New opportunity for José Joaquín Arcega-Whiteside in the NFL. The receiver born in Zaragoza 26 years ago signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, a team in which he has been on trial for the past two weeks. JJ’s good work during these training sessions has earned him a place in the Georgia franchise, where he will now fight to be in the final squad of 53 players that will start the season in September.
A ray of hope for an Arcega-Whiteside that last year was cut by the Seattle Seahawks, a franchise in which he spent the last season after being transferred by the Eagles. His time in Philadelphia, a team that bet on the Aragonese in the second round of the 2019 Draft, was not the best, and since then JJ has struggled to stay within the NFL wheel. In Seattle, the Spaniard did not play in any regular-season games, and was primarily part of the practice squad until he was released last November.
In January of this year, the receiver (although he managed to change position and be tight end, in addition to specializing in special teams) had a tryout with the Carolina Panthers, although he did not sign with them. And two weeks ago JJ entered the camp to rookies of the Atlanta Falcons, a franchise immersed in a deep reconstruction and that could be a perfect fit for Arcega-Whiteside. After leaving good feelings these days, the Georgians signed a contract with the Spaniard, who will continue training with the franchise in search of entering the final squad for the season.
“The 6-foot-2, 220-pound player may not have the build of the big, fast receivers that are often coveted in this league, but based on the way this offense likes to play, Arcega-Whiteside is someone who could be a perfect fit. He runs strong and is big. It would be difficult for a small defender to tackle. I would also like to see his blocking abilities, due to his size. With the way the Falcons run the ball, that skill set could be a particular draw in this offense.”, wrote Tori McElhaney, a journalist for the Falcons, about the Spanish during recent training sessions. A new beginning for JJ
