2017 Watertown High School graduate not giving up on hopes of playing in the NFL
It's been nearly two months since 2017 Watertown High School graduate Spencer Waege was cut by the San Francisco 49ers prior to start of the 2023 National Football League season.
The move put an end to Waege's first chance to reach his childhood dream of playing in the NFL, but it hasn't put an end to his quest to make it the highest level of pro football.
Waege spent the end of July and about four weeks of August participating in the 49ers' training camp in Santa Clara, Calif. and even played in all four of the team's preseason games.
He assisted on a tackle and also was credited with a pass defended, professional statistics (preseason or not) that most high school football players never accumulate.
"It was definitely a dream come true and it was something I didn't think I'd ever have to chance to do," said Waege, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman. "It's been a dream of mine to get to play in the NFL so I got check that box of be a part of a NFL organization at least in the preseason."
"But I'm still not giving up on the dream yet. I'm still trying."
More: Childhood dream getting close to fruition for Watertown grad Spencer Waege
It's not always smooth sailing
It's easy to think about all these first-round NFL draft picks who sign big-money deals and are essentially guaranteed to make the roster on their first try.
For others, like Waege, the journey isn't so smooth. After a six-year career at North Dakota State University in Fargo (N.D.), he went undrafted in the NFL Draft in April before signing an undrafted free-agent deal with the 49ers.
With the Bison, Waege was a three-year starter who played on teams that went 78-8 and won four national Football Championship Subdivision titles. He was a two-time FCS All-American and two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He finished his career sixth in school history with 42 tackles for a loss.
After an impressive Pro Day in late March in Fargo, Waege was hoping to hear his name called in the NFL Draft in late April. It didn't happen, but he still got an opportunity with the 49ers.
"It was just one of those things with how talented their roster is," he said. "I knew that I was a longshot to make the roster."
He found out his fate on Sunday, Aug. 28 when he was one of five players cut the 49ers — one day before NFL teams had to cut down 53 players for the NFL season. Now NFL rosters do fluctuate through the season due to injuries and other moves and the NFL teams are also allowed to carry a maximum of 16 players on a practice squad.
Playing the waiting game
Shortly after being cut was a trying time for Waege and his agent Chase Callahan, who was busy trying to find a landing spot for his client.
Waege had tryouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, but has since returned home to help on the family farm near South Shore.
More: Sports writer Roger Merriam lists some of his favorite Watertown football players since 1984
One big change he experienced during his time with the 49ers was that he was used more as a defensive tackle rather than the defensive end position he played in college.
"Everything just kind of sped up even more. Blocks get on you quicker and the offensive linemen are right there," said Waege, who said he learned the playbook for every spot on the line in the hopes to helping his chances of making the team. "On the edge, I had a step or two to read and react what they were going to do."
Waege said he's spent the fall watching the 49ers play since he got to know and became buddies with a number of players on the team, while also keeping his eye on the other squads.
Waege knows it might only take an injury or some other incident to lead another NFL to come calling. He's also entertaining the thought that his path of reaching his childhood dream may take a little detour. That could include trying to land a spot on a team in a new league that will formed by the merger of two spring football leagues (the United States Football League and the XFL). The leagues announced plans to merge in late September and plan begin play the spring of 2024.
"At some point, they'll come a time when I'll shift my focus on trying to get on with a USFL-XFL teams in the spring to play and get some tape for NFL teams," said Waege. "I've put too much into this over the years to hang it up this quickly."
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Former Watertown Spencer Waege still harboring dreams of playing in the NFL
