Falcons To Sign RB Kenjon Barner
The Falcons have agreed to terms with Kenjon Barner, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). McClure hears that it’ll be a one-year deal for the running back.
Barner, 28, has gotten to travel the country over the course of his pro career. He’s suited up for the Panthers (twice), Eagles, and Patriots and also signed a deal with the Chargers somewhere in between. Last year, he split time between the Panthers and Pats and finished out with 19 carries for 71 yards. He also offers kick return experience with a lifetime average of 23.2 yards per try.
After allowing Tevin Coleman to walk, the Falcons had a need for a running back behind Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith. Barner should have a chance to catch on in Atlanta and maybe even get some carries.
Falcons Sign TE Luke Stocker
The Falcons have signed tight end Luke Stocker, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Stocker previously played under Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter with the Buccaneers, so it shouldn’t take long for him to learn the playbook. 
Stocker entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Bucs in the 2011 draft. Just after Thanksgiving in 2017, the Bucs waived him, but he was quickly scooped up by the Titans. The Titans exercised the 2018 option on his deal and mostly utilized him as a blocker.
Stocker has never caught more than 16 passes in a season, but his blocking acumen has kept him employed over the years. Last year, he graded out as the fifth-best tight end in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, and ranked among the best pass blockers in the league.
With the Falcons, Stocker may appear in two tight end sets along with Austin Hooper.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19
Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:
ERFA
Tendered:
- Bears: DE Roy Robertson-Harris, LB Isaiah Irving, OL Rashaad Coward
- Seahawks: LB Austin Calitro, LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, C Joey Hunt, RB J.D. McKissic, CB Kalan Reed
Non-tendered:
- Bears: S DeAndre Houston-Carson (via Howard Balzer on Twitter)
- Bengals: QB Brad Kaaya (via Balzer)
- Cardinals: LB Gabe Martin, DE Zach Moore, C Daniel Munyer (via Balzer)
- Chiefs: TE Alex Ellis (via Balzer)
- Colts: S Ronald Martin (via Balzer)
- Falcons: WR Marvin Hall (via Balzer)
- Giants: DT Kristjan Sokoli (via Balzer)
- Patriots: WR Cody Hollister (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: CB Tevin Mitchel (via Balzer)
- Rams: LB Garrett Sickels (via Balzer)
- Ravens: OT Steven Moore (via Balzer)
- Saints: DB Rickey Jefferson (per NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein, on Twitter)
- Seahawks: DE Ricky Ali’ifua, DB T.J. Green, RB Tre Madden, DB T.J. Mutcherson
- Steelers: T Joseph Cheek, S Malik Golden, LB Keith Kelsey, TE Jake McGee (via Balzer)
- Vikings: OT Cedrick Lang, TE Josiah Price (via Balzer)
RFA
Tendered at second-round level:
- Seahawks: T George Fant (per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, on Twitter)
Tendered at original-round level:
- Chiefs: S Jordan Lucas
- Saints: CB Ken Crawley (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate)
- Seahawks: DL Quinton Jefferson (via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, on Twitter)
Non-tendered:
- Bears: LS Patrick Scales (via Balzer)
- Bengals: TE Matt Lengel (via Balzer)
- Bills: TE Logan Thomas (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, on Twitter)
- Broncos: QB Kevin Hogan, LB Deiontrez Mount, WR Jordan Taylor (via Balzer)
- Browns: CB Juston Burris, TE Orson Charles (via Balzer)
- Buccaneers: TE Alan Cross, CB Javien Elliott, T Leonard Wester (via Balzer)
- Cardinals: LB Jeremy Cash, OT John Wetzel (via Balzer)
- Chiefs: LB Terrance Smith (via Balzer)
- Dolphins: WR Leonte Carroo (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald)
- 49ers: S Tyvis Powell (via Balzer)
- Jaguars: OG Chris Reed (via Balzer)
- Jets: DT Destiny Vaeao (via Balzer)
- Panthers: WR Damiere Byrd (via Balzer)
- Raiders: DE Shilique Calhoun (via Balzer)
- Redskins: WR Maurice Harris (per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, on Twitter), RB Rob Kelley (via Balzer)
- Saints: WR Tommylee Lewis (via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com, on Twitter)
Falcons To Release Ryan Schraeder
The Falcons will release right tackle Ryan Schraeder, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Schraeder was fully expected to be cut after Atlanta gave Ty Sambrailo — who took over as the club’s starting right tackle near the end of the 2018 season — a three-year extension. The Falcons will field an offensive line that features three new starters next year: Sambrailo, plus free agent guards Jamon Brown and James Carpenter, the latter two of whom agreed to multi-year deals earlier this week.
A former undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State, Schraeder latched on with the Falcons in 2013 and proceeded to start 73 games over the next six years. He signed a five-year, $31.5MM extension in 2016, but he’ll only complete a portion of that contract. Atlanta will now take on $3.8MM in dead money by releasing Schraeder, but the team will also open $3.95MM in cap space.
