Falcons Make Moves, Trim Roster to 80
The Atlanta Falcons met the NFL deadline to trim active rosters from 85 players to 80 with a flurry of moves Tuesday morning.
READ MORE: Atlanta Falcons Roster Tracker
The Falcons confirmed the signing of quarterback Josh Rosen and in a corresponding move placed injured quarterback A.J. McCarron on Injured Reserve.
Atlanta also released offensive lineman Willie Wright, wide receiver Austin Trammell, running back Javian Hawkins, defensive lineman Olive Sagapolu, and linebacker Shareef Miller.
Rosen is a former No. 10 overall draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals. He was replaced by No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray the next year. He had similar fates on his next two stops with the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers where he was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa and Trey Lance respectively.
Tagovailoa was the No. 5 overall pick in 2020, and the 49ers traded three first-round picks to select Lance No. 3 overall.
Rosen will look to stick with Atlanta as Matt Ryan's primary backup, but head coach Arthur Smith said yesterday that the Falcons could look to add another quarterback next week after NFL rosters are cut from 80 to 53 next Tuesday.
Wright was vying to be the backup center behind Matt Hennessy, but the emergence of fourth-round draft pick Drew Dalman made Wright expendable. Wright spent 2020 on the Falcons practice squad. Wright was originally signed out of Tulsa by the Cleveland Browns in 2019, but he has yet to play in a regular season game.
READ MORE: OL Drew Dalman is a Steal
If there's a surprise among these moves, it may be Hawkins. He was signed by Atlanta as an free agent after April's NFL draft. He rushed for 2,355 yards in three seasons with the Louisville Cardinals, but he was down the depth chart with the Falcons. He had a good game in Saturday's loss to the Miami Dolphins. He finished with 46 yards on five carries including a long of 30. Hawkins will be a practice squad candidate if he clears waivers.
Like Hawkins, Trammell was signed this year as an undrafted free agent out of Rice. Trammell looked to be competing with Chris Rowland as a slot receiver, return man, but he fell behind when he picked up nagging injuries during training camp.
Sagapolu is a 6'2 and 330 pound second year defensive lineman out of Wisconsin. He was originally signed by the Detroit Lions in 2019, but was added to the Atlanta roster in May. He has yet to see time in a regular season NFL game.
Miller was signed as an edge rusher during the summer, but his stay in Atlanta was brief. He was originally a fourth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019, but only saw action in one game before being waived. He has since bounced around the league with the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals and will be looking for a new team in 2021.
The five cuts brought Atlanta's active roster from 85 players to 80 for Tuesday's roster deadline. The next round of cuts will be big around the league as teams are mandated to go from 80 to 53 next Tuesday.
Atlanta is in action again Sunday night at 8:00 PM against the Cleveland Browns in their final preseason game of the 2021 season. While it may be academic to some veterans and fans, there will be a lot on the line for players vying to make the 53 man roster next week.
