The Falcons added a wide receiver to their roster on Wednesday. The team announced the signing of KeeSean Johnson. Wide receiver Tyshaun James was waived to make space for Johnson and the Falcons also announced that they have released defensive lineman Bryce Rodgers from injured reserve with an injury settlement. Johnson was a Cardinals sixth-round pick in 2019 and he played 18 games with the team over his first two seasons. He spent last year on the Eagles practice squad and spent time with the 49ers earlier this year. Johnson had 36 catches for 360 yards and a touchdown during his time with the Cardinals.
James wasn't doing so well in practices, and he sealed his fate by dropping a pass he really should have caught in the game against Detroit. He was at best a candidate for the practice squad, and the others (particularly Jared Bernhardt) in the hunt for roster/practice squad berths have passed him to the point that he had virtually no chance of sticking around. When a prospect hits that point, I consider it a professional courtesy to let him go ASAP. There's no point in risking getting him hurt when he's not going to make it in your organization anyway. Much better to cut ties and give him a chance to land a better opportunity elsewhere. Slightly more newsworthy to me was that cornerback Cornell Armstrong apparently got hurt in the Lions game. I was not at all impressed with what I saw from him in that game, but I thought he'd have a chance to redeem himself. Instead, his injury made him one of the five roster cuts following the game (waived/injured, destined for IR or an injury settlement). That leaves three likely backup candidates - Darren Hall, Mike Ford and the suddenly emerging Dee Alford - for the backup CB roster spots behind AJ Terrell, Casey Heyward and Isaiah Oliver. There are others, but those are the only three that I envision as roster candidates. The others are practice squad hopefuls.
Falcons linebacker Deion Jones is finally off the physically unable to perform list. Jones took part in practice for the first time this summer on Wednesday. He had shoulder surgery this offseason. There was word early in the offseason that the Falcons would move on without Jones, who has a cap hit of more than $20 million this season. Releasing him offered little cap relief, however, and trade talks did not result in a deal. Returning to full health can’t hurt Jones’ appeal, but it remains to be seen if the team would continue trying to deal the veteran at this point or if they will just move forward with him as a key part of their defense. PFT
I'm hoping they do NOT release him, as the cap benefit would be insignificant with so much of his salary guaranteed. It would be far better to trade him or play him. Dallas would be the ideal trade partner, as Dan Quinn is now their defensive coordinator. Work out a deal where Atlanta is on the hook for half his base salary and get a future third or fourth round pick. But if they keep him, Jones has always had solid coverage skills - sometimes even lining up at cornerback while in college. Let him rotate in for Rashaan Evans in nickel/dime situations. Pair him with Mykal Walker in nickel and let him be the sole linebacker in dime.
The final game of the Atlanta Falcons’ preseason campaign takes place this Saturday when they take on Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With NFL teams cutting their rosters down to 53 next week, this final preseason matchup gives players one last chance to earn a roster spot, or at least improve their chances of being signed to the practice squad. Here are five players with something to prove in Saturday’s game against the Jaguars. I was unsure if Bernhardt was a real candidate to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster, and while it’s still not set in stone, the recent cuts have opened the door for the former lacrosse standout. Bernhardt was a relative unknown coming into camp, but he broke onto the scene during the opener against the Lions. Since that game, Bernhardt’s name has been in the mouths of all Falcons fans. With another strong performance in the preseason finale, Bernhardt could find a way to land on the team’s initial 53-man roster. At a minimum, he has earned a place on the practice squad. While Bernhardt has turned heads on offense, Alford has done the same on defense. Throughout the entirety of training camp, in both games and in practice, Alford has stolen the show. He’s matched up against quality opposition and forced turnovers. In the most recent joint-practice session with the Jaguars, Alford recorded two interceptions. This has become the norm for Alford, and some have named him the MVP of training camp. Dean Marlowe isn’t a player pushing for the starting job, but his role is to be a quality backup at one of the team’s most inexperienced positions. With Richie Grant assuming the starting free safety spot in all likelihood, Marlowe is battling with Erik Harris for the veteran backup role. Harris was the Falcons’ starter a season