The Falcons were able to avoid tendering exclusive rights free agent Ryan Neuzil today, signing the backup center to a one-year extension, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The third-year lineman will remain in Atlanta for the 2024 season.
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 season, 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.
At the opening of this most recent season, 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 starter Drew Dalman. Neuzil entered the year playing the same special teams role in which he ended 2022. 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 late in the season. Neuzil finally got the opportunity to start a full game at center and even earned snaps on the line during games in which he didn’t start. Ending the season with four starts under his belt left a strong impression for Neuzil heading into the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent.
After establishing himself as a dependable backup on the interior of the offensive line, Neuzil earned this new deal. He’ll likely come into the 2024 season as the primary backup for Dalman and a depth piece on the interior of the offensive line.