Brian de la Puente

Brian Loomis de la Puente (born May 13, 1985) is an American football center for the New Orleans Saints. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. De la Puente has also been a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.

Early life
De la Puente is Jewish on his mother's side,   and was born in Los Angeles, California. He attended San Clemente High School. He played college football at California. His maternal grandmother was also Jewish.

First stint with 49ers
After going undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft, De La Puente was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent on May 1. He was waived during final cuts on August 30.

Kansas City Chiefs
De la Puente was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs on August 31, 2008. He was inactive for the team's first seven games before being released on October 29. The Chiefs re-signed him to the practice squad the following day.

De la Puente was re-signed to a future contract by the Chiefs on December 30, 2008. He was waived on August 24, 2009 when the team acquired offensive linemen Andy Alleman and Ikechuku Ndukwe from the Miami Dolphins.

Seattle Seahawks
De la Puente was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks on August 25, 2009 after the team waived guard Grey Ruegamer. He was cut on September 5, and added to the practice squad on September 16. He was cut from the practice squad on September 22 and re-added on September 30.

Carolina Panthers
De la Puente was signed to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad on November 17.

Second stint with 49ers
De la Puente signed a future contract with the San Francisco 49ers on January 22, 2010. He was waived on September 4.

Second stint with Seahawks
De la Puente was signed to the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad on September 16, 2010. He was released on September 21.

New Orleans Saints
De la Puente was signed to the Saints practice squad on October 15, 2010 and spent the rest of the season there. In 2011, Saints starting center Jonathan Goodwin left to join the San Francisco 49ers, and the Saints signed longtime Chicago Bears star Olin Kreutz to replace him. De la Puente filled in effectively when Kreutz was injured early in the season, then found himself as the starter when Kreutz unexpectedly decided to retire in mid-season. De la Puente continued to play well as the Saints set offensive records for the season and the offensive line won its second Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award in three years. De la Puente continued to hold the starting center position through the 2012 season. In its 2012 season-end review, Pro Football Focus, calling de la Puente "the least well known player on the line", rated him as the team's highest-performing lineman in 2012.