Falcons Release TE Luke Stocker
The Falcons’ tight ends room is getting a major overhaul Monday. First Atlanta let Austin Hooper walk in free agency as he signed with the Browns, and now they’re letting go of another one.
The team is releasing veteran tight end Luke Stocker according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stocker signed with the team around this time last year, and ended up only lasting one season in Atlanta. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2011, he spent the first seven years of his career in Tampa. During that time he played under Dirk Koetter, the former Bucs head coach who is now the Falcons’ offensive coordinator, which is probably what brought him to Atlanta.
Stocker has always been more of a blocker than a receiver, and he has also spent time at fullback. The 31-year-old Tennessee product had only eight catches for 53 yards last year. He played a bigger role in the passing game the year before with the Titans, racking up 165 yards and two touchdowns. Overall he played about 37 percent of the offensive snaps for the Falcons last year in addition to contributing on special teams.
Falcons To Cut Ty Sambrailo
The Falcons will cut offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo, according to a source who spoke with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). It’s just the latest Monday morning move by the Falcons to free up cap space this offseason and more releases could be on the way. 
Sambrailo, who just celebrated his 28th birthday, played in 13 games as a reserve last season. He also got to leave the Falcons with a memorable moment – a 35-yard touchdown reception against the Buccaneers to close out the season and his Atlanta tenure.
By releasing the veteran, the Falcons will save roughly $3.7MM against the 2020 cap. That’s money that can be used to shore up their defense and, potentially, help bring another running back into the fold. Moments ago, the Falcons released one-time star Devonta Freeman, leaving them perilously thin in that area. Then again, many anticipate that they’ll target their next running back in the (likely to be teleconferenced) draft.
Before the official start of business today, the Falcons also informed cornerback Desmond Trufant that he’ll be released sometime this week.
Falcons To Release Devonta Freeman
Up against the 2020 salary cap, the Falcons will cut their longtime starting running back. They will move on from Devonta Freeman before the tampering period begins, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
This previously rumored move will not be especially beneficial, though. The Falcons will eat $6MM in dead money by releasing their starting back of the past five seasons. A Freeman release would move Atlanta under the cap, however.
The Falcons will save around $3MM in cap space by releasing him outright. The Falcons have been mulling the possibility of moving on from Freeman for a while now – in October, they strongly considered dealing him to the Lions and other clubs in need of RBs.
Freeman was set to play out the rest of his five-year, $41.25MM deal. Signed in August of 2017, it made him one of the league’s highest-paid RBs. Unfortunately, it did not pan out – Freeman was unable to stay healthy and appeared in just two games in 2018. Last year, he played in 14 contests, but averaged just 3.6 yards per tote.
The Falcons are now charged with having to remake their backfield. As of this writing, they’ve got Brian Hill and….not much else. Many expect the Falcons to target their RB of the future in the draft since they’re lacking in cap flexibility.
Falcons To Release Desmond Trufant
The Falcons will release cornerback Desmond Trufant this week, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Trufant still had three years remaining on the five-year, $68.75MM extension he signed with Atlanta prior to the 2017 season. 
Trufant had one of his strongest years, by some metrics, in 2019, but it wasn’t enough to keep his spot with the Falcons. By releasing him, the Falcons will save $4.95MM against $10.2MM in dead money.
Trufant came away with four interceptions and seven passes defensed in an injury-shortened eight-game season. He missed the first quarter of the year with a toe injury and was forced to go on IR in December after suffering a broken forearm.
.Before all of that, Trufant logged at least 15 games in five of his first six seasons. He was also a star in the Falcons defense, including his 2015 Pro Bowl season. Releasing Trufant was far from an easy call, but the Falcons find themselves in a difficult cap situation this offseason and they’re desperate for relief anywhere they can find it.
Details On Keith Smith Extension
- Speaking of guys playing unheralded positions getting paid, Falcons fullback Keith Smith also signed an extension yesterday. His new three-year contract will pay him a solid $4.3MM, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The San Jose State product, who was in his first year with Atlanta in 2019, will get $1.95MM in guaranteed money. Smith played about 17 percent of the offensive snaps last year as a lead-blocker, while also contributing heavily on special teams.