ago, but if the team opted to move on from him, Marlowe would most likely fill the void. Perhaps Marlowe can make a splash against the Jaguars and leap over Harris on the depth chart going into the season. The Falcons have a fairly large running back room. There are two players who I feel are near locks in Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams. There is also the situation with cornerback-turned-running back Avery Williams, who should be on the initial 53-man roster due to his return abilities. This could leave the final spot to be decided between rookie Tyler Allgeier and Qadree Ollison. Obviously, Ollison is already at a disadvantage because it’s unlikely the Falcons would part ways with a player they drafted in the fifth round. It’s not over quite yet, though, and Ollison could potentially save his Falcons career with a big game on Saturday. Despite being drafted as a wide receiver, Frank Darby has made a bigger impact on special teams than on offense. Darby had just one catch in 2021 and has been mostly quiet through the first two preseason games. He has been targeted five times total and only amassed 14 yards on two receptions. His future in Atlanta is not out wide as an offensive weapon but as a potential gunner. Will Darby’s roster spot get taken by a rookie who is turning heads, or will his special teams value keep him around for another year? FALCONS WIRE
I'm posting my own list of players to watch in just a moment... Jared Bernhardt and Dee Alford truly are players to watch. Every year has its training camp sensations, and while both of these guys have had their share of highlights in practice, where both of them have really stood out has been in the two preseason games. I believe Bernhardt rising up the ladder is a big part of why Geronimo Allison joined Auden Tate on the cut list this week. I don't know for sure if Alford has beaten out guys like Mike Ford and Corey Ballantine for a backup CB spot, but I mentioned in another thread that if I had to make the call today, Darren Hall and Dee Alford would be the top two CB backups behind AJ Terrell, Casey Hayward and Isaiah Oliver. Ballantine would still be on the bubble, and Ford would be out. (His game vs Detroit was truly atrocious.) Darby is also a good choice for a player to watch. I have him pegged for the practice squad. There are too many guys ahead of him to think that he has any shot at the roster. But he still has upside, and virtually the entire WR group is here on one year contracts, so keeping him around on the practice squad makes sense for several reasons. This article from Falcons Wire paints the picture that it's Marlowe vs Harris for a backup safety spot. It's not. Harris backs up Richie Grant. Marlowe backs up Jaylinn Hawkins. So it's really a question of whether a prospect like Teez Tabor (listed at CB, has also been playing safety) or Henry Black can unseat either of the veterans. That's possible, but at this point nothing has happened to suggest that's the direction the team is heading. I also don't see Ollison vs Allgeier as being a battle. There's room for both, and Ollison has been rock solid in preseason. The bigger roster question for the RB group will be whether they continue to keep a pure fullback or have the tight ends double in that role. That one could go either way - Smith is a solid fullback, but will he play enough snaps to justify the roster spot? The beat writers at the team's web site has treated him as a lead pipe lock. He's certainly good enough as a fullback, he can also play on virtually every special teams unit, and he's a good leader type personality - the kind of player you want in the locker room. The flip side is that if you want to make room for an extra lineman or whatever, something else has to go. Keeping Feleipe Franks as the third QB, for example, also adds an extra TE to the group (Franks has converted to TE as his main position and is doing well so far - though he's definitely a work in progress). In turn, justifying the extra TE might mean using one of the other TEs as the fullback, leaving Smith as the odd man out.
Arthur Smith: I’m not going to answer hypotheticals about Desmond Ridder’s playing time Because the Falcons selected Desmond Ridder in the third round of this year’s draft, the club likely figured the quarterback would need some time to develop. Ridder enters his rookie season as the backup to Marcus Mariota, who signed with Atlanta in March. But there could come a time this season when it behooves the Falcons to see what they have in Ridder. But head coach Arthur Smith is not focused on that scenario. And Smith bristled on Monday when he was asked how many games he thinks Ridder needs to play to get an accurate assessment of the young quarterback. “I’m not answering the hypothetical, fantasy football, that kind of BS. It’s hypothetical,” Smith said in his press conference. “We want to know what we have in Marcus Mariota. If you want to make this about ’23, I mean, you can ask every which way. We’re