Getty Daniel Helm #43 of the San Francisco 49ers.
The Atlanta Falcons have their hands full this offseason with a lot of holes to fill on their roster.
With free agency not until March, the Falcons have started with perfecting their practice squad.
The club signed 19 players to reserve/future contracts last week and added another on Thursday in former San Francisco 49ers tight end Daniel Helm.
We have signed TE Daniel Helm to a reserve/future contract.
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Helm Went Undrafted in 2019
Helm, 26, initially went undrafted in 2019 out of Duke University but was immediately signed post-draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
After not making LA’s final roster cuts, Helm was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers. He spent his rookie year on the Niners’ practice squad and was elevated for just one game but didn’t see any action.
After a year in the Bay Area, Helm spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he soon found his way back to the Bay Area in September of the 2020 season. He played in five games for the Niners and was released in the midst of the 2021 offseason.
More recently, Helm played for the Las Vegas Raiders where he appeared in nine games with one start in 2021. Over three NFL seasons thus far, the Duke product has played in a total of 14 career games with one start.
Joining the Falcons offseason squad might not earn him a starting spot, but it will give him another chance to prove himself to a team that is in need at the tight end position with Lee Smith’s and Hayden Hurst’s 2022 status’s up in the air.
Falcons Sign 19 Other Reserve/Futures Contracts
Helm joins 19 other new Falcons players who signed reserve/futures contracts this past week.
Here is the full list so far:
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
Stay tuned for who Atlanta signs next!
Is Lee Smith Retiring?
In other news, Atlanta’s beloved veteran tight end, Lee Smith, could be throwing in the towel this offseason, according to a very trustworthy source.
Following the Falcons’ regular-season finale loss to the Saints on January 9, rookie tight end Kyle Pitts posted a ‘Happy retirement’ shout-out for Smith, via his Instagram story:
Per Kyle Pitts Instagram, it appears that Lee Smith is retiring.
Smith spent most of his time on the field as a blocking tight end rather than a receiver, leaving that job for Pitts.
The former Patriots’ 2011 draft pick has yet to announce his retirement himself but we shouldn’t be surprised goes public with it in March when he becomes a free agent.
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