Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: CB Rojesterman Farris, DE Austin Larkin, DE Bryson Young
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived/injured: TE Jacob Breeland
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: LB Mike Bell
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers: RB Trenton Cannon (Jets)
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: CB Cordrea Tankersley
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers: TE Caleb Wilson (Washington)
- Placed on active/PUP: G Brandon Brooks
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: P Ryan Allen, C Austin Capps, OT Scottie Dill, TE Caleb Repp, LB Jordan Williams
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: DT Daylon Mack, P Dom Maggio
New York Giants
- Released: RB Jon Hilliman, LB Chris Peace, S Rashaan Gaulden and CB Shakial Taylor, QB Case Cookus, FB George Aston, LB Oluwole Betiku, LB Dana Levine
New Orleans Saints
- Released: WR Krishawn Hogan, CB Deatrick Nichols, RB Ricky Ortiz
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett, RB Ralph Webb, WR Quadree Henderson, OL Christian Montano, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Dewayne Hendrix, S Tyree Kinnel, DE Josiah Coatney
Falcons To Sign CB Darqueze Dennard
4:01pm: The Falcons are moving quickly. They will sign the former Bengals corner, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This will be Dennard’s second free agency agreement this year, following his nixed Jaguars pact.
3:48pm: With the coronavirus testing portion of training camps underway, the ice surrounding the remaining high-profile free agents is beginning to thaw. The Falcons conducted a visit with cornerback Darqueze Dennard recently, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Dennard has been a free agent since his three-year, $13.5MM Jaguars deal fell through in late March. The Jags and Dennard agreed to terms during the legal tampering period, but the pact did not end up being finalized.
The Falcons have seen some turnover at cornerback this offseason. They cut longtime No. 1 corner Desmond Trufant and used their first-round pick on Clemson’s A.J. Terrell. The team could still use some help here, however. A six-year Bengal contributor, Dennard resides as one of the better free agent defenders available.
The Bengals re-signed Dennard on a one-year deal in 2019. He did not debut last season until late October, with a knee injury taking longer than expected to heal. But the former first-round pick started five Bengals games last year, moving his career total to 24. He has worked largely as a slot defender as a pro. Pro Football Focus graded Dennard as its No. 21 overall corner last season, during which he played 495 snaps.
The Falcons lost slot defender Brian Poole in free agency last year and did not see a strong performance from their secondary in 2019. Second-round pick Isaiah Oliver has yet to justify the team’s investment; Atlanta graded 25th in pass defense DVOA last season. Dennard, a Georgia native, provides more experience than any current Falcons corner. Ahead of the COVID-19-altered season, that figures to be critical.
Falcons Sign A.J. Terrell, Wrap Draft Class
It took a little while, but the Falcons wrapped their entire draft class in one shot. Per a club announcement, all six of their rookies have officially signed: 
1-16: A.J. Terrell, CB (Clemson)
2-47: Marlon Davidson, DT (Auburn)
3-78: Matt Hennessy, C (Temple)
4-119: Mykal Walker, LB (Fresno State)
4-134: Jaylinn Hawkins, S (California)
7-228: Sterling Hofrichter, K (Syracuse)
Per the terms of his slot, Terrell will receive a four-year deal worth $14.31MM – fully guaranteed. The Clemson star put himself on the radar in 2018 with 53 tackles and three interceptions, including a pick six at the expense of Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa in the 2019 title game. After an All-ACC season in 2019, Terrell had little reason to return for his final year of eligibility. Some saw him as a second-round type heading into the draft, but the Falcons nabbed him midway through the first, giving them some help in the wake of Desmond Trufant‘s departure.
Hennessy, a Temple product, agreed to terms with the Falcons on Monday. That selection brought disappointment in Denver – the Broncos wanted him at No. 79, but the Falcons struck first and nabbed him at No. 78.
NFL Draft Signings: 7/20/20
With training camps looming, teams are rushing to get picks signed. Here are the latest draft deals:
- The Falcons signed third-round center Matt Hennessy. The No. 78 overall pick is set to develop behind Pro Bowler Alex Mack, whose contract expires after the 2020 season. Atlanta’s Hennessy pick caused Denver to change course, with the Broncos having a deal in place with the Jets to move up to No. 79 to draft the Temple blocker. But the Falcons struck one pick earlier, allocating another early-round resource to their offensive line after using two first-round picks on the group last year.
- The Jets were busy Monday, signing three of their 2020 draftees. Third-round pass rusher Jabari Zuniga (Florida), fourth-round quarterback James Morgan (Florida International) and sixth-round punter Braden Mann (Texas A&M) are now under contract. Mann is on track to be Gang Green’s punter, while Zuniga may a rotational role from the outset. Despite an apparent need, the Jets were not especially aggressive in addressing their years-long edge-rushing issue this offseason. Morgan will be on track for the developmental route, with the Jets having signed Joe Flacco after the draft.
- Two Cowboys picks agreed to terms as well. Fifth-round defensive end Bradlee Anae (Utah) and seventh-round quarterback Ben DiNucci are under contract. Both project as backups, with the latter — a former Pitt recruit who transferred to James Madison — joining Clayton Thorson as UDFA QBs behind Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton.
