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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons May Replace Giorgio Tavecchio

August 23rd, 2019 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

Giorgio Tavecchio might be on shaky ground. After another rocky preseason performance, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn indicated that he might look into replacing the kicker. 

“Any time at any position, when we miss the mark, we want to find out why and what we can do to get better,” Quinn said. “It’s definitely a spot we are continuing to evaluate and that is always the case.”

Tavecchio’s latest miss came on a 39-yard try, which is a chip shot by NFL standards. That was his fourth miss in eight attempts this preseason, which could be enough for Quinn to kick him off the roster.

“My focus is always on myself and controlling the controllable,” Tavecchio said. “There’s a lot of things out of your control in this business. I know when I wake up every morning, I say a little prayer of gratitude and give my best each day.”

Tavecchio joined the Falcons in the middle of the 2018 season to fill in for longtime Falcons kicker Matt Bryant. This offseason, they parted ways with the clutch-kicking veteran and moved forward with the former Raider, but they might be having second thoughts about that plan.

Falcons Meet With Julio Jones’ Agent

August 21st, 2019 at 8:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and Julio Jones could once again be ready to make progress on a new contract. On Wednesday, the wide receiver confirmed that his agent, Jimmy Sexton, is in town to discuss an extension with the club (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). 

Throughout the summer, we’ve heard that the Falcons and Jones were on the verge of a deal. The belief was that Jones’ contract would be signed just as soon as the ink dried on Michael Thomas‘ new pact worth up to $100MM, but three weeks have passed since the Saints star secured the bag.

For his part, Jones has remained patient and played the part of a good soldier by reporting for duty in July.

“Mr. Blank gave us his word. … That’s golden,” Jones said in June. “His word is that it’s going to get done. … There’s no stress on my end. I’m not thinking about it. [Blank] makes it easy for me to go out and just work every day and not have one of those situations where there’s a holdout or anything like that.”

Jones’ 7,994 receiving yards since the 2014 season are the most any player has ever compiled in a five-year span. A new deal would be expected to position Jones as one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL in multiple categories.

Rookie OL Kaleb McGary Returns To Field

August 19th, 2019 at 9:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Falcons first-round offensive lineman Kaleb McGary is set to resume on-field activities after undergoing a cardiac ablation procedure at the beginning of the preseason. After the lineman missed his team’s first three preseason games, coach Dan Quinn made it clear that they’ll bring the rookie along slowly.

McFadden notes that the rookie was working with the second team during the early parts of preseason, but he was expected to emerge as the Falcons’ starting right tackle.

[SOURCE LINK]

Falcons Release LB Stephone Anthony

August 17th, 2019 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Stephone Anthony‘s return trip to the NFC South proved short. The Falcons announced the former first-round pick’s release on Saturday, his departure making room on the 90-man roster for cornerback Jalen Myrick.

Atlanta added Anthony at the outset of its training camp, but he will now venture back to free agency. This continues a lengthy swoon for 2015’s No. 31 overall selection.

The former Saints draft choice spent one season as a starter and recorded the NFL’s first two-point conversion return, during a 112-tackle 2015 season. But that year was spent on a bottom-tier New Orleans defense, and the Saints opted against keeping him as a starter for long in 2016. Following the 2017 trade to Miami, Anthony still could not gain much of a foothold. Although, he did play in all 16 Dolphins games last season.

A former Jaguars backup in 2017, and a Georgia native, Myrick bounced on and off the Vikings’ practice squad last season. Minnesota waived the former seventh-round pick in April.

Falcons Claim QB/WR Danny Etling

August 14th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Danny Etling did not clear waivers after his Patriots departure. The Falcons made a successful claim and will bring in the quarterback-turned-wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

It is possible, with the Falcons losing quarterback Kurt Benkert for the season, Etling will be given a chance to show his passing skills again. He profiles as a potential developmental player behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub.

This could well break up the Falcons’ three-Matt quarterback room. Atlanta reacquired Matt Simms shortly after Benkert’s Hall of Fame Game injury. Simms, however, is not a developmental arm. He is now 30 and last threw a regular-season pass in 2014. Etling has never played in a regular-season game, either, but as a 2018 seventh-round pick, the Purdue/LSU product profiles as a long-game prospect.

Patriots Notes: Williams, Wynn, Brady

August 14th, 2019 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

Trent Williams to the Patriots? Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter) says Pats fans shouldn’t hold their breath. As Yates notes, the Redskins tackle seemed like a fit just a couple of weeks ago, but left tackle Isaiah Wynn is progressing in his recovery and Dan Skipper is getting significant reps in the interim. Meanwhile, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter) points out, Cole Croston is also back in the mix.

While you contemplate Williams’ next destination, here’s more from New England:

  • More from Reiss, who breaks down Wynn’s road to recovery from a torn Achilles suffered one year ago. He also touches on Skipper, who offers prototypical size at 6’9″, 310 pounds.
  • The Patriots sent a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick to the Falcons (originally from the Eagles) in the Eric Saubert trade, Howard Balzer tweets. It’s an extremely low-cost deal for the Pats, who might have found a new blocking tight end to fortify their group.
  • Superstar quarterback Tom Brady is still looking to play until the age of 45.

Falcons Trade TE Eric Saubert To Patriots

August 12th, 2019 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have yet another tight end. On Monday, the Falcons shipped Eric Saubert to the Pats in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. 

Saubert, a fifth-round pick in the 2017 draft, has just five catches to his credit over the last two seasons. However, he’s known for his blocking ability and has been a special teams regular for the Falcons. Last year, Saubert appeared in 66% of the club’s special teams plays, and he could fill a similar role with New England.

It’s also possible that bigger things could be in store for Saubert as he joins the Rob Gronkowski-less Patriots. The Pats will be without Ben Watson, their would-be Gronk replacement, for the first four weeks of the season, so there’s a clear opportunity for Saubert to make the cut and see the field.

For the Pats, it’s an extremely low-cost opportunity to bolster a weakened position. Sitting dead last in waiver priority, they might not have landed the third-year pro out of Drake if they waited for him to be released.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/11/19

August 11th, 2019 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Sunday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day.

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: WR Deontez Alexander
  • Waived/injured: LB Tre Lamar

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/19

August 9th, 2019 at 9:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: LB Chase Middleton
  • Waived: DB Hamp Cheevers

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: DT Brandin Bryant, OT Travis Vornkahl

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: TE Brandon Barnes
  • Waived: CB Isaiah Langley

Houston Texans

  • Waived/injured: DE Ira Lewis

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: WR Quadree Henderson, LB Davis Tull
  • Waived/injured: WR Marcus Simms (concussion)

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/19

August 6th, 2019 at 8:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

  • Released from IR: WR Blake Jackson

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

  • Waived: TE Nick Truesdell

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

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