Falcons To Sign DB Darnay Holmes
Veteran defensive back Darnay Holmes will leave Las Vegas after two seasons. The former Giants regular is signing with the Falcons, NFL insider Jordan Schultz tweets. It is a one-year deal.
Working as a role player with the Raiders, Holmes will join Jeff Ulbrich‘s defense as a potential AJ Terrell complementary piece. Contributing mostly as a slot cornerback, Holmes is a six-year NFL veteran with 12 starts on his resume.
The Falcons have an emerging slot presence in second-year cog Billy Bowman, but he is coming off an Achilles tear sustained in late November. That could affect the Oklahoma product’s availability for Week 1. At the very least, Bowman will miss offseason time and potentially begin training camp on the active/PUP list.
Holmes, 27, did not initially join the Raiders until being waived by the Giants in August 2024. He logged 28% and 21% snap shares on defense during his two Vegas seasons. The Raiders’ previous two coaching staffs used Holmes mostly in the slot. The Giants, who gave Holmes a 59% snap share (featuring a career-high 468 slot snaps) during their 2022 playoff season, concurred with that plan.
Atlanta has Mike Hughes and Clark Phillips as tentative options alongside Terrell, though the team’s new regime should be expected to make another notable addition on the perimeter this offseason. Holmes is set to be a slot option while Bowman recovers.
In other Falcons contract news, the team will have its next kicker — Nick Folk — tied to a two-year, $9MM deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Of that total, $4MM is guaranteed. No guaranteed money is in place beyond 2026, giving Atlanta an easier out after Folk’s 42nd birthday. Linebacker Christian Harris will be tied to a one-year, $2.75MM base value on his Atlanta contract, Wilson adds. Of that total, $1.99MM is fully guaranteed.
Linebacker Troy Andersen‘s recent rework will come out to a one-year, $1.22MM deal (via Wilson). The parties reached this agreement after the 2022 second-round pick spent last season on Atlanta’s reserve/PUP list. Edge rusher Cameron Thomas is joining the Falcons on a one-year, $3.1MM pact, Wilson tweets, indicating $1.5MM is fully guaranteed. Defensive tackle LaCale London agreed to join the team on a one-year, $2.75MM accord that includes, per Wilson, $750K guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus.
NFL Restructures: Clark, Packers, Meinerz, Falcons, Saints, Eagles
As the Cowboys made another trade to acquire a higher-end Packers defender salary (Rashan Gary‘s four-year, $96MM deal), they are restructuring the one they added last summer. Dallas is reducing Kenny Clark‘s 2026 cap number with a restructure, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. As Connor Byrne’s Cowboys Offseason Outlook detailed, Clark was due an $11MM roster bonus Friday; Dallas is moving that into a signing bonus to open up $8.8MM in cap space. This will drop Clark’s cap number well south of its $21.5MM place, though it would create more dead money if he is not extended by the 2027 league year. An extension is on the Cowboys’ radar, even as the former first-round pick goes into an age-31 season. With Clark signed through 2027, however, it is possible this restructure will table any extension talks.
With the cap-compliance deadline less than 24 hours away, here are more restructure decisions:
- Trading Gary to the Cowboys and cutting Elgton Jenkins, the Packers are busy at work with cost-shedding moves. They also completed an Xavier McKinney restructure, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. The move will save more than $9MM in space for Green Bay. McKinney will also secure an additional $11.54MM guaranteed — on top of his $23MM guarantee from March 2024 — according to Wilson, who adds the Pack included three void years to defray the bonus money. McKinney’s cap hit is down to $9.86MM.
- The Broncos have mostly used free agency to retain their own talent thus far, but the team is adding eight figures of cap space as of Tuesday. Denver is restructuring Quinn Meinerz‘s deal, according to the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson, who notes this is a simple restructure of the All-Pro guard’s 2026 base salary. Moving it to a signing bonus, the Broncos will free up around $11MM. The Broncos sit mid-pack in cap space, holding more than $23MM.
