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Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Falcons Place Jacob Tamme On IR

November 21st, 2016 at 9:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme is done for the season. Tamme announced this morning that he underwent an operation on his shoulder that will rule him out for the rest of the year. The Falcons formally placed him on IR on Monday. The 31-year-old tight end faces a lengthy recovery from this shoulder setback."<strong

“Unfortunately I had to have season-ending surgery this morning. Thank you to everyone who has been praying and sending support. I love our team, so this situation brings great disappointment,” Tamme tweeted. “But this is my [first] surgery in [nine years]. I feel very blessed.”

With Tamme out, the Falcons will lean more on Levine Toilolo and third-round pick Austin Hooper. Behind them will be UDFA Joshua Perkins.

Tamme’s season ends with 22 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns, making him Atlanta’s top offensive producer at the tight end position. He came to Atlanta on a two-year, $3.2MM base value deal before the 2015 season, so he’ll be a free agent after the season is through.

Tamme first made a name for himself as a favored receiver in Peyton Manning‘s Colts offense. Later, he reunited with Manning on the Broncos, but he saw his role reduced as he battled for playing time with Julius Thomas and Virgil Green. Last year, Tamme showed what he could do in a featured role, hauling in 59 grabs for 657 yards. That was a career-high in yards for Tamme and his second-highest reception total.

Tamme turns 32 on March 15th, right around the start of the 2017 free agency period.

Falcons Extend Ryan Schraeder

November 21st, 2016 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have reached agreement on an extension with right tackle Ryan Schraeder. It’s a five-year deal with a $32MM base and a maximum of $33MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal gives Schraeder $19.5MM in the first three years and grants him $12.5MM guaranteed.Ryan Schraeder (vertical)

The new pact marks a major pay bump for Schraeder. In the spring, Schraeder signed a restricted free agent tender worth just $2.553MM. Before that, the Falcons had some concern that another team could steal him away. Now, rival clubs are likely kicking themselves after watching Schraeder take another step forward in 2016.

Through ten games, Schraeder is Pro Football Focus’ No. 13 ranked tackle in the NFL. His 83.3 overall grade comes from roughly even scores in pass blocking and run blocking. If he can continue that kind of production, this deal will prove to be a strong value for Atlanta.

Pending FA Jacob Tamme Faces Long Recovery

November 21st, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

Falcons tight end Jacob Tamme, who is done for the season following shoulder surgery, faces six months of rehab before returning to full speed football, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets. This is especially notable as Tamme looks ahead to free agency. Free agency starts in March, but it sounds like the veteran won’t be back to his normal self until May. Jacob Tamme (vertical)

Tamme came to Atlanta on a two-year, $3.2MM deal before the 2015 season. In his first year with the Falcons, Tamme had 59 catches for 657 yards, putting him in the top 11 among tight ends in both categories. This year, Tamme’s season ended with 22 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns, making him Atlanta’s top TE.

Clearly, Tamme can still move the chains, but he may not find a strong market by the time he is ready for inspection. By May, many teams will already be set at tight end and they’ll have significantly less cap room than they did at the beginning of the spring. Tamme turns 32 in March, so he’ll also have his age working against him.

Falcons Work Out Three

November 8th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
  • Guard Kyle Muir and two safeties – Rolan Milligan and Ryan Murphy – worked out for the Falcons (Twitter link). Muir signed with their taxi squad.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/16

November 8th, 2016 at 5:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OL Blake Muir
  • Cut: LB Davis Tull

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: G Kadeem Edwards
  • Cut: G Clay DeBord

Houston Texans

  • Signed: WR Wendall Williams

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: S Jimmy Hall, CB Tylor Patmon, QB Joel Stave
  • Cut: RB Zac Brooks, OL Jarrod Pughsley, OT Zach Sterup

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Diego Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Cut: WR Kenny Lawler

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

  • Signed: DB Lee Hightower

Falcons Audition Six

November 7th, 2016 at 8:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former New England defensive end Rufus Johnson worked out for the Falcons today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Johnson has made the rounds on the workout circuit since getting waived off the Patriots’ practice squad in September. Atlanta also took a look at quarterback Ricky Stanzi, wide receivers Max McCaffrey and Anthony Dable, and defensive ends Lawrence Okoye and Arthur Miley, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

Falcons Extend GM Thomas Dimitroff

November 7th, 2016 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and general manager Thomas Dimitroff have agreed to a long-term extension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team has since confirmed the deal via press release. The new deal will lock the executive down from 2017 through 2019.Thomas Dimitroff

This summer, Dimitroff said that he didn’t expect to last much longer in Atlanta if the team didn’t turn around its on-field performance.