focused on Week One. “I’m not going to hear about some hypothetical — that’s not where our focus is right now. Our focus is on the New Orleans Saints. If you want to hang out with the bots on Twitter and social media and get all of these hypothetical G.M. scenarios or great team-building — some of these other asinine narratives — go ahead, but we’re focused on the New Orleans Saints. I’m not going to answer questions about hypotheticals.” Smith’s reaction is understandable. Now that the regular season has begun, of course all of his focus has to be on beating the Saints and making sure Mariota is prepared to do so. And because Ridder was a third-round pick, there isn’t the same urgency to get him on the field as a rookie. But if Mariota doesn’t look any better than the last time Smith was calling plays for him back with the Titans in 2019, then the calls for Ridder to play will only get louder as the 2022 season continues. PFT
Falcons put RB Damien Williams on injured reserve Falcons running back Damien Williams, injured on the second drive of last weekend’s eventual loss to the Saints, has landed six days later on injured reserve. The Falcons announced the move on Saturday. Wilson already had been ruled out for Sunday with a rib injury. The Falcons did not immediately replace Williams, who will be required to miss at least four games, on the roster. However, they exercised their prerogative to elevate two players from the practice squad for Sunday’s game at the Rams — running back Caleb Huntley and defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson. An eight-year veteran, Williams signed with the Falcons for 2022 after spending 2021 with the Bears. He spent his first four seasons with the Dolphins and next two with the Chiefs. He was a hero of Super Bowl LIV, with a 38-yard touchdown run that iced the game. Cordarrelle Patterson is the top option at tailback for the Falcons. He’ll be backed up on Sunday by Tyler Allgeier and Avery Williams. Also, quarterback Marcus Mariota is a threat in the running game; he had 72 yards on the ground and a touchdown in Week One. PFT
I'm not expecting Huntley to be active. But today should be Tyler Allgeier's NFL debut - and I hope he will remain active even after D. Williams is eligible to return from IR. I might write about it more later, but here's a bit of GoofyMetrics to make it obvious why Allgeier is so important: last week the Falcons led the league in average yards rushing before contact, which says the offensive line kicked ass against a really good Saints defensive front. BUT... they were fifth from last in average yards rushing after contact. If you want to go by the "lightning and thunder" categories, Allgeier, Qadree Ollison and Caleb Huntley were the three on the "Thunder" side of the ledger. But Huntley was on the practice squad, Ollison ended up on the Cowboys practice squad, and Allgeier ended up inactive to make room for other people at other positions and on special teams. They didn't have a single one of their ground-and-pound clock-killers playing in the game when just one long run-heavy drive would have sealed the win.
Falcons are looking more like the traditional Falcons so far today. My favorite play... one shotgun snap bounced off the guy going in motion. Not that it matters, but the officials still love us too. A.J. Terrell somehow got called for an illegal block while in the act of making a tackle. The FOX team brought in Mike Pereira to get his take, but while they were working to get him on the upstairs official stopped the next play (after the snap) for a medical time out because Terrell didn't look right getting up. So Pereira commented on that one instead and they went to break without saying a thing about the bogus penalty. I've said it repeatedly, but it should be utterly obvious to the front office at this point... the defensive line needs help. There are still veteran free agents out there that could be potential starters. They seriously need to sign one (or two). It's not that they didn't put in the effort to rebuild the line over the spring and summer. Unfortunately, Vincent Taylor got hurt and lost for the season, Eddie Goldman retired, two top prospects were lost to injuries in the preseason games, and former second rounder Marlon Davidson is now on IR as well. But since losing Taylor and Goldman, the only guys they added in the interim are career practice squad project Abdullah Anderson and former Titans prospect Matt Dickerson. Those two and undrafted rookie Timmy Horne are now the ONLY backups they have to rotate. This is the d-line, where you have heavy rotation. Those prospects/projects are actually going to be on the field for 20%+ of defensive snaps. They've been getting gashed on a regular basis. Ground control to Flowery Branch: you need upgrades, pronto. Otherwise you really will be drafting #1 overall next April.
Well, the offense wasnt too shabby... Mariota and company can move the sticks. But, your right... gotta be able to play both sides of the ball.
