Joe Vellano (born October 30, 1988) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Parma Panthers The Parma Panthers are an American football team based in Parma, Italy that competes in the Italian Football League. The team was founded in 1981 by Vic Dasaro, an American veterinary student attending university in Parma. Dasaro created the te ...

of the

Italian Football League Italian Football League (IFL) is the top level American football league in Italy established in 1980. History In the 1970's teams formed and played in Italy. In 1980 the first official American football league in Italy was established and crow ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, and signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He has also been a member of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. Vellano is now a member of the

, playing in the

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. In the 2010 season, he recorded 63 total tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, five sacks, two passes defended, and one forced fumble. 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. In his final collegiate season in 2012, he recorded 61 total tackles, 14 tackles-for-loss, six sacks, and one interception.

Professional career

New England Patriots

On April 30, 2013, Vellano signed with the

as an undrafted free agent. In Week 5 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, he received his first career start in place of

Vince Wilfork Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes ...

, who was placed on injured reserve. Vellano became a Super Bowl champion on February 1, 2015, helping the Patriots win

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...

over the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, 28–24. On August 31, 2015, the Patriots released Vellano. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 26, and released again on September 30.

Indianapolis Colts

On December 22, 2015, Vellano signed to the practice squad of the

Second stint with Patriots

On January 26, 2016, the

signed Vellano to a futures contract. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.

Atlanta Falcons

On September 6, 2016, Vellano was signed to the Falcons' practice squad due to Adrian Clayborn being put on Injured Reserve. He was promoted to the active roster on January 17, 2017. The Falcons ultimately made

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...

, but lost to Vellano's former team, the

. In the game, Vellano had one total tackle. On September 2, 2017, Vellano was waived by the Falcons and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 21, 2017. He was waived on October 24, 2017.

Dallas Cowboys

On November 8, 2017, Vellano was signed to the

' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 1, 2018. He was waived on March 7, 2018.

Parma Panthers

In 2019, Vallano signed and played with the

in the

. The Panthers lost in the league playoffs.

Personal life

Vellano was born and raised in

Rexford, New York Rexford is a hamlet in Saratoga County, New York, United States, located on the north bank of the Mohawk River. Rexford is in the Town of Clifton Park, near the southwestern town line. Its boundaries, like those of neighboring Alplaus, are unof ...

. He graduated from Christian Brothers Academy in 2007.

References

External links

New England Patriots bio

Maryland Terrapins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vellano, Joe 1988 births Living people People from Clifton Park, New York Players of American football from New York (state) American football defensive tackles Maryland Terrapins football players New England Patriots players Indianapolis Colts players Atlanta Falcons players Dallas Cowboys players American expatriate sportspeople in Italy American expatriate players of American football