Joe Vellano
Joe Vellano (born October 30, 1988) is an American football defensive tackle for the Parma Panthers of the Italian Football League. He played college football at the University of Maryland, and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys.
![]() Vellano at Naval Medical Center San Diego in 2014 | |||||||||
Parma Panthers | |||||||||
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Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Rexford, New York, U.S. | October 30, 1988||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, New York) | ||||||||
College: | Maryland | ||||||||
Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Vellano is now a member of the Parma Panthers, playing in the Italian Football League since 2019.
College career
Vellano played for the Maryland Terrapins from 2008–2012. He redshirted his first season in 2008. In the 2009 season, he appeared in four games and recorded one tackle.[1] In the 2010 season, he recorded 63 total tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, five sacks, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.[2] In the 2011 season, he recorded 94 total tackles, 7.5 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one defensive touchdown.[3] In his final collegiate season in 2012, he recorded 61 total tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, and one interception.[4]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
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6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
306 lb (139 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 5.35 s | ||||||||
All values from NFL Combine[5] |
New England Patriots
On April 30, 2013, Vellano signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent.[6] In Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals, he received his first career start in place of Vince Wilfork, who was placed on injured reserve.[7]
Vellano became a Super Bowl champion on February 1, 2015, helping the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks, 28–24.[8]
On August 31, 2015, the Patriots released Vellano.[9] He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 26,[10] and released again on September 30.[11]
Indianapolis Colts
On December 22, 2015, Vellano signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts.[12]
Second stint with Patriots
On January 26, 2016, the New England Patriots signed Vellano to a futures contract.[13] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.[14]
Atlanta Falcons
On September 6, 2016, Vellano was signed to the Falcons' practice squad due to Adrian Clayborn being put on Injured Reserve.[15] He was promoted to the active roster on January 17, 2017.[16] The Falcons ultimately made Super Bowl LI, but lost to Vellano's former team, the New England Patriots. In the game, Vellano had one total tackle.[17]
On September 2, 2017, Vellano was waived by the Falcons and signed to the practice squad the next day.[18][19] He was promoted to the active roster on September 21, 2017.[20] He was waived on October 24, 2017.[21]
Dallas Cowboys
On November 8, 2017, Vellano was signed to the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad.[22] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 1, 2018.[23] He was waived on March 7, 2018.[24]
Parma Panthers
In 2019, Vallano signed and played with the Parma Panthers in the Italian Football League. The Panthers lost in the league playoffs.
Personal life
Vellano was born and raised in Rexford, New York. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 2007.[25]
References
- "Joe Vellano 2009 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "Joe Vellano 2010 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "Joe Vellano 2011 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "Joe Vellano 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "Joseph Vellano 2013 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- Prewitt, Alex (April 30, 2013). "Joe Vellano signs undrafted free agent deal with New England Patriots". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- Wilson, Aaron (December 18, 2013). "Ex-Terps DL Joe Vellano, now a starter for Patriots, earns praise from Bill Belichick". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- Wilson, Aaron (January 30, 2015). "Former Terps star lineman Joe Vellano now happy to be back playing with Patriots". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- "New England Patriots 2016 Team Transactions - Trades, Injured List, Free Agents, and Signings - ESPN". espn.go.com. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- "Patriots make changes to the practice squad". Patriots.com. September 25, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- "Patriots release LB Dekoda Watson; Release three from practice squad". Patriots.com. September 30, 2015. Archived from the original on November 3, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- "Indianapolis Colts make practice squad moves". blogs.colts.com. December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- "Patriots sign DL Joe Vellano to a future contract". New England Patriots. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "Patriots reach the 53-man roster limit". Patriots.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017.
- "Falcons Add DT Vellano to Practice Squad". AtlantaFalcons.com. September 6, 2016.
- Chambers, Matthew (January 17, 2017). "Falcons place Adrian Clayborn on IR, promote DL Joe Vellano". TheFalcoholic.com.
- "Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons - February 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- Conway, Kelsey (September 2, 2017). "2017 Atlanta Falcons Roster Cuts Tracker: Deadline To 53 Is 4 P.M. ET On Saturday". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017.
- McFadden, Will (September 4, 2017). "Falcons Announce 10 Players Added To Their Practice Squad". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017.
- Alper, Josh (September 21, 2017). "Falcons sign Joe Vellano". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- Conway, Kelsey (October 24, 2017). "Falcons sign linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, waive defensive lineman Joe Vellano". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.
- Phillips, Rob (November 8, 2017). "Cowboys Promote Neal To Roster; Price To IR; DT Signed To Practice Squad". DallasCowboys.com.
- Bouda, Nate (January 1, 2018). "Cowboys Sign 7 Players To Futures Deals". NFL Trade Rumors.
- Phillips, Rob (March 7, 2018). "Cowboys Create Cap Space By Releasing DE Benson Mayowa, DT Vellano". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018.
- Amedio, Steve. "On The Record: Hard work got CBA's Vellano Super Bowl shot". The Record. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
External links
- New England Patriots bio Archived October 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- Maryland Terrapins bio