Drafted in the fourth round back in 2019, Sheffield started 20 games over the last three seasons for the Falcons. He recorded 72 solo tackles, six passes defended and two forced fumbles.
Sheffield is a player many expected to be released as it frees up $2.54 million in cap space for Atlanta and he wasn’t likely to play a prominent role in the defensive backfield.
The Atlanta Falcons signed tight end Ryan Becker to their active roster on Tuesday.
The Atlanta Falcons signed tight end Ryan Becker to their active roster on Tuesday afternoon, the team announced via Twitter. Becker, 24, played at SMU for four years before signing with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
We have signed TE Ryan Becker to the active roster.
While he has yet to play in a regular season game, Becker signed with the Falcons in 2021 but was later placed on the injured reserve list.
The team doesn’t have much depth at tight end with veteran Lee Smith retiring following the season. As for Hayden Hurst, Atlanta’s No. 2 TE is set to hit free agency and the team is short on cap space at the moment.
Running back Cordarrelle Patterson is another free agent the Falcons will have to make a decision on soon.
The Atlanta Falcons have added another tight end, signing David Wells on Friday and placing Ryan Becker on the injured reserve list.
The Atlanta Falcons have added another tight end, signing David Wells on Friday and placing Ryan Becker on the injured reserve list. Wells, 26, was an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State back in 2018, signing with the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie.
Primarily a blocker, Wells provides good depth to a Falcons team transitioning to more two and three tight end sets, and he can contribute on special teams
We have signed TE David Wells and have placed TE Ryan Becker on the Reserve/Injured list. https://t.co/QmJHlR4Hjs
After failing to catch on in Dallas, Wells landed in Kansas City on the Chiefs practice squad before being released again. The New England Patriots signed Wells back in July but cut him earlier this week.
After acquiring Lee Smith and re-signing Jaeden Graham, the Atlanta Falcons added another tight end, signing Ryan Becker on Tuesday.
After acquiring Lee Smith and re-signing Jaeden Graham, the Atlanta Falcons added another tight end, signing Ryan Becker on Tuesday. The 23-year-old undrafted free agent out of SMU originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, but wasn’t active.
Becker isn’t much of a threat in the passing game, catching 16 balls for 198 receiving yards and five touchdowns during his four seasons at Southern Methodist University in Texas.
At 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Becker primarily adds depth as a blocker and comes at an affordable price tag — although the terms of the deal haven’t yet been disclosed. This signing isn’t likely to change the Falcons’ draft plans in the first round, where Florida tight end Kyle Pitts is believed to be in play.
They love Maxx Williams and believe Dan Arnold and Darrell Daniels will be able to stretch the field for them.
The Arizona Cardinals, ever since the days of Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith, have been known for being a team with great players at the position. Under head coach Kliff Kingsbury, they are not a big part of the passing game. Four tight ends combined for 40 catches in 2019, out of 355 catches for the entire team.
However, Kingsbury really likes the talent he has at the position and believes there is a lot of potential.
“I like the room. I think there’s huge upside there,” he told reporters in a video call last week.
The leader of the group is Maxx Williams, who had 15 catches and one touchdown, but Kingsbury has had nothing but praise for him.
“Maxx has been ‘Steady Eddie’ for us; (he) can do it all,” Kingsbury said. “We loved what we saw from him last year, bringing leadership and juice to the field.”
Kingsbury also likes what Williams does for the rest of the room, who are all young players — Dan Arnold, Darrell Daniels, Dylan Cantrell and undrafted rookie Ryan Becker. “He’s been a great mentor,” Kingsbury added.
After six catches and two touchdowns in the team’s final three games of 2019, Arnold is getting attention as a potential breakout player. Kingsbury likes the potential.
“Dan is a guy who’s ascending as a player, we feel like,” he said. “(He) has a great skillset, has a great guy to learn from in Maxx in that room.”
He feels the same way about Daniels, who played mostly in special teams but gives the Cardinals speed and length. Daniels, like Arnold, is a former receiver, although he transitioned to tight end early in his college career at Washington.
“They’re both athletic guys, can really run and stretch the field and are young players that we feel like have big upside, along with Dylan Cantrell,” he said.
Now, expecting big numbers in terms of receptions might lead to disappointment, especially when targets should go primarily to receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, but players like Arnold and Daniels can be big contributors in limited roles.
They might not have a prominent role in the offense, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be important.
The fact the Cardinals made no attempt to add another experienced player to the room in the offseason shows they are comfortable with who they have, considering the role they will have.
SMU tight end Ryan Becker (6-5, 248) played in 46 games (15 starts) during his four-year career with the Mustangs, totaling 198 yards and five touchdowns on 16 receptions. In 2019, he played all 13 games (six starts) for an offense that scored 41.8 points per game and gained 489.8 total yards per game, helping SMU (10-3) to its first 10-win campaign since 1984 and its first 8-0 start since 1982. The Marble Falls, TX native set career highs with nine catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns as a junior in 2018.
College stats
He was not much of a pass catcher in terms of production. These are his numbers over four seasons.
