasons. However, he struggled this past season and had a groin injury.
Before his injury, Matt Bosher had an average of 41.9 yards per punt. Over his nine years as a Falcon, Bosher has averaged almost 46 yards per punt. Atlanta has gotten a solid nine years from him, but now its’ looking like he won’t be able to perform as well as the rookies coming to camp. Bosher still seems to have some juice left in him and could be a great fit for another team, but not the Falcons this time around.
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Falcons Plan to Re-Sign Punter After Just Releasing Him?