{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1986)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Ryan Wendell | image = Ryan Wendell.JPG | caption = Wendell with the New England Patriots in 2011 | current_team = Los Angeles Rams | number = | position = Offensive line coach | career_position =c | career_number =69, 62 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|3|4}} | birth_place = Diamond Bar, California, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lbs = 300 | high_school = Diamond Bar | college = Fresno State | undraftedyear = 2008 | pastteams = * New England Patriots ({{NFL Year|2008}}–{{NFL Year|2015}}) * Carolina Panthers ({{NFL Year|2016}}) | pastcoaching = * Buffalo Bills ({{NFL Year|2019}}–{{NFL Year|2022}})<br />Assistant offensive line coach * Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|2023}}–present)<br />Offensive line coach | status = | highlights = *Super Bowl champion (XLIX) * WAC Co-Freshman of the Year (2004) * First-team Freshman All-American (2004) * First-team All-WAC (2007) | statweek = | statseason = | statlabel1 = Games played | statvalue1 = 80 | statlabel2 = Games started | statvalue2 = 49 | pfr = WendRy20 }} '''Ryan Robert Wendell'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ryan Wendell Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WendRy20.htm |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> (born March 4, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs and was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
==Early life== Wendell was born in Diamond Bar, California. He attended Diamond Bar High School where he played football as both an offensive and defensive lineman. His jersey number was retired and he is a member of the school's hall of fame.<ref name="bio">{{cite web | title = Ryan Wendell bio | url =https://bufbills.com/player-bios/ryan_wendell.pdf | website =bufbills.com | access-date = January 11, 2020}} </ref>
==College career== After graduating from high school, Wendell attended Fresno State University, where he started in 9 games as a true freshman in 2004 and earned WAC Co-Freshman of the Year. He started all 13 games of his sophomore season and all 12 games of his junior season (the first 8 at guard and the last 4 at center), earning All-WAC honors. As a senior he started at center.
==Professional career== {{NFL predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 2 1/8 | weight = 286 | note = Values from Pro Day<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=32890&DraftYear=2008 |title=Ryan Wendell College Football Profile |website=DraftScout.com |access-date=March 21, 2026}}</ref> }} ===New England Patriots=== Wendell was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2008. He was waived by the team on August 26, 2008, and signed to the Patriots' practice squad on September 24, 2008. He spent the remainder of the season on the practice squad and was re-signed to a future contract following the season.
The Patriots waived Wendell on September 22, 2009. He was re-signed to the team's practice squad two days later. In mid-season, the Patriots raised Wendell's salary in mid-season from the practice-squad minimum (about $150,000) to that of a first-year active-roster player ($310,000).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4692091/wendell-lockett-richard-extended|title=Ryan Wendell gets raise|work=ESPNBoston.com|last=Mike Reiss|date=2009-12-15|access-date=2009-12-16}}</ref> Wendell was promoted to the active roster on December 31, 2009.
Wendell played in 15 games for the Patriots in the 2010 season. He started the final two games of the season in place of an injured Dan Connolly.<ref name="bio"/>
During training camp before the 2012 season, Wendell was part of a competition for the starting center job in New England. He beat out longtime Patriot Dan Koppen for the job.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4733551/wendell-impresses-in-starter-role Scar: Center decision as tough as any]</ref> In 2012, counting special teams, he played a total of 1,379 snaps, the most of any NFL player.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/snapcounts2012 |title=FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis {{!}} 2012 NFL SNAP COUNTS |website=www.footballoutsiders.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017140223/http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/snapcounts2012 |archive-date=2012-10-17}}</ref> As a result, he earned a bonus of $179,907 from the Patriots in March 2013 as a result of the NFL's "performance-based pay" system, which rewards players who have high playing time and low salaries (his 2012 base salary was $750,000).<ref>{{cite web | last=Reiss | first=Mike | title=Wendell earns additional $179k | website=ESPN.com | date=2013-03-18 | url=https://www.espn.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4741173/wendell-earns-additional-179k | access-date=2025-07-13}}</ref>
On March 28, 2014, Wendell signed a two-year deal worth up to $3.25 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://overthecap.com/player/ryan-wendell/1242/|title = Ryan Wendell Contract Details}}</ref> During the week five 2014 Sunday Night Football game against the Bengals, Wendell was moved to guard, where he enjoyed immediate success on a Patriots team experimenting with their offensive line. The offensive line only allowed one sack the entire game. Wendell started the rest of the year at right guard, and was a part of the offensive line that won Super Bowl XLIX over the Seattle Seahawks.<ref name="bio"/>
Prior to the 2015 season, Wendell was voted a captain by his teammates for the first time in his career. He missed the first five games of the 2015 season with an illness and played a reserve role the next two games before being placed on injured reserve on November 7, 2015, ending his time with the Patriots.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patriots activate OL Bryan Stork; Place OL Ryan Wendell on Injured Reserve|url=http://www.patriots.com/news/2015/11/07/patriots-activate-ol-bryan-stork-place-ol-ryan-wendell-injured-reserve|website=Patriots.com|date=November 7, 2015|access-date=November 29, 2016|archive-date=November 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130043516/http://www.patriots.com/news/2015/11/07/patriots-activate-ol-bryan-stork-place-ol-ryan-wendell-injured-reserve|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Carolina Panthers=== On November 29, 2016, Wendell was signed by the Carolina Panthers after injuries to starting centers Ryan Kalil and Gino Gradkowski.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ryan Kalil, Gino Gradkowski placed on IR|url=http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Ryan-Kalil-Gino-Gradkowski-placed-on-IR/5d4f6a3d-48f3-476e-b949-9736e0aa48bf|author=Henson, Max|website=Panthers.com|date=November 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913030005/http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Ryan-Kalil-Gino-Gradkowski-placed-on-IR/5d4f6a3d-48f3-476e-b949-9736e0aa48bf|archive-date=2017-09-13}}</ref>
==Coaching career== ===Buffalo Bills=== In 2019 Wendell was hired as a coaching assistant by the Buffalo Bills and he was elevated to Assistant Offensive line coach for the 2020 season.<ref name="bio"/>
===Los Angeles Rams=== On February 11, 2023 it was announced the Los Angeles Rams hired Wendell as their offensive line coach.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hartwell|first=Darren|title=Report: Rams add another former Patriot to coaching staff|url=https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/report-rams-hire-former-patriots-lineman-ryan-wendell-assistant-coach|website=www.si.com|date=February 9, 2023|access-date=March 30, 2023}}</ref>
==Personal life== Wendell and his wife Meredith have a daughter named Callie.<ref name="bio"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.therams.com/team/coaches-roster/ryan-wendell Los Angeles Rams bio] *[https://www.buffalobills.com/team/coaches-roster/ryan-wendell Buffalo Bills coaching bio]
{{NFL offensive line coach navbox}} {{Super Bowl XLIX}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendell, Ryan}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:American football centers Category:American football offensive guards Category:Buffalo Bills coaches Category:Carolina Panthers players Category:Coaches of American football from California Category:Diamond Bar High School alumni Category:Fresno State Bulldogs football players Category:Los Angeles Rams coaches Category:New England Patriots players Category:Sportspeople from Diamond Bar, California Category:Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California