3:54pm: The Falcons have made Hankerson’s release official, and have confirmed two more roster moves, announcing in a press release that they’ve moved safety William Moore to IR and promoted guard Ben Garland from the practice squad.
Moore, a former Pro Bowler, had been a starting safety for Atlanta once again this year, racking up 51 tackles and two interceptions in 11 games.
12:05pm: The Falcons are cutting wide receiver Leonard Hankerson from their injured reserve list, according to Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. The move will allow other teams to place a claim on Hankerson — if he clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
Hankerson, who turns 27 next month, totaled 26 receptions for 327 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Falcons. He was placed on injured reserve earlier this month after aggravating a hamstring injury, and it seemed at the time that he had played his last game in Atlanta, since his contract was set to expire at season’s end.
The fact that the Falcons are releasing Hankerson from IR without an injury settlement suggests that he should be healthy going forward, so we could see him draw interest from a contending team short on wide receivers down the stretch.
Make it happen Pats, couldn’t hurt
Lions? We need a slot guy now that Ebron is our top guy
If a team is looking for someone to drop passes or tip interceptions to the other team, he’s the guy.