Offensive lineman Matt Pryor officially made his return to the NovaCare Complex for the first time since 2021 on Wednesday to sign his one-year contract.

Pryor was a sixth-round selection of the Eagles in 2018, appearing in 27 games before being traded to the Colts where he spent two seasons.

Since his time in Philadelphia and Indianapolis, the versatile lineman played for the 49ers in 2023 and most recently the Bears in 2024.

"It's great to be back, kind of made it full circle," Pryor said after putting pen to paper. "Obviously, free agency is a little stressful for everybody. Don't know which way you're going to go or if you're even going to go anywhere. But everything works out how it's supposed to and God-willing, I ended up back over here."

The former TCU Bullfrog entered the league at the same time as Eagles' left tackle Jordan Mailata, and has kept in touch with both him and right tackle Lane Johnson since leaving Philadelphia.

Pryor ranked eighth among all NFL guards with a pass blocking grade of 78.1 in 2024. He was graded as the No. 21 ranked guard by PFF in that same season.

As he puts it, he's come a long way since entering the league and playing in Midnight Green.

"I think I did a lot of maturing over traveling around and being with different teams, kind of learning what other teams have or don't have compared to others. I've developed a lot more as a player," Pryor said of his development. "Just a better understanding of the game as a whole. Understanding defenses, getting a better feel for your offensive scheme. Just working on technique, footwork, hand placement, fitting double teams – everything (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff) Stoutland emphasizes."

At 30 years old, he allowed zero QB hits, playing in 895 snaps at right guard and 59 snaps at right tackle. Pryor started 15 games at guard for the Bears in 2024. With the Colts, Pryor played at right guard, right tackle, and left tackle. He played just 42 snaps for the 49ers offensive line in 2023.

The 6-foot-7, 332-pound lineman described himself as someone who is willing to put his body on the line for the team.

"Obviously the goal would be to start as it would be anywhere else. But, you know, right now, until they say otherwise, I'm going to go wherever they see for me to fit in. I'm just going to do what I can for the team. If it ends up being on the starting row – perfect. Just going to be patient, put the work in, keep my head down, and wait for the outcome," Pryor said. – Written by Liam Wichser