Falcons Give Tyeler Davison Three-Year Extension
UPDATE, 5:53pm: We’ve now got the terms for the deal. Davison is getting a three-year, $12MM pact with $4.5MM guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Considering he made only $895K last year, this is a pretty nice pay-raise for the 27-year-old Fresno State product.
4:57pm: A source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, the Falcons are close a three-year contract extension with defensive tackle Tyeler Davison. Davison signed a one-year contract with Atlanta last offseason and proved to be a productive member of their defense.
Originally a fifth-round pick by the Saints in 2015, Davison quickly earned playing time as a rotational interior lineman capable of manning the nose tackle position. Over the first four years of his career in New Orleans, Davison became a starting interior lineman for the Saints, starting 43 games from 2016-2018. Like most nose tackles, Davison is most effective against the run game, only contributing 3.5 sacks over his time with the Saints.
In his lone season with the Falcons, Davison continued his trend of being a healthy contributor along the Falcons front, recording a career-high 55 tackles, tying his career-best mark of 4 tackles for loss, and adding a sack as well.
Falcons, FB Keith Smith Agree To Extension
The Falcons took care of one of their free agents Saturday, reaching an extension agreement with fullback Keith Smith. The team announced the parties agreed on a three-year contract.
Cut by the Raiders after training camp, Smith latched on with the Falcons just before the 2019 regular season. He played 198 offensive snaps with Atlanta — the sixth-most among fullbacks last season — and is now locked up through the 2022 season.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old blocking back has played six NFL seasons. He spent four seasons with the Cowboys and one with the Raiders. Smith’s 2020 base salary will likely be determined by the players’ decision on the CBA, which is due at 10:59pm CT Saturday. If the agreement is ratified, minimum-salary players will receive an approximate $100K salary spike.
Devonta Freeman is not a lock to return as the team’s backfield centerpiece, but Smith is set to reprise his role as the team’s blocking back. It is not yet certain who will be the beneficiaries of Smith blocks, however.
Falcons Extend DE Steven Means
In the final days of a one-year Falcons contract, Steven Means landed another. The Falcons will bring back the veteran defensive end for the 2020 season, the team announced Monday.
It’s a one-year deal for the 29-year-old defender. The Falcons gave Means a one-year, $805K deal in February 2019.
With Means coming off a lost season due to an ACL tear during OTAs, this pact also figures to be a league-minimum agreement. The CBA proposal passing would stand to increase Means’ salary by more than $100K.
Means, 29, originally caught on with the Falcons in September 2018, agreeing to terms after being part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning roster. He has registered one sack in each of the last three seasons and made four starts for the 2018 Falcons. The former Buccaneers fifth-round pick will be in line to vie for a Falcons backup job again this summer.
The Falcons also waived tackle Lukayus McNeil on Monday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/5/20
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL John Wetzel
Denver Broncos
- Released: DL Billy Winn
- Waived: CB Horace Richardson
San Francisco 49ers
- Tendered as exclusive rights free agents: OL Daniel Brunskill, TE Ross Dwelley, CB Emmanuel Moseley, QB Nick Mullens, RB Jeff Wilson
Falcons Release OL John Wetzel
The Falcons announced today that they released offensive lineman John Wetzel.
The 28-year-old had six separate stints with the Falcons last season, but the organization continued to turn to him whenever they had a need on the offensive line. The Boston College product ultimately got into a pair of games for Atlanta in 2019. The offensive guard previously started 19 of his 32 games for the Cardinals between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but he was limited to only eight games (five starts) in 2018.
The organization clearly sees value in Wetzel, so it wouldn’t be a shock if the veteran landed back with the Falcons at some point. It’s worth noting that the lineman was able to sneak in a workout with the Texans between one of his runs in Atlanta.
This will likely be one of many minor moves that the Falcons make as they scrounge around for extra cap. The team’s currently sitting with around $5MM in space, although they could move on from someone like Devonta Freeman to clear up even more room.