Now that the 2025 NFL draft is over, the Atlanta Falcons can officially focus on the rest of their offseason. The future is bright in town after the Falcons had a tremendous showing at last week's draft, leaving it up to the incoming rookie class to prove if they have what it takes to bring playoff football back to Atlanta.
Falcons fans won't get their first peek at the new rookies until the annual minicamp begins on Friday, May 2. That leaves more than enough time to look into what some ex-Atlanta players are up to, including a former playmaker who returned "home" on Friday.
Former Falcons TE Ross Dwelley Returns to 49ers in Free Agency
On Friday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that they've signed tight end Ross Dwelley to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old pass-catcher previously began his NFL career with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of San Diego in 2018.
Dwelley's signing comes days after the 49ers signed star TE George Kittle to a massive four-year, $76.4 million extension. Although there's no debating who their No. 1 tight end is, the 49ers clearly still felt like they needed more depth at the position.
Dwelley, 30, played 84 games (17 starts) across six seasons with the 49ers to begin his NFL career, converting 60 targets into 44 catches (73.3%) for 518 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His success as a backup TE was enough to convince the Falcons to sign him last offseason to play a similar role behind Kyle Pitts.
Much to Falcons fans' dismay, Dwelley didn't make much of an impact in his lone season with the team. The Sonora, CA native only made one five-year catch while playing more special teams snaps (166) than those on offense (105) in 17 appearances. The 6-foot-5 TE also struggled as a blocker, finishing with 21.0 pass protection and 59.4 run block grades on Pro Football Focus.
After an underwhelming run in Atlanta, it'll be up to Dwelley to prove that a 49ers reunion is what he needs to turn things around. The Falcons will have a road game against the 49ers next season, meaning it won't be long before Atlanta fans are reunited with the veteran TE (assuming he cracks San Francisco's roster).