- Troy Andersen will be part of the 2026 Falcons. At least, he will have an opportunity to contribute, with SI.com’s Garrett Chapman reporting the linebacker agreed to a restructure to avoid his contract tolling from 2025. Andersen missed all of last season, spending it on the reserve/PUP list. A player who spends the season on the PUP can see his contract toll in the final year of a deal; a knee injury sidelined the former second-round pick last season. This amounts to a de facto re-signing, since Andersen’s four-year rookie deal was set to expire Wednesday. The team confirmed the restructure, per Falcons.com’s Tori McElhaney and Will McFadden.
- One of the NFL’s long-running restructure hubs, the Saints are adding another before the league year begins. New Orleans is saving $7.36MM in cap space by restructuring Erik McCoy‘s deal, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell tweets. One void year is being added to the center’s contract. McCoy’s deal runs through 2027; three void years are now included.
- The Jaguars completed a simple restructure of center Robert Hainsey‘s deal, according to Spotrac, with the move saving the team $4MM in cap space. Three void years are now on Hainsey’s deal, Wilson adds.
- Michael Carter II will stay with the Eagles in 2026, but it sounds like he has agreed to a pay cut. Carter’s deal is being restructured in order for the 2025 trade acquisition to remain on the roster, The Athletic’s Zach Berman tweets.
Falcons Cull Roster To 53 Players
The Falcons trimmed their roster down to 53 players with the following moves:
Released
- S Jordan Fuller
- LB Ronnie Harrison
- CB C.J. Henderson
- EDGE Khalid Kareem
- OT Brandon Parker
- QB Easton Stick
- DL Kentavius Street
- CB Keith Taylor
Waived
- DL Simeon Barrow Jr.
- S Henry Black
- WR Chris Blair
- CB Cobee Bryant
- RB Jashaun Corbin
- WR Dylan Drummond
- OL Joshua Gray
- K Lenny Krieg
- CB Dontae Manning
- WR Nick Nash
- TE Joshua Simon
- RB Carlos Washington Jr.
- OL Jordan Williams
Placed on injured reserve (designated to return)
- DL Ta’Quon Graham
- OL Storm Norton
Placed on reserve/PUP
Placed on reserve/NFI
- LB Malik Verdon
Released from IR with injury settlement
- OL Jake Hanson
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: 7/24/25
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on active/PUP list: LB Troy Andersen
- Released: DB Kevin King
- Placed on active/NFI list: CB Cobee Bryant, DL LaCale London, LB Malik Verdon
Chicago Bears
- Signed: S Alex Cook
Detroit Lions
- Activated from active/NFI list: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Cornell Armstrong, OL Obinna Eze
- Waived: OL Tedi Kushi
- Placed on IR: CB Artie Burns
New York Jets
- Signed: DB Tanner McCalister
- Released: LB Jared Bartlett
Philadelphia Eagles
- Reverted to IR: OL Marcus Tate
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on active/NFI list: G Isaac Seumalo
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
- Waived: RB Israel Abanikanda
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: G Michael Jordan, OL Tyler McLellan
- Waived/injured: OL Silas Dzansi
- Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Garret Greenfield
Washington Commanders
- Extended: S Percy Butler
Following rumblings yesterday that Artie Burns may have suffered a season-ending injury, the bad news was confirmed today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins cornerback indeed suffered a torn ACL. It’s a tough break for the veteran, who’s looking to revive his NFL career after being limited to only four games with the Seahawks last season. The Dolphins were quick to sign a replacement, as Miami signed Cornell Armstrong. A former sixth-round pick by the Dolphins, Armstrong last appeared in an NFL game in 2022, when he started four of his nine games for the Falcons.
The Buccaneers did some shuffling on their offensive line today. In comes a pair of lineman: Michael Jordan, who started 11 games for the Patriots last season, and Tyler McLellan, a six-foot-eight, 355-pound lineman out of Campbell. Garret Greenfield, a UDFA in the 2024 draft, has apparently decided to hang up his cleats, and the team also moved on from Silas Dzansi with an injury designation.
The Commanders were looking ahead to 2026 today, as the team added an extra year to Percy Butler‘s contract. The former fourth-round pick has had some run in the starting lineup, including a 2023 season where he started 13 games while compiling 64 tackles and eight passes defended. He started five of 17 games in 2024 while establishing himself as one of Washington’s special teams aces.
