HEADLINES

Carlos Washington Jr.

Falcons Cull Roster To 53 Players

August 26th, 2025 at 7:40pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Falcons trimmed their roster down to 53 players with the following moves:

Released

Waived

Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)

Placed on reserve/PUP

Placed on reserve/NFI

  • LB Malik Verdon

Released from IR with injury settlement

Fuller, Harrison, and Henderson all have previous starting experience in the secondary, though Harrison has since converted to linebacker and exclusively played special teams last season. Fuller missed half of the 2024 season due to injury, while Henderson, a former top-10 draft pick, spent the year with the Steelers but didn’t appear in a regular-season game.

With right tackle Kaleb McGary landing on season-ending IR, Parker could be a candidate to have a handshake agreement to be signed to the practice squad and remain in the team’s game day plans for the season. He will be crucial tackle depth with Norton sidelined for at least four weeks (and likely more) after ankle surgery

Bryant was a projected Day 3 pick who surprisingly went undrafted. Though he didn’t do enough to make the 53-man roster, the Falcons are hoping that he can clear waivers and return to the practice squad, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Though Younghoe Koo is coming off a down year, the Falcons are sticking with the veteran kicker and waived Krieg, a German-born rookie. The Falcons are planning to re-sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. As an international player, Krieg is eligible to be an extra, 17th player on Atlanta’s practice squad.

Washington is expected to spend his third NFL season on the Falcons’ practice squad, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was only elevated once in 2024 and played exclusively special teams in that game.

Graham started 16 games over his first four years in the NFL but saw his snap share drop to a career low in 2024. He’ll be out for a minimum of four games with an undisclosed injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster updates:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed to active roster: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
  • Placed on IR: RB Jase McClellan

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Rams

  • Reverted to season-ending IR: G KT Leveston

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

It’s unfortunate news for the rookie second-round safety, Nubin. After starting the first 13 games of his first season in the NFL, the top-drafted safety in the 2024 NFL Draft will end the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Nubin had graded out as the 34th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), before the injury.

Charles will miss the remainer of the season, as well, and perhaps some of next year. The former undrafted receiver will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

August 28th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • WR Jalen Coker

Waived from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Falcons Reduce Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 4:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the Falcons’ Tuesday moves which brought the team’s roster to 53 ahead of the cutdown deadline:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Taylor Heinicke was widely believed to be on the trade block, and it would have come as little surprise if the veteran passer had been released. Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and drafted Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in April. Those two are set to handle starting and backup duties in 2024 (and beyond, if things go according to plan), which suggested Heinicke was expendable. Instead, he will prepare for a second season with the Falcons.

King’s efforts to return to regular NFL action included a contract with the Falcons in March. The former Packers corner sat out the 2022 season while rehabbing multiple injuries. Last year, an Achilles tear forced him to miss another campaign. He was unable to carve out a roster spot in Atlanta, but as a vested veteran he will immediately hit free agency without needing to pass through waivers.

A number of recent draftees are included in the list of players being waived. As a former UDFA, Blair does not meet that criteria but his inclusion is a surprise. The 26-year-old was a standout in the preseason, and ESPN’s Marc Raimondi notes Atlanta is interested is retaining him via the practice squad. The same will no doubt be true of Logue, a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft.

Teams are allowed to designate two players to return from IR without naming them to the 53-man roster. A number of teams have taken advantage of that new rule today, and in Atlanta’s case it means Hellams will not occupy a spot for the time being. The earliest he can be activated is Week 5.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/23

September 20th, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: RB Carlos Washington Jr.

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Falcons Reduce Roster To 53 Players

August 29th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons roster took shape today. While the team moved on from some notable veterans, the front office surely had a tougher time waiving a long list of promising young players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

One of the most surprising cuts was Darren Hall, who has started 10 of his 31 appearances for the Falcons over the past two seasons. The former fourth-round pick started nine games this past year, finishing with 45 tackles, three passes defended, and one forced fumble.

Parker Hesse spent the past two seasons in Atlanta, serving mostly as a blocking tight end. The former UDFA started seven of his 17 appearances this past season, hauling in nine catches for 89 yards.

Falcons Sign Six UDFAs

May 3rd, 2023 at 10:21am CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons kept their UDFA class small this year. Here are the six players Atlanta brought in as post-draft priority signings:

Only one of these prospects comes from a Power 5 program. The Falcons reached to the mid-major level in Division I-FBS (Enechukwu, Marshall), Division I-FCS (Washington) and Division II (Harris, Malone) for their UDFAs this year.

The Commanders also pursued Harris, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who notes the NFC East team offered the small-school wideout an $80K guarantee (Twitter link). It is unclear what the Falcons are guaranteeing Harris, but it is likely in that ballpark. Harris posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Oklahoma Baptist; he caught 16 touchdown passes in 2021 and combined for 172 catches in that span. He also excelled as the Bison’s kick returner.

Atlanta lost Olamide Zaccheaus and Damiere Byrd in free agency and did not draft a wide receiver, opening a door for this UDFA class. The team did add Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller to its equation. Malone joined Harris as a Division II All-American last season. The former JUCO transfer caught 67 passes for 1,382 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022. The Falcons certainly placed a premium on production with this receiver duo, which both produced out of the Great American Conference. That said, Harris and Malone will obviously be set for quite the competition level jump this offseason.