“Of course I’m on the hot seat. Every year I’m on the hot seat. I believe that 100 percent,” he said in June.“I believe anyone who doesn’t think they are maybe just won a Super Bowl. But I think most of us know that it’s a very urgent league now.”

After going a wildly successful 56-24 with four playoff berths and at least nine wins in each of Dimitroff’s first five years with the Falcons, the club combined for an 18-30 mark and no postseason appearances from 2013-2015. This season, however, the Falcons have turned things around by getting out to a 6-3 start. On Thursday night, they defended their spot atop the NFC South with a 43-28 drumming of the Buccaneers.

Poll: Who Will Win The NFC South?

November 3rd, 2016 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

At the outset of the season, the NFC South wasn’t supposed to look as wide open as it currently does. Back then, the Panthers were the clear-cut favorites after going 15-1 last year and rolling through the NFC playoffs en route to a Super Bowl berth. The 2016 Panthers are a far cry from the 2015 version, though, as reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton and the rest of the team have fallen to earth amid a 2-5 start. Carolina is in last place in the division, trailing two 3-4 rivals (the Buccaneers and Saints) and the 5-3 Falcons. More alarming, perhaps, is that the Panthers have already lost to all three of those clubs this year, giving them that much more ground to make up in the race.

Matt Ryan

The Falcons, led by MVP candidate Matt Ryan, superstar wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, are 2-1 in the division and boast its only positive point differential (plus-31). They’re also facing the Buccaneers, who are 2-0 in the NFC South, on Thursday in a crucial divisional battle. A win would make the Falcons all the more difficult to catch, while a victory for the Bucs would vault Jameis Winston & Co. to .500 and keep them perfect against their closest rivals. A Falcons defeat would also cause flashbacks to last season, when the club collapsed after a 6-1 start to finish 8-8. This year’s Falcons began 4-1 and are now in danger of dropping three of four, though their fifth overall ranking in Football Outsiders’ DVOA seemingly indicates they’re for real. Nobody else in the division is even in the top 20 in that metric.

The Saints are at No. 23, but they’ve come around in the standings after an 0-3 start and will reach the .500 mark for the first time this season if they beat the lowly 49ers on Sunday. In their signature victory of the year, the Saints upset the Seahawks, 25-20, last Sunday. That was already the sixth one-score game of 2016 for the Saints, who have gone 3-3 in those contests. That’s also true of the Falcons, while the Bucs have recorded a 2-1 mark in one-score affairs and the Panthers have logged an 0-3 record.

While Atlanta and New Orleans are defensively challenged, both have tremendous offenses and top-tier quarterbacks in Ryan and Drew Brees. Conversely, Tampa Bay and Carolina haven’t done anything at an elite level this year. Barring offensive or defensive turnarounds, that would seem to put each behind the 8-ball, though Newton showed in 2015 that he’s capable of performing like an unstoppable force. Given their general decline this year, the Panthers will need Newton to resemble his 2015 self over the season’s final nine games if they’re going to win the division for the fourth straight year. If not, one of the other clubs should finally dethrone Carolina atop the NFC South.

Who will win the NFC South?
Falcons 77.77% (1,116 votes)
Saints 9.69% (139 votes)
Panthers 7.74% (111 votes)
Buccaneers 4.81% (69 votes)
Total Votes: 1,435

Falcons Unlikely To Make Trade

October 31st, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Zachary Links
  • Speaking of the deadline, two head coaches broached the subject today while speaking with reporters. The Falcons‘ Dan Quinn told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that while there are some “behind-the-scenes whispers about stuff” happening over the next day or so, Atlanta is unlikely to make a move. Bills head coach Rex Ryan, meanwhile, said he “doesn’t necessarily see” Buffalo working out a trade before tomorrow, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Dan Quinn Prefers To Move Forward With Own Players

October 29th, 2016 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

Every team in the league could zero in on a specific position that needs an upgrade. However, most coaches, including Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, would prefer to roll with their own guys. With the Falcons sitting at 4-3, fans could surely find areas of the team to nitpick. Nonetheless, Quinn is content on moving forward with his current squad.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • McClure wonders if the Falcons may be inclined to change their opinion if Dwight Freeney‘s injury proves to be more serious than originally thought. Meanwhile, the writer suggests the team could look to deal some of their players, including cornerback Jalen Collins, for future draft picks.
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