How Two Atlanta Falcons Went From ‘Polar Opposites’ to Close Friends and Wedding Guests

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Atlanta Falcons tight end Charlie Woerner and his wife, Sydney, were walking through a suburban Atlanta grocery store with their son, Henry, on May 13 when Charlie’s phone rang.

It was Ross Dwelley, one of Woerner’s teammates for the past four years with the San Francisco 49ers. The reason? Dwelley told Woerner that their time sharing a locker room wasn’t over yet.

The last time they spoke, Dwelley seemed ready to sign with another team. The phone call was a pleasant surprise.

“We were so excited because there was about a 10 percent chance it would happen,” Woerner told FalconsSI. “And when it did, we were like, ‘Let’s do it, this is exciting.’”

Dwelley’s enthusiasm had not waned by the time he called Woerner, as he had only made two other calls: to his mother, Joan, and his father, Peter. Their enthusiasm quickly spread to their better halves.

“I couldn’t wait to talk to him and see his reaction, and we were just thrilled,” Dwelley told FalconsSI. “And instantly, our wives started talking to each other, so it was a great deal.”

The friendship between Woerner and Dwelley extends well beyond football — so much so that when Dwelley married his wife, Danielle, at Lake Tahoe last June, Woerner was in attendance at the wedding.

At the time, the two men had only known each other for three years. But that didn’t matter: they spent a lot of time together in San Francisco and became extremely close.

A year after leaving Tahoe, Woerner, who married Sydney in 2020, looks back on the Dwelley family wedding with wholesome memories.

“I remember first of all how beautiful that moment was,” Woerner said. “I remember how happy I was that he and Danielle were getting married. What a beautiful wedding! What a beautiful way to celebrate them in a beautiful place. It was a pleasure and an honor to be at his wedding.”

When the Falcons signed Dwelley, tight ends coach Kevin Koger quickly learned about Woerner’s involvement in the marriage and how close the duo is outside of football.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Koger told FalconsSI. “These guys are really close.”

The 49ers have won the NFC championship the past three years and made the Super Bowl last season, so Woerner and Dwelley have been together much more often than teammates on other teams due to the nature of their seasons.

But the friendship between the two is not necessarily obvious.

Woerner is from Tiger, Georgia, less than two hours north of Atlanta. He attended the University of Georgia. Dwelley, on the other hand, lived in Northern California from fourth grade through high school and attended the University of San Diego in the far southwest corner of the state.

Their upbringing was completely different, but this had no influence on their relationship.

“It’s funny, that’s the thing about football, it’s like they’re polar opposites, but football has brought them so close,” Koger said. “I don’t know if blood and actually being related can bring them together.”

While their bond is close, their outfits certainly differ, starting with their footwear choices. Dwelley says he wears Nike Dunks, Uggs, and Adicane slides—the latter of which are part of his everyday wardrobe. Woerner, on the other hand, wears Crocs, boots, and Hokas.

“In terms of style and stuff, I would say we’re completely different,” Dwelley said. “I just wear my casual Southern California clothes, and he wears his Masters clothes.”

Still, Dwelley noted that he and Woerner hit it off right away — even if, naturally, their paths to the sport’s top level were quite different.

Dwelley did not play football as a junior in high school, preferring to focus on baseball. He played as a senior and was voted Offensive MVP at Oak Ridge High School, but he did not have any recruiting pages or scholarship offers.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Dwelley found a home in San Diego and, after five years of college, arrived in San Francisco as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He was cut after training camp but rejoined the practice squad and eventually played 11 games as a rookie. He signed one-year contracts each offseason from 2020 to 2023 to remain with the 49ers.

Woerner’s path was much more glamorous. He was a four-star recruit out of Rabun County High School, choosing Georgia over Alabama and Clemson, among others.

The 49ers drafted Woerner in the sixth round in 2020, and he played in all but two games during his four years out west.

Dwelley was entering his third professional season when Woerner was selected. Instead of competing at a position where teams often have only four players, the two found common ground in the way they handled themselves.

“I loved the way he played and I respected the man he was,” Dwelley said. “He was a hard worker, he really cared about his family – and that’s what I stand for too. We had a good connection and became very close.”

Woerner said he recognized that the differences between him and Dwelley began with their geographic roots, but he believes the two bucked societal norms en route to building an unmistakable friendship.

“Obviously the bond is football,” Woerner said. “That bond is hard work, and it’s spawned a lot of other things. And I feel like we’re doing a good job of going against what society wants us to do — what society wants is that people who are different don’t like each other.”

“We look at things we may disagree on, and we still remain very good friends.”

Even in their reunion, Woerner and Dwelley differ. In San Francisco, Woerner left his Georgia home for the first time. Now, Dwelley is doing the same thing but in reverse, moving from California to Atlanta.

Woerner helped ease Dwelley’s transition by showing him neighborhoods and places to live. It’s a glimpse of leadership from Woerner, 26, whose advice and vocal presence parallels that of Dwelley, 29.

And that, Koger said, is just the beginning of their similarities.

“They come from a place where they’ve won a lot of football games, they play football at a very high level,” Koger said. “They have a very good outlook on things. They voice their opinions, and they have very good opinions. It’s good to have those guys in the room, guys who have played a lot of football.”

“Having those guys, and having them share their experiences with other guys in the room, makes everybody better. So it’s good to have those guys in the room.”

Koger added that Woerner and Dwelley are both down-to-earth. Dwelley added several other traits to the ever-growing list.

“I think we’re pretty similar players,” Dwelley said. “We both block really well. We can both block on the move really well. We can both block in the trenches, too. Both are good route runners and have good hands. So I think our games complement each other pretty well.”

The Falcons will report to Flowery Branch for the start of training camp on July 24. Woerner, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract with Atlanta in March, and Dwelley, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $1.1 million, are both expected to make the final roster.

Atlanta’s tight end room is led by fourth-year pro Kyle Pitts, the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history at No. 4 overall in 2021 and a player expected to have a resurgent 2024 campaign.

Pitts will be the room’s primary receiving threat. Dwelley and Woerner are both block-first players, giving first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and the rest of Atlanta’s rushing attack a pair of unsung heroes.

But neither Woerner nor Dwelley are particularly concerned about their numbers. They’ve had immense success as teams alongside each other, but they don’t have rings to show for it. They’re determined to help Atlanta reach the NFL’s biggest stage.

And perhaps most importantly, they are thrilled to be able to pursue their dream together once again.

“I remember after we lost the Super Bowl, I thought we’d never play together again,” Woerner said. “So it’s a really, really cool opportunity to be able to play together again.”