Falcons Winners and Losers After Surprising Day of Roster Moves

FLOWERY BRANCH -- Fake fall is something that every Southerner is familiar with. After several months of sweltering heat, there always seems to be that one week of cool weather that teases the end of summer, only for the heat to return with a vengeance.

That is exactly what roster cutdown day is for the NFL teams, and the Atlanta Falcons' Monday moves are a clear example of that. Less than 24 hours after Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski set their 53-man roster and lined up the practice squad, they added three new faces from waivers and waived three to make space. There were some surprises in that list, but they are likely far from finished.

Now that we have a chance to breathe, Falcons OnSI took a look at the winners and loser of the day.

Winner: JD Bertrand

JD Bertrand just continues to hang around. Despite struggling for large portions of the 2025 season, the third-year linebacker has held onto his roster spot. Unfortunately for him, he just won't be on the active roster, since he landed on the injured reserve Monday.

It may feel a bit counterintuitive to label him as a 'winner' given his injury predicament, but Bertrand still being on the roster is a big deal for him. He has been an often-criticized player, and many projected that he would lose his spot on Sunday. Instead, he has the chance to return later this fall after missing a minimum of four games.

Loser: Zach Harrison

Easily, the biggest surprise of the day was the decision to waive Zach Harrison. The defensive lineman was the Falcons' best pass rusher over the first half of the 2025 season, but injuries cut his season short.

After the Falcons added Gervon Dexter via trade, the Falcons saw Harrison as an expendable piece, even though he was set to occupy more of a pass-rushing role this season. Jared Ivey will instead replace him. The injuries were just too much for Harrison to overcome, and his career in Atlanta comes to a disappointing end (barring a practice squad addition).

Winner: DeMarcco Hellams

DeMarcco Hellams was one of the 13 defensive backs retained on the roster on Sunday and survived the purge on Monday. Jammie Robinson and Natrone Brooks (who cross-trained as a safety this summer) were not as lucky as he was. Their departure from the active roster clears up a special teams role for Hellams and provides him with some additional security moving into the regular season.

Loser: Terry Fontenot draft picks

The former Falcons general manager's draft track record grows worse every year, and the release of Zach Harrison was another demerit on his report card. Harrison, a former third-round pick, is the eighth day-two pick to be dropped from the roster since 2021.

Only three players over that span have managed to hang on to the roster. DeAngelo Malone (third-round pick in 2022) is on the PUP list, while Matthew Bergeron and Xavier Watts have emerged as impact players for the Falcons. But the misses have been dreadful -- Richie Grant (No. 40), Jalen Mayfield (No. 68), Arnold Ebiketie (No. 38), Troy Andersen (No. 58), Desmond Ridder (No. 74), Ruke Orhorhoro (No. 35), and Bralen Trice (No. 74).

It's a dreadful run of results for Fontenot, who just started his new job with the league offices in New York City.

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