Atlanta Falcons Sign Former Broncos, Giants DL Ahead of Panthers Clash

The last time we saw the Atlanta Falcons, they were giving up a franchise-worst 323 yards rushing in an overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The loss to the Colts came just days after the Falcons decided to waive veteran defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham, who was quickly scooped up by the Philadelphia Eagles, and making LaCale London inactive on game day with no injury designation.

Sam Roberts got hurt on the first series of the game, and Ruke Orhorhoro and Zach Harrison were forced into playing career-high snaps. While 33-year-old David Onyemata played his most snaps in five seasons.

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The problem was obvious, and the Falcons have worked to rectify the situation with a pair of roster moves. First, they elevated Kentavius Street from the practice squad to Sunday's game day roster, and then on Saturday, they announced they signed former Denver Broncos and New York Giants defensive lineman Elijah Garcia (6'5/302).

Falcons fans may also get to see the long-awaited debut of cornerback Cobee Bryant, who was also elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game against the Panthers, according to their official site.

Garcia was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the LA Rams. Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos signed Garcia from the Rams' practice squad and placed him on their 53-man roster.

He played five games for the Broncos in two seasons and had four tackles. He was waived by Denver before the 2024 season, and he was signed by the New York Giants. The Giants bounced Garcia from the practice squad to the game day roster several times this year, and he's played in four games for New York.

Because he was signed from New York's practice squad, he had to be placed on the Falcons' 53-man active roster. To make room for Garcia, the Falcons waived recently signed offensive lineman Andrew Stueber. Stueber was signed last week, but was a healthy scratch for the Colts game.

Bryant came to the Falcons as one of the most heralded free agents in the league. Expectations were that he'd crack Atlanta's depth chart, but he battled injuries through much of training camp. With injuries to Clark Phillips and Mike Hughes, depth is razor-thin in the Falcons' secondary.

There will be several new faces on the Falcons' defense on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Kickoff is Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the Falcons hope to get revenge on Carolina after being embarrassed by the Panthers in Week 3.