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Ta’Quon Graham

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.

Falcons Place RT Kaleb McGary On IR

August 26th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have had the option of stashing two players on IR with return designations over the past two Augusts. While that was the expectation for Kaleb McGary, the Falcons’ roster revealed a significant setback for the team’s O-line.

Atlanta did not stash McGary on IR with a return designation, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo clarifies. That will sideline the recently extended blocker for the season. That deals a blow to a Falcons team that also is without swing tackle Storm Norton, who suffered a knee injury recently.

The Falcons did place Norton on their IR-return list, which also includes defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham. Norton is expected to miss between six to eight weeks. McGary injury specifics are not yet known, but him being done for the year deals a blow to a Falcons team employing one of the NFL’s two left-handed starting QBs (in Michael Penix Jr.).

Raheem Morris did say last week that McGary would miss significant time, and it now represents good timing on his part to secure a second Falcons extension. Atlanta gave McGary a two-year, $30MM deal that brings $17.99MM guaranteed, per Spotrac. McGary will have plenty of time to rehab, but locking in that guarantee when he did probably spared him a value loss in free agency.

McGary, 30, was tied to a three-year deal that expired after the 2025 season. He joined Jawaan Taylor and Mike McGlinchey on a strong RT market in 2023. While the former first-round pick did not match the eventual Chiefs and Broncos RTs’ contracts, he did well and delivered two more years as a Falcons starter. The seventh-year veteran has started 92 career games, never missing more than three in a season.

Norton will be an option to replace McGary once he comes off IR, but for now, the Falcons are in a bind. They did trade for second-year blocker Michael Jerrell, whose 245 rookie-year snaps all came at right tackle, earlier today. Jerrell joins veteran swingman Elijah Wilkinson as immediate options. Wilkinson, a former Broncos swing tackle who had shifted inside in recent years, became McGary’s immediate replacement in practice. The Falcons are already replacing Drew Dalman, their three-year center starter who signed a high-priced Bears deal; they will now see more O-line turnover to start the season.

NFC South Notes: White, Falcons, Saints

June 16th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Sam Robinson

Weeks after making a trade request, Devin White showed for Buccaneers minicamp this week. This was the expected outcome, but the talented linebacker did not participate. Still, Todd Bowles did not refer to this as a hold-in measure. The second-year Tampa Bay HC said (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine) the team wanted to gauge White’s readiness, though it is unclear if the former top-five pick is dealing with a specific injury. Bowles said he expects White to be ready to go for training camp. Though, that could be when a hold-in effort takes place in earnest. White, who avoided nearly $100K in fines by reporting to minicamp, is tied to an $11.7MM fifth-year option salary. Although White wants top-five ILB money and has not yet seen the Bucs show interest in signing off on such an extension, team brass said multiple times this offseason no trade desire exists on the organization’s part.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • It appears the Falcons‘ big-ticket Jessie Bates acquisition will displace Jaylinn Hawkins. After the former fourth-round pick started 16 games last season, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter notes it will likely be Bates teaming with Richie Grant — a 17-game starter in 2022 — this year. Pro Football Focus’ No. 66 safety last season, Hawkins may factor in when the team uses three-safety looks. But a contract-year demotion looks set to commence.
  • Falcons defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham missed last season’s final seven games due a full MCL tear, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. After not participating in OTAs, the third-year defender was back on the field at minicamp. Like Hawkins, Graham might see the Falcons’ free agency moves affect his role. The team signed David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, and Eddie Goldman is attempting to return after a 2022 retirement call. Goldman, however, did not work with the team during minicamp.
  • Trevor Penning already underwent surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury sustained in Week 18. While the Saints tackle is expected to be ready for training camp, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes he is undergoing a second procedure Friday to remove hardware from the repaired foot. Penning started just one game as a rookie, seeing another injury — a torn foot ligament — delay his NFL debut by nearly three months. But the 2022 first-round pick is on track to be New Orleans’ Week 1 left tackle starter this year. James Hurst, the team’s primary blind-sider last season, shared first-team duties with third-year blocker Landon Young at minicamp.
  • After spending the past two seasons as a Saints staffer, Sterling Moore will not be with the team going forward. The Saints dismissed the former cornerback from their staff, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Moore worked as New Orleans’ assistant DBs coach last season. Moore, 33, started 12 games for the Saints in 2016 and played two seasons with the team. The Saints hired a new defensive coordinator this offseason — Joe Woods — but it is unclear if that move will directly lead to Moore’s summer exit.
  • The Saints made an addition to their scouting department recently, with InsidetheLeague.com’s Neil Stratton relaying (via Twitter) the team hired former Louisiana Tech staffer Ziad Qubti as their college scouting coordinator. This will be Qubti’s first NFL gig.

Falcons Sign Five Draft Picks

June 15th, 2021 at 5:49pm CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons recently carved out some cap space via the Julio Jones trade, and they’re now starting to ink rookies to contracts. The team announced today that they’ve signed five draft picks to rookie deals: third-round offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield, fifth-round defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham, fifth-round linebacker Adetokunbo Ogundeji, fifth-round cornerback Avery Williams, and sixth-round wideout Frank Darby.

Mayfield, who was taken with the No. 68 pick, is naturally the most notable signing. The lineman appeared in 18 games through three seasons at Michigan, allowing only a pair of sacks. Mayfield put himself on the NFL map after helping guide the 2019 Michigan running game to more than 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

Ogundeji is an intriguing prospect following a productive career at Notre Dame. The defensive lineman saw time in 43 games for the Irish, compiling 13 sacks, six forced fumbles, and 17 tackles for loss. Meanwhile, while Williams had a solid stint at Boise State as a defensive back, he was prolific on special teams, and he could immediately find himself as one of the Falcons’ key returners next season.

Following the five signings, the Falcons have four draft picks who remain unsigned: