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The Jets have claimed offensive lineman Alex Balducci off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers.
We have claimed OL Alex Balducci off waivers from SF.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 3, 2017
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Balducci was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent a year ago. Although he played on the defensive line in college, the team set out to convert him to the offensive line. He failed to make the team out of training camp but was able to snag a practice squad slot. Late in the season he was promoted to the active roster and even got active for two games. He saw some playing time as well.
Balducci played his college ball at Oregon. One of his college coaches was Chip Kelly, who doubled as the San Francisco head coach a year ago. It isn’t uncommon to see the project players of an old regime be kicked to the curb when there is a change in leadership in an NFL franchise.
Since the Jets listed Balducci as an offensive lineman, we can only assume they will keep him on that side of the ball and have no plans of switching him back to the defensive line.