Getty Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and offensive guard John Wetzel #73 of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018.
After getting cooked by the Seahawks on Sunday, Atlanta isn’t wasting time making some necessary moves. The Falcons announced on Tuesday that they have signed offensive guard John Wetzel to the 53-man roster.
This marks the fifth time that the Falcons have gotten Wetzel’s hopes up.
We have signed OL John Wetzel to the 53-man roster.
The number of transactions the Atlanta Falcons have made with the NFL vet is getting kind of toxic, don’t you think? lol. I guess at this point he’s just kind of use to it!
Wetzel signed a one-year contract with Altlanta in April of 2018. 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 on and off of the active roster. He played a total of 18 snaps at left guard.
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Wetzel’s NFL Resume
Wetzel, 29, 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.
Falcons Waive Timon Parris
Parris, 24, signed with the Falcons prior to the start of the 2020 season after being claimed from the Washington Football Team.
Parris was, however, inactive in Week 1 against the Seahawks. He spent the last two seasons on Washington’s practice squad and only actually played in four games, three of them being in 2019. The Falcons released John Wetzel in order for Parris to be claimed and was then re-signed him to the practice squad.
Hopefully this time Wetzel gets a chance to make an impact for the 0-1 team and Atlanta keeps him around longer. It’s hard not to root for him.
Atlanta Released Josh Hawkins
The Falcons also let go of cornerback Josh Hawkins.
Hawkins, 27, was signed by Atlanta in the offseason and released during cuts, the he was re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Hawkins was one of the former XFL players who made their way back to the NFL after XFL canceled. He spent some time in the league previously with the Packers, Panthers, and Eagles.
The Falcons currently have one vacant spot with only 52 players on their roster. They are reportedly making room for WR Laquon Treadwell again.
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