Falcons sign former Shaw High standout Philip Wheeler

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, left, fumbles the ball near the goal line as Oakland Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler, right, looks on during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. An unnecessary roughness penalty against the Raiders was called on the play giving the Steelers a touchdown. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Marcio Jose Sanchez AP

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Atlanta Falcons have signed linebacker Philip Wheeler (Shaw High, Georgia Tech) and released safety Charles Godfrey.

Wheeler, cut by San Francisco on Sept. 4, has played in 108 games, including 60 starts, with Indianapolis, Oakland and Miami. He was a third-round pick out of Georgia Tech by the Colts in 2008.

In 2014, Wheeler started four of 15 games with the Dolphins. He had 164 total tackles the last two years with Miami.

Godfrey did not have a tackle in only one game with Atlanta this season after splitting the 2014 season between the Falcons and Carolina. He was a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2008. He was cut by the Falcons on Sept. 15 and then re-signed with the team on Oct. 6.

Wheeler helped lead Shaw to a 2000 state football championship.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Falcons sign former Shaw High standout Philip Wheeler ."

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