Falcons To Sign Brandon Copeland
The Falcons have agreed to a one-year deal with Brandon Copeland (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). The former Patriots linebacker missed much of last season with a torn pec, but he’s closing in on a complete recovery. 
[RELATED: Falcons To Sign Harris]
Copeland, an ex-Jets and Lions contributor, also drew interest from the Giants. It’s not clear whether the incumbent Pats tried to bring him back or not. Before the injury, Copeland was ticketed for a major role as Dont’a Hightower’s fill-in. He wound up playing in just six games with four starts, but Pro Football Focus gave him strong grades in that limited sample.
His 2018 Jets season marked his only year as a starter. In 16 games, he notched five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. So far, that’s his only season with more than two sacks.
Terms of the deal are not yet known, but this could prove to be a strong value signing for Atlanta. At least, that’s the hope, given how quiet the Falcons’ week has been.
LB Brandon Copeland To Visit Falcons, Giants
Despite suffering a torn pectoral muscle last season, Brandon Copeland has generated some interest as a free agent. The veteran linebacker plans to meet with the Falcons and Giants, per Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan and ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (Twitter links).
The Giants visit occurred Thursday, per Caplan, who adds the Falcons meeting will also occur this week (Twitter link). Copeland suffered the chest injury in late October, ending his Patriots season after six games.
A former Lions and Jets contributor, Copeland signed with the Patriots last year. The Pats, who both lost multiple key linebackers in free agency and saw Dont’a Hightower opt out of last season, used Copeland as a starter in four games. Pro Football Focus viewed the five-year vet’s abbreviated work well, slotting him near the top of its 2020 linebacker hierarchy.
The Lions used Copeland as a backup from 2016-17, but he broke into the 2018 Jets’ starting lineup. Copeland worked as a pass rusher that season, recording five sacks and 14 quarterback hits. That marked the veteran linebacker’s only season with more than two sacks. The 2021 season will be Copeland’s age-30 slate.
Falcons To Sign Erik Harris
Former Raiders safety Erik Harris is heading to the Falcons, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
After spending his first season with the Saints, Harris found his way to Oakland in 2017. Since then, he’s spent the last four years with the Raiders, all the way through 2020 in Las Vegas. Playing primarily at free safety, he’s made 30 starts for the Raiders out of 61 total appearances. Harris, 31 in April, finished 2020 with 61 total stops, five passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
Harris will help Atlanta replace Ricardo Allen, who was cut recently to save $6.25MM against the cap. Safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal are also out of contract and seem likely to sign elsewhere. For now, that group is headlined by Harris and 2020 fourth-round pick Jaylinn Hawkins.
Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Deal
Atlanta has gotten under the salary cap just ahead of the start of the new league year. They’ve done it in part by restructuring the contract of Matt Ryan, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Zach Klein of WSB was first to tweet the news.
Atlanta converted $21MM of Ryan’s $23MM base salary for this upcoming season and turned it into a signing bonus to spread it out over the duration of his contract, which runs through 2023. The move knocked Ryan’s 2021 cap number down about $14MM, Rothstein writes.
As he points out, this isn’t breaking any new ground, as this is the third time Ryan’s contract has been restructured. The move allows the Falcons to get under the cap for now, and also could be indicative that they have Ryan in their long-term plans.
There had been some speculation the team would look to move on before too long, but this restructure makes it a lot harder to get out of his contract. He’ll now have a dead cap number north of $40MM in 2022. Ryan will turn 36 in May, and new coach Arthur Smith has insisted he isn’t planning on blowing things up. This move would be consistent with that.
Falcons’ Dante Fowler Takes Pay Cut
The Falcons have a little extra room to work with. Edge rusher Dante Fowler has agreed to a pay cut for the coming year, as Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets. 
[RELATED: Bills Trade TE Lee Smith To Falcons]
Fowler joined the Falcons on a three-year, $48MM deal last year, but didn’t produce in his first season with the team. The Florida product posted just three sacks and four tackles for a loss, versus 11.5 sacks and 16 tackles in the previous season with the Rams.