Schraeder will now join a free agent tackle class that’s mostly been picked over. Daryl Williams is still the best option on the market, while other 30-something tackles like Jared Veldheer, Jermey Parnell, and Joe Barksdale also remain available.
Contract Details: Amos, Patterson, Carpenter, Brown
Let’s take a look at the details of a few freshly-signed contracts:
- Adrian Amos, S (Packers): Four years, $37MM. $12MM fully guaranteed. $11MM signing bonus. Roster bonuses and Pro Bowl escalators beginning 2020 (Twitter link via Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times).
- Justin Coleman, CB (Lions): Four years, $36MM. $16MM fully guaranteed. $10.1MM signing bonus.
- Steven Nelson, CB (Steelers): Three years, $25MM. $7.5MM signing bonus. $3MM roster bonus in 2020 (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports).
- Cordarrelle Patterson, WR (Bears): Two years, $10MM. $5MM fully guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus. Per-game roster bonuses available in 2019-20 (Twitter link via Jahns).
- James Carpenter, G (Falcons): Four years, $21MM. $7.25MM fully guaranteed. $9MM overall guarantee (Twitter links via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).
- Jamon Brown, G (Falcons): Three years, $18.75MM. $12.75MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Rapoport).
- Preston Brown, LB (Bengals): Three years, max value of $21MM (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
Andy Levitre Not Planning To Retire
One of the most durable guards in the league for nearly a decade, Andy Levitre tore his triceps in the Falcons’ second game of the season in 2018 and landed on IR. That immediately led to speculation that Levitre could consider retiring this year, especially since his contract with Atlanta is up.
However, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets that Levitre, who turns 33 in May, is not ready to call it quits and wants to continue playing, though it sounds as if his triceps injury is not completely healed.
It also sounds as though Levitre will not be back with the Falcons, as the club agreed to terms with two free agent guards this afternoon. He agreed to a pay cut with Atlanta last season in order to remain with the team, and the fact that a triceps injury also ended his 2017 campaign prematurely will surely give other teams pause.
But despite the early end to the 2017 season, Levitre graded out as one of the 20 best players at his position in the NFL that year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, so he surely has something left in the tank. If he hasn’t changed his mind in a couple of months, and if he can get healthy, he will attract some interest on the open market.
Falcons To Sign G Jamon Brown
The Falcons added another piece to their offensive line this afternoon, coming to terms with Jamon Brown, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
Brown joins James Carpenter in being a Georgia-bound guard. A Rams starter, Brown saw a suspension derail his run with the team. He landed soon as a Giants starter, however, and will make a run to crack the Falcons’ starting lineup or be a top swing man.
Atlanta still has Brandon Fusco under contract, so the plan may be to play Carpenter opposite the incumbent veteran and have Brown work as a swing backup. Brown, though, has started 38 games in his career.
The former third-round pick’s path back to a Giants starter spot became blocked when New York traded for Kevin Zeitler. Brown rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 62 guard last season.
Falcons To Sign G James Carpenter
Former Jets left guard James Carpenter will sign a four-year deal with the Falcons, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Carpenter will celebrate his 30th birthday later this month, so the four-year pact could take him through the end of his career. 
Carpenter first entered the league as a first-round pick of the Seahawks in 2011. After finishing out his original four-year rookie deal, he hooked on wiht the Jets, where he spent the last four years. Carpenter stayed healthy between 2013-2017, but his 58-game starting streak ended in November when he underwent shoulder surgery.
Carpenter’s anchored the Jets’ offensive line following the departures of stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold. With Atlanta, he’ll help open up running lates for Devonta Freeman and protect quarterback Matt Ryan, who just restructured his deal to free up cap space for the team.
Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Contract
Khalil Mack wasn’t the only superstar to get his contract restructured today. The Falcons are tweaking Matt Ryan‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Yates writes the Falcons created $7MM in cap space by converting $8.75M of Ryan’s base salary into a signing bonus. It’s a win-win for both sides, as Ryan will get more money upfront while the team will get to spread the cap charge out over the course of the rest of his contract. Ryan signed a massive five-year extension with the team last May.
The Falcons had previously had the least cap space in the entire league according to Overthecap.com’s estimations, so this was a desperately needed move. The Falcons have been pretty quiet this offseason, and the only moves they’ve made this month have been franchise-tagging defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and extending backup quarterback Matt Schaub.
The Falcons have more flexibility now, so it’s safe to assume they’re looking to add a piece or two. 2019 will be a critical year for Atlanta after they fired almost all of their assistants after last season. If they don’t progress in 2019, head coach Dan Quinn could find himself out of a job.
Falcons Hire New D-Line Coach
- The Falcons made major shakeups to their coaching staff after their disappointing 2018 season. All three coordinators were let go, and now Atlanta is making another coaching change. The Falcons have hired Jess Simpson to be their new defensive line coach, as current defensive line coach Bryant Young is stepping down, according to Will McFadden of the team’s official website. Simpson comes to the Falcons from the University of Miami, where he served as defensive line coach. In 2017 he was a defensive assistant on the Falcons’ staff, so there’s some familiarity here.