Atlanta Falcons fans saw the free agent market at the tight end position become a bit murkier on Wednesday after Dallas Goedert and the Philadelphia Eagles came to terms on a new contract. With the Eagles now set at that position, however, a former Falcons starter may have just earned a second lease on life in the NFL.
Being a top draft pick will give you more leeway than most of your peers in the NFL when it comes to the opportunities to latch on with other franchises. This is true in the NFL as well as the NBA, NHL, and MLB. If someone values a prospect enough to use a first-round pick to bring them in, other franchises will want to get a closer look for themselves if and when said players come available, as was the case with Hayden Hurst's tenure in Atlanta.
While he wasn't originally a selection made by Atlanta, the fact that the Baltimore Ravens did choose the tight end in the first round may have been what led the Falcons to bring him into the fold in the first place before electing to move on after just two seasons.
Former Falcons TE Hayden Hurst May Have Just Caught a Lucky Break
The former South Carolina Gamecocks standout was the No. 25 overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and spent two years with Baltimore before joining Atlanta as part of a trade in 2020. The Falcons agreed to send a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick to the Ravens in exchange for Hurst and a fourth-round pick. Despite playing two years in Atlanta and starting 14 of the 29 appearances he made, Hurst was not retained in 2022 and ultimately signed on with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Fast forward to today and Hurst is approaching 32 years of age and is coming off of a season with the Carolina Panthers, where he only appeared in nine games before being placed on injured reserve. The fact that Dallas Goedert elected to not leave the Eagles keeps Hurst among the top tight end options on the open market, but his lack of production, injury history, and age are certainly factors working against him.
For those that may have forgotten, or were unaware, Hurst did not take the traditional route to the NFL as he signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school rather than accepting a baseball scholarship offer to Florida State. Things did not go as planned for Hurst on the diamond as he lasted just two years in Pittsburgh's minor league system before leaving baseball altogether and walking on at South Carolina as a tight end.
To go from a walk-on to a first-round draft pick in just three seasons is impressive wherever it is done, let alone accomplishing the feat after playing in the SEC. Those achievements only go so far though once you become a professional and Hurst has learned that the hard way as he is now hoping to find a fifth team to take a chance on him.
We'll just have to wait and see whether the former Falcons starter can get another shot to prove his worth. It won't come in Atlanta, but Hurst will do all in his power to continue his NFL career somewhere in the league. Today's decision by the Eagles may be the extra bit of help he needs to gain the attention of another franchise in need of a tight end.