Before that, Fowler spent the first four-plus seasons of his career with the Jaguars, including a rookie campaign that was wiped out thanks to a torn ACL. The Falcons had high hopes for him, especially since he found national fame playing under then-head coach Dan Quinn at UF.
Fowler was originally set for an $18.5MM cap hit with $13MM in base salary. Terms of the revised deal have not been disclosed, but the Falcons will save on both portions.
Bills Trade TE Lee Smith To Falcons
The Bills are trading veteran tight end Lee Smith to the Falcons, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Buffalo will get a 2022 late-round selection in the swap.
Smith signed a three-year, $9MM pact with the Bills in May 2019, but that deal was heavily front-loaded. Today’s trade leaves no dead money on Buffalo’s books and will clear $2.25MM in cap space. Smith was due a $250K roster bonus on March 21, as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweets.
Now 33, Smith has caught just 64 passes for 458 yards over his 10-year career. But his blocking ability has allowed him to stick in the pros for as long as he has, and he will now take those skills to Atlanta. He will likely serve as a replacement for Luke Stocker, another veteran TE known more for his blocking prowess than his receiving talents.
Smith joins Hayden Hurst and Jaeden Graham in the Falcons’ TE room. He is due a $1.9MM salary in 2021.
Falcons Undecided On QB2 Plans
- Matt Schaub‘s retirement and the Falcons waiving Kurt Benkert leaves Matt Ryan as the lone quarterback on Atlanta’s roster. While the Falcons are expected to add two more QBs this offseason, new HC Arthur Smith is not certain he wants to sign a veteran to be Ryan’s primary backup, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. Schaub worked as Ryan’s backup for the past five years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: TE Jaeden Graham
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: FB John Lovett
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OL Tyler Shatley
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LB Malik Jefferson
New York Giants
- Re-signed: WR C.J. Board
Falcons Re-Sign K Younghoe Koo
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Re-signed: WR Christian Blake, CB Tyler Hall, K Younghoe Koo, DT Jacob Tuioti-Mariner
Koo is obviously the most notable name on the list, especially after the 26-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2020. The kicker was an exclusive rights free agent. Koo joined the Falcons for the second-half of the 2019 campaign, and he retained the starting gig in 2020. He ultimately finished the 
year having appeared in 15 games, connecting on a league-leading and franchise-record 37 field goals (on 39 attempts). Koo also became the first player in Falcons history to connect on at least eight field goals of 50 yards or more without a miss.
Blake joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and after not seeing the field during his rookie campaign, he’s appeared in 25 games for the Falcons over the past two years. The 24-year-old has hauled in 24 career receptions for 232 yards.
Tuioti-Mariner also joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and he didn’t get into a game until the 2019 campaign. The 24-year-old appeared in all 16 games this past season, compiling 31 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.
Hall went undrafted during last year’s draft, and he proceeded to spend the majority of the 2020 season with the Falcons organization. He finished the game having appeared in nine games, collecting six tackles.
S Damontae Kazee Not Expected To Re-Sign With Falcons
It sounds like Damontae Kazee‘s stint in Atlanta has come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the safety isn’t expected to re-sign with the Falcons.
Fortunately, the 27-year-old has recovered from the torn Achilles’ tendon he suffered during Week 4 of this past season. Rapoport notes that Kazee is expected to be cleared by training camp, meaning he’ll have plenty of time to acclimate with his new squad.
The 2017 fifth-round has spent his entire career with the Falcons. He had a standout campaign during the 2018 season, compiling 82 tackles, 10 passes defended, and a league-leading seven interceptions in 16 games (15 starts), and he collected another three interceptions in 16 games (14 starts) during the 2019 season. Prior to his season-ending injury this past year, Kazee had compiled 20 tackles and one pass defended.
The Falcons’ secondary is going to look a bit different in 2021. The team already cut Ricardo Allen, and Keanu Neal could end up skipping town via free agency. The organization is currently rostering only a pair of safeties in Jaylinn Hawkins and T.J. Green.