Getty Former tight end Ryan Becker #80 of the Arizona Cardinals warms-up during a NFL team training camp.
If you couldn’t already tell by now, the Atlanta Falcons are big tight end fans and added another one on Tuesday, February 15 by re-signing Ryan Becker to the active roster.
We have signed TE Ryan Becker to the active roster.
Becker,24, first signed with Atlanta last April but landed in the injured reserve before the regular season even kicked off. He initially joined the league in 2020 with the Arizona Cardinals after going undrafted out of SMU. Before landing on the IR, Becker caught one pass for eight yards last week in the Falcons’ preseason loss to Tennessee.
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Becker Has Some Competition This Offseason
With Hayden Hurst hitting the open market and Lee Smith en route to retirement, Beckers re-joins the Falcons at the perfect time––however, that doesn’t mean he won’t be dealing with competition.
The 6-foot-5 and 250-pound tight end will spend his offseason competing against recently signed CFL tight end Brayden Lenius, former 49er Daniel Helm, John Raine and Parker Hesse. The good news is, he won’t have to worry about facing Kyle Pitts, who is used as a receiving weapon instead of a blocker.
While Becker is primarily known for his blocking skills, he was a versatile TE at the college level. Through 46 games and 15 starts at Southern Methodist University, Becker caught just 16 balls for 198 receiving yards with five touchdowns.
Falcons Sign 21 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts
Aside from signing Becker their 53-man roster, the Falcons also sign 21 other new Falcons players to reserve/futures contracts during the month of January.
Here is the full list:
DB Cornell Armstrong
OL Willie Beavers
OLB Quinton Bell
LB Jordan Brailford
LB Dorian Etheridge
WR Chad Hansen
RB Caleb Huntley
DB Luther Kirk
P Dom Maggio
OL Ryan Neuzil
DB Lafayette Pitts
TE John Raine
LB Rashad Smith
DE Nick Thurman
WR Austin Trammell
DB DeAundre Alford
WR/TE Brayden Lenius
CB/KR Corey Ballentine
OLB Duke Ejiofor
TE Daniel Helm
OL Rashaad Coward
Tight end Daniel Helm signed with Atlanta after playing for the Las Vegas Raiders last season, where he appeared in nine games with one start. Helm has also had stints with the Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers (two stints) and Kansas City Chiefs. In three NFL seasons thus far, the Duke product has played in a total of 14 career games with just one start.
Brayden Lenius’s story is a little different. The former Washington Husky/New Mexico Lobo was selected by the Roughriders in the second round (15th overall) of the 2019 CFL Draft. He recorded just two interceptions for four yards during his rookie year.
After the pandemic canceled the 2020 season, Lenius returned for a breakout 2021 season. He played in all 14 games, he caught 37 receptions for 471 yards and four receiving touchdowns during the regular season. He also added another six catches and 43 yards in the Roughriders’ two playoff games.
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