Matt Ryan Thinks Kaepernick Is Worthy Of Roster Spot
- Count Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan among those who believe Colin Kaepernick should have a shot to return to the NFL. Speaking to reporters, Ryan said Kaepernick, who was essentially blackballed for protesting police brutality in 2016, should have “every opportunity” to join an NFL roster this year (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). The status of the 32-year-old Kaepernick has re-entered the news following the killing of George Floyd and subsequent nationwide protests against police violence and systemic racism.
Todd Gurley Passes Falcons Physical
Two months after agreeing to join the Falcons, Todd Gurley has finally taken and passed his team physical (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). At long last, everything is signed, sealed, and delivered, silencing any whispers about his condition. 
[RELATED: Falcons Gain ~$11MM In Cap Room]
Up until this week, Gurley wasn’t able to fly to Atlanta due to the pandemic. That’s been the case for many NFL players – especially free agents changing teams – but some wondered if Gurley’s injured knee was far from football-ready. In mid-May, even Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said he wasn’t quite sure what he going on.
“The main question that no one seems to know is, ‘What’s his health status?,” Koetter said.
All along, those close to Gurley insisted that his recovery was on track. Last year, the knee injury clearly hampered the two-time All-Pro. In 2019, he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry and just 6.7 yards per reception. Prior to that, he managed 40 all-purpose touchdowns between ’17 and ’18 while averaging 4.8 yards per tote.
If Gurley flunked his physical, the Falcons would have had an opportunity to escape the one-year, $11MM deal, but they also would have had to restart their running back search. Fortunately, it seems that everything has worked out. The Falcons have Gurley to replace Devonta Freeman, and they’ll only have $6MM of Gurley’s salary on the books thanks to the Rams’ obligation, plus offset pay.
Gurley, a University of Georgia product, will be backed in Atlanta by Ito Smith and Brian Hill.
Jets, Falcons, Rams, Bears To Gain Cap Room Via Post-June 1 Cuts
The Bears, Falcons, Jets, and Rams will gain additional cap space starting Tuesday, as Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. The extra flexibility comes from the following releases that have been designated as post-June 1 cuts: 
- Bears, Trey Burton: $2.8MM
- Falcons, Desmond Trufant: $10.75MM
- Jets, Trumaine Johnson: $11MM
- Rams, Todd Gurley: $5.5MM
Players released after June 1 can have their remaining cap charge spread out across two seasons, rather than one. These four players were released earlier this year, but designated as post-June 1 cuts to smooth out the dead money.
For these teams, a chunk of this money will go towards funding the incoming rookie class. However, there will still be some room left over for summer upgrades, thanks to the top-51 rule. In the case of the Falcons, they’ll have about $8.25MM to spend, as Kevin Knight of The Falcoholic notes.
The additional space could jumpstart talks for June’s best remaining free agents, a group that includes defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, cornerback Logan Ryan, and guard Larry Warford. The Jets probably won’t go for Clowney, but they’ve shown serious interest in Ryan and Warford would make some sense for them if they want to upgrade over Brian Winters.
Falcons To Gain ~$11MM Of Cap Room
The Falcons released longtime CB Desmond Trufant in March, and as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Trufant was designated as a post-June 1 cut. As such, Atlanta will be able to spread out his dead money charge over the course of the 2020 and 2021 seasons and will gain $10.75MM of cap room when the calendar flips to June on Monday.
The club presently has just $252K of cap space, so the relief is much-needed. As Ledbetter observes, the Falcons will use a good chunk of their newfound space to bring their six-man draft class under contract (at the moment, the team has not signed any of its 2020 draftees). That will leave Atlanta with roughly $7MM of room thanks to the Rule of 51, and GM Thomas Dimitroff likes to keep about $2MM on hand throughout the course of the season in case of emergency.
So Dimitroff will have $5MM to play with should any of the remaining crop of veteran free agents appeal to him. There are a few potentially viable corners on the market, and Atlanta could stand to add an experienced player to complement the youth at that position. The Falcons selected CB A.J. Terrell in the first round of this year’s draft, and he is currently slated to line up opposite third-year pro Isaiah Oliver. Rising sophomore Kendall Sheffield had a solid rookie campaign in the slot and will likely reprise that role in 2020.
Players like Logan Ryan — if his price tag comes down — Trumaine Johnson, and Dre Kirkpatrick could be targets for Atlanta. A situational pass rusher like Clay Matthews may also be in the mix.
Falcons Sign LB Deone Bucannon
The Falcons have signed free agent linebacker Deone Bucannon, the club announced today.
Bucannon, 27, will return to the NFC South after spending part of his 2019 season with the Buccaneers. The former first-round pick signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Tampa Bay last offeason, but only appeared in five games before being cut. Bucannon’s play contributed to his release, but the Bucs also enhanced their compensatory pick selections by parting ways with the veteran linebacker.
After leaving the Buccaneers, Bucannon latched on with the Giants. He appeared in nine games down the stretch, and although he played on just eight defensive snaps, he did contribute on special teams (78 snaps). All told, Bucannon has made 57 career starts since being selected 27th overall by the Cardinals in the 2014 draft.
Atlanta lost linebacker De’Vondre Campbell in free agency, leaving Foyesade Oluokun as the most likely option to start next to Deion Jones. Bucannon, with his experience and ability to play multiple roles, should compete with Oluokun for playing time.