Falcons beat Seahawks 27-23 for first win of 2022 The Falcons have their first win of the 2022 season. Grady Jarrett came up with a sack of Geno Smith on the first snap after the two minute warning to set up a long fourth down and Smith’s desperate heave on that play was picked off by safety Richie Grant. That put the finishing touches on a 27-23 road win for the Falcons. The big plays on the defense came after Cordarrelle Patterson and Marcus Mariota led the Falcons to points on five of their first seven possessions. Patterson had 17 carries for 141 yards and a touchdown while Mariota threw for one score and ran for another. Mariota’s touchdown pass went to rookie wideout Drake London late in the third quarter and put the Falcons in front for the first time since the first quarter. It looked like they were driving for insurance points in the fourth, but a botched handoff on a read option led to a fumble that was recovered by Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. The Seahawks put together an impressive drive, but a holding penalty wiped out a play that would have left them with a first down on Atlanta’s 10-yard-line and Seattle’s drive sputtered. The late failure marred an otherwise strong day for the Seahawks offense. They also scored on five of their first seven possessions and Smith went 32-of-44 for 325 yards and two touchdowns after Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said the team was planning to put more on the veteran’s plate this week. Seattle also got 106 yards on 20 carries by Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas, and Ken Walker, but they had three red zone drives end with field goals and they needed more touchdowns. The Seahawks will be in Detroit next weekend as they bid for their second win of the year. The Falcons will be home to meet the 2-1 Browns. PFT
Falcons running back/receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson won’t be on the field for the next four weeks. Patterson was placed on injured reserve today. That means he’ll miss at least four weeks. Although Patterson has played in all four games this season, he has been dealing with a knee injury and he needs a minor procedure. Patterson is the Falcons’ leading rusher with 58 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns, and he also has four catches for 28 yards and one kickoff return for 27 yards. PFT __________ ___________________ This really bites for the 1st place Falcons!
"First place Falcons" sounds utterly surreal. It's only 2-2, sure, but this is the team that was pretty much universally picked by every media outlet as having the worst roster, most likely to pick #1 next spring, etc, etc. Losing Patterson for a month obviously sucks, but the team really hasn't been using him in the hybrid WR role anyway with Damien Williams also on IR. To me the silver lining is this makes it more likely they'll sign Caleb Huntley to the regular roster. If they do, they'll have two "thunder" backs in Allgeier and Huntley and one "lightning" in Avery Williams. That's nowhere near the trio of Patterson, D. Williams and Allgeier, but they can still pound it on the ground if they need to. The main thing is the pass protection will need to step up in a big way to help Mariota and the receivers get rolling. One bit of good news is that all the guys put on IR after the roster cut deadline and before week one are now eligible to return. DT Marlon Davidson had minor knee surgery a week into preseason. For most people it's a four to six week recovery. For a 320-pound defensive lineman, figure the longer end of that range. But he's now six weeks out of surgery and is eligible to return whenever he's ready.
We don't know yet. It's a hamstring issue. He only played 62% of the offensive snaps against Cleveland and was noticeably absent on a few key plays late in the game. He missed practice Wednesday and Thursday. I'd say it's very likely he's out this weekend. Obviously that would really hurt with Patterson also out. Even if he's active, the offense will have to do more to disguise plays and help create mismatches for guys like Damiere Byrd and Avery Williams. Play action and rollouts by Mariota will be crucial. At TE, they'll be depending on Anthony Firkser and Parker Hesse. More than anything, Mariota will need to avoid the cringe-inducing moments he's had every week with dropped snaps and fumbles on handoffs. If he can't step up his game this weekend, next week we'll be hearing calls from the media to go ahead and replace him with Desmond Ridder. Also interesting... former Falcon receivers Julio Jones and Russell Gage are now on the Tampa roster, but both have been limited in practice this week with their own injury issues.
The Falcons played without tight end Kyle Pitts in last Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, but he doesn’t think they’ll have to play without him again this weekend. Pitts’ hamstring was feeling well enough for him to return to practice on Wednesday. After the session was over, Pitts told reporters that he expects to play against the 49ers at home on Sunday. The rest of the practice week will provide hints about how well Pitts’ hamstring is holding up and he’ll get an injury designation on Friday. Pitts was not posting big numbers before his injury, so the Falcons will be hoping that his return from injury coincides with a return to productivity. PFT ________ _________________ Lets hope he can go.
Linebacker Mykal Walker is still not practicing. Best guess is if he can't go, Nick Kwiatkoski will be on the active list, Rashaan Evans wears the green dot, and second rounder Troy Andersen gets more snaps on defense,.
Confirmed: Mykal Walker is OUT. He's the defensive signal caller. As above, my guess is Rashaan Evans takes over the green dot (signal calling duties), Nick Kwiatkoski joins the active roster, and we'll see some more of rookie Troy Andersen on defense. Also possible that Kwiatkoski stays inactive if they need to use the active slot at another position.
Finally a bit of good news... Isaiah Oliver has been activated from IR and is now back on the regular roster. His career rebounded as he stepped into the nickel role under incoming defensive coordinator Dean Pees last year. And then he tore his ACL in week four, missing the rest of the season. Tomorrow might be his first game back in action following that injury. Still no word on defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, who had arthroscopic knee surgery during preseason.