Latest On Falcons’ LB Situation
Kaden Elliss is in line to once again operate as a full-time linebacker starter for the Falcons in 2025. It remains to be seen who will occupy the other first-team role at that spot. 
Atlanta added Divine Deablo on a two-year, $14MM pact in free agency. The former Raider made 42 starts while playing out his rookie contract, handling a regular defensive role over each of the past three seasons. That could continue during his debut Atlanta campaign.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi writes head coach Raheem Morris has been impressed with Deablo so far. The 26-year-old is candidate to start alongside Elliss in 2025, with Deablo also a candidate at this point to wear the green dot as the defense’s signal-caller. His best season came in 2023, with 106 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. A repeat of that production would certainly help Deablo’s chances of maintaining a full-time starting gig.
In other Falcons linebacker news, the status of Troy Andersen remains unclear at this point. The 26-year-old was limited to just two games in 2023 due to shoulder and pectoral injuries. He once again finished the campaign on injured reserve last season after seven games played. Andersen’s situation has not been specifically updated recently, but Morris said in June the Falcons had a few players they would be “extremely cautious” with.
Will McFadden of the team’s website notes Andersen can be put in that category. The Montana State product is nevertheless expected to be available at some point this season, per McFadden, with Week 1 not out of the question. When healthy, though, Andersen may not be in line for the starting spot he appeared to be on track to handle at the start of the 2023 campaign. As a pending free agent, his showing this year will be critical, and a cautious approach on the recovery front is an understandable one for team and player.
Elliss has been with the Falcons since 2023 after a four-year run with the Saints. He has eclipsed 120 tackles in both of his Falcons campaigns, adding nine sacks over that span. Expectations will remain high for the coming campaign as a result, but it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds with respect to who will join him as a starting linebacker.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/16/24
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): S Jammie Robinson
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: LB Josh Woods
- Placed on IR: LB Troy Andersen
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: RB Darrynton Evans
Detroit Lions
- Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: LB Anthony Pittman
Tennessee Titans
- Designated to return from reserve/PUP: WR Colton Dowell
Anthony Pittman is back in Detroit after the Lions snagged the linebacker off the Jaguars’ practice squad. Pittman was once a special teams mainstay for the Lions, appearing in every game for the organization between 2021 and 2023. Over that time, he was limited to 134 defensive snaps (vs. 1,099 ST snaps), and he’ll likely see a similar role during his current stint with the squad.
Colton Dowell will return to practice this week after being designated for return from the PUP list. The wideout suffered a torn ACL last December, and coach Brian Callahan told reporters that they wanted to give a look at the player after he worked so hard during rehab (via the team’s website). A 2023 seventh-round pick, Dowell got into 10 games as a rookie.
Latest On Falcons LB Troy Andersen
After seeing action in all 17 games (five starts) as a rookie in 2022, Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen opened the 2023 season as a full-time starter alongside Kaden Elliss in Atlanta’s defense. Unfortunately, the shoulder and pectoral injuries he sustained in Week 3 sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign, and his replacement — 2022 UDFA Nathan Landman — piled up 110 tackles, three forced fumbles, two sacks, and an interception in his stead.
As D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes, Andersen has no limitations as he participates in OTAs, with the player himself saying, “yeah, I feel good. Kind of back to normal. Hopefully, better than normal. Yeah, it’s pretty good.”
Landman has been working with Elliss and the first-team defense, while Andersen has been finding his footing with the second-team unit and fifth-round rookie JD Bertrand. But given Andersen’s draft pedigree — he was a second-round draft choice in 2022 — it is fair to assume that he will at least push for a starting role, and Ledbetter actually lists Andersen as a starter ahead of Landman on his depth chart.
The Falcons are transitioning to a 3-4 alignment under new head coach Raheem Morris, so there will be an opportunity for Elliss, Andersen, and Landman to get plenty of burn, and Morris indicated that all three players could be on the field at the same time on some occasions.
“Watching those three guys out there, man, it’s been fun to watch,” Morris said. “You’re talking about some big humans that can move really quickly and do some special things, particularly with the ball and getting in the way and getting in the way of passing lanes. They do so many good things, it’s almost like three different coaches sitting in a room at the same time. It is going to be exciting to get them on the field. Maybe all at the same time, because they have that type of ability that warrants more playtime.”
