Last year, the Falcons were able to avoid tendering center

Ryan Neuzil

as an exclusive rights free agent with a

one-year extension

. With Neuzil as a restricted free agent this offseason, Atlanta

ended up tendering him

. That tender is a thing of the past, though, as Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Neuzil and the Falcons have agreed to a

two-year, $9.5M deal

.

Neuzil signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State in 2021. After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, Neuzil made his NFL debut in Week 9 of his sophomore campaign, getting called up as a practice-squad elevation. He would appear in every game for the rest of the 2022 season, appearing only on special teams, except for five offensive snaps in the team’s regular season finale.

In 2023,

injuries to starting guard

and primary backup center

Matt Hennessy

opened the door for Neuzil to climb the depth chart as the new top option to back up then-starter

Drew Dalman

. Neuzil entered the year playing the same special-teams role in which he ended 2022, but he earned his first career start in Week 6, though only as a technicality, as he was an extra lineman on the first play of the game and only played five offensive snaps.

Later in the season, though, Dalman would be forced to miss three games, opening the door for Neuzil to finally start a full game at center and earn snaps on the line during games in which he didn’t start. Ending the season with four starts under his belt likely helped him earn his extension as the primary backup to Dalman. When Dalman missed eight games with

a high ankle sprain

this past season, Neuzil was the one to fill in. Dalman

wanted to return

to Atlanta this offseason, and the two sides even

met to discuss a new deal

, but ultimately, Dalman ended up

signing with the Bears

, leaving the Falcons seemingly no choice but to sign Neuzil as the team’s new primary center.

According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Neuzil

had been working out and practicing

with the team without a deal signed, but likely under the impression that he would, at the very least, sign his restricted free agent tender. Now, with a new contract in hand, Neuzil officially rejoins the roster to likely serve as the Falcons’ starting center in 2025.



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