Eric Weddle was nearly two full years removed from football and happily retired. The former two-time All-Pro safety had compiled a stellar career through 13 seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams. It hadn’t resulted in a Super Bowl victory, but Weddle had accomplished a ton through his NFL career.
Six weeks later, Weddle has a Super Bowl ring coming and a torn pectoral to remind him of the wild ride he’s been a part of with the Rams.
“It’s hard to think back where I was five-and-a-half weeks ago and being able to do what I did,” Weddle told Omar Ruiz of NFL Network. “It feels like a dream, that I left my real life for five-and-a-half weeks and now I’m back in the real life, only to be reminded by my pec that isn’t there and getting fixed tomorrow.”
The Rams reached out to Weddle after Jordan Fuller suffered a season-ending ankle injury and Taylor Rapp was dealing with a concussion in early January. He signed to the team’s practice squad but was called up to play in four games during the playoffs. He started two games, one of which was the Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Weddle sustained a torn right pectoral early in the game on a hit delivered to running back Joe Mixon. Despite the injury, Weddle played all 61 defensive snaps for the Rams to help secure the 23-20 victory.
Given the fact that Weddle hadn’t been a part of an NFL team since the end of the 2019 season, it’s a pretty wild outcome and finale to Weddle’s career.
“I’m probably just most proud of being in the moment and, whatever my role was, just trying to help the guys and be a kid again,” Weddle said. “To come out of retirement for two years and join a team and welcome me in and be excited that I was there and know that I could bring some energy, bring some passion, and bring whatever that it factor was to a team that was on the cusp of something great. All the stuff on the field, the mental side, all that stuff, I’ve done all that and I just think the whole story of coming back and making an impact in a lot of guys’ lives probably means the most to me.”