Elliss is the big-money member of the trio, having signed a three-year, $21.5MM contract with Atlanta last March. He held up his end of the bargain, recording 122 tackles and four sacks while grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 20th-best linebacker in the league out of 82 qualifiers in 2023.
Landman also fared well in the eyes of PFF’s metrics, finishing as the site’s 28th-best LB. PFF dinged him for his work in pass coverage — something many ‘backers struggle with — but he more than made up for it with his performance against the run.
As such, Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake have a good problem on their hands when it comes to finding reps for all of their linebackers, and the return of Andersen will further bolster a defense that finished 11th in total yardage last season. In his two games in 2023, the Montana State product notched 19 total tackles (including one TFL) and a half-sack.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/24
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return from IR: LB Troy Andersen
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return from IR: S Ar’Darius Washington
Chicago Bears
- Signed to active roster: WR Collin Johnson
- Waived: LB DeMarquis Gates
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: DL Viliami Fehoko
- Placed on IR: RB Deuce Vaughn
New York Jets
- Designated for return from IR: G Wes Schweitzer
San Francisco 49ers
- Designated for return from IR: WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: OL Phil Haynes
Troy Andersen is eyeing a return for the regular season finale after having been sidelined since late September with a pectoral injury. The 2022 second-round pick started five of his 17 appearances as a rookie, finishing with 69 tackles. Andersen had 19 tackles in a pair of appearances this season, with the linebacker missing Week 2 while sitting in concussion protocol.
An ankle injury will end Deuce Vaughn‘s rookie season early, with the sixth-round pick finishing with 80 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches. Regular backup RB Rico Dowdle missed last week while dealing with a lingering ankle injury, but Vaughn’s removal from the active roster probably bodes well for Dowdle’s availability. Of course, this move will also lead to even more speculation surrounding a potential Dalvin Cook pursuit.
After starting five of his 23 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL, Phil Haynes entered the 2023 campaign as Seattle’s starting right guard. He started each of Seattle’s first eight games this season before landing on injured reserve with a toe injury. Anthony Bradford has been starting at the position in Haynes’ place, and he could keep his starting gig with Jason Peters sidelined with a foot injury.
Falcons Place LB Troy Andersen On IR
The Falcons will be without one of their starting linebackers for a while. Troy Andersen is headed to IR, the team announced. The 2022 second-round pick has run into multiple health issues to start his second season.
After missing Week 2 with a concussion, Andersen returned to action against the Lions. But he has encountered shoulder and pectoral injuries. Indicating Andersen’s injury “didn’t look good,” Arthur Smith said a potential season-ending IR stay could be on tap. An MRI confirmed a severe injury, per the team website. It is not known if Andersen suffered a torn pec, an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season.
Although teams have eight IR activations to use in-season, Andersen may not factor into this roster math. Andersen went down during the fourth quarter of the Falcons’ Week 3 loss to the Lions. Nate Landman, a 2022 UDFA, stepped in for Andersen.
Arriving as last year’s No. 58 overall pick, the Montana State alum joined a Falcons team with a crowded linebacker group last year. Despite Foye Oluokun‘s defection to Jacksonville, Atlanta still rostered a host of veterans — Deion Jones, Rashaan Evans and Nick Kwiatkoski — along with Mykal Walker. The Falcons overhauled their linebacking corps upon hiring Ryan Nielsen as defensive coordinator. Jones, Evans, Kwiatkoski and Walker are all elsewhere, with ex-Saint Kaden Elliss added to anchor the team’s linebacking corps.
Playing behind the likes of Walker and Evans last season, Andersen did make five starts as a rookie. The Division I-FCS product notched 69 tackles (three for loss) last season, forcing a fumble. He started alongside Elliss to open this season. A Colorado alum, Landman played in 10 games as a rookie. After logging just 22 defensive snaps throughout his first season, Landman has already been on the field for 57 this year. He started in place of Andersen in Week 2 and looks to continue in that capacity moving forward. Sixth-year veteran Tae Davis sits as the other Falcons backup inside ‘backer. The Falcons have Andre Smith and Milo Eifler as their practice squad ILBs.