Former Atlanta Falcons Veteran DL Signs with Philadelphia Eagles

The Atlanta Falcons made the surprise move last week to cut veteran defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham to make room for offensive lineman Andrew Stueber.

Graham battled injuries through his five seasons in Atlanta, but he was a consistently positive rotational piece on the Falcons defensive line when healthy.

He wasn't out of work long, as the Philadelphia Eagles signed him to their practice squad quickly after he was cut by the Falcons.

The timing to release Graham seemed odd, considering it was the day after the trade deadline. That Graham cleared waivers and was able to be signed to the Eagles' practice squad indicates the Falcons may have tried to move Graham last Tuesday before waiving him on Wednesday.

They were unable to find a team willing to swap draft picks while simultaneously cutting one of their own players to add Graham to their 53-man roster. The Eagles waited and got Graham for nothing.

The Falcons Podcast: Spotify | Apple Pods | WATCH

Stueber was inactive for the Falcons' loss to the Colts on Sunday, and so was the Falcons' biggest defensive tackle LaCale London. Fellow defensive lineman Sam Roberts went out after the first drive, and the Falcons found themselves down three interior linemen against one of the NFL's top rushing offenses.

It showed.

The Colts ran for 323 yards, a franchise record in the wrong direction for the Falcons.

With Graham gone, Kyle Pitts remains the only Falcon still in Atlanta of the nine picks in general manager Terry Fontenot's first draft class in 2021. Pitts was taken No. 4 overall, and Graham was a fifth-round pick who significantly outplayed his draft position.

Graham was thrown to the wolves as a rookie in 2021 and played well. He was having an excellent second season when a knee injury struck, and he missed the rest of the year. He posted a career best 34 tackles and eight quarterback hits in 11 games that year.

He began this season on injured reserve but returned in a Week 7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in which he posted four tackles, including a tackle for loss.

The Eagles know a thing or two about building their defense in the trenches, having spent first-round picks on University of Georgia products Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Getting a player with Graham's resume on the practice squad is another shrewd move by the Eagles to pile depth onto the defensive line.