Atlanta Falcons News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/17/22

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/22

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived: CB Junior Faulk

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Signed: LS Ross Reiter
  • Waived: DB Devin Hafford, QB/WR D’Eriq King

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Claimed (from Broncos): T Drew Himmelman
  • Signed: CB Nijuel Hill, LB Bryce Notree
  • Waived: G Zack Bailey, LB Jordan Kunaszyk

Falcons Sign Geronimo Allison

Geronimo Allison has found his third home in the NFL. The veteran wide receiver has signed with the Falcons, as the team announced on Monday. 

Allison, 28, began his career in 2016 with the Packers. He put up consistent numbers as a complimentary piece of the team’s offense, scoring six total touchdowns and averaging 11.7 yards per catch during his time in Green Bay. After an underwhelming 2019 campaign, though, he signed with the Lions the following offseason.

The former UDFA opted out of that season, however, so he didn’t make his Detroit debut until this year. Allison appeared in just three games, failing to register a catch. At six-foot-three and 200 pounds, he still generated interest as a free agent this offseason. One of the teams which worked him out earlier this month was the Ravens, a club in need of additions at the position.

Another, not long after, was the Falcons. Allison should have a path to a roster spot on a team which lost Calvin Ridley to suspension and Russell Gage in free agency. The team used its top pick on Drake London and traded for Bryan Edwards, but there should be room for him as an experienced depth option. He will look to contribute on a rebuilding offense led by those new wideouts, quarterback Marcus Mariota and tight end Kyle Pitts.

NFC Rumors: Cowboys, Falcons, Saints, Trask

Going into the 2022 offseason, the Cowboys knew that they needed to bolster their defensive line. Early reports rumored that Dallas had interest in adding a former rival in Jason Pierre-Paul, who spent eight years as a Giant before going to Tampa Bay.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Cowboys’ interest in Pierre-Paul seems to be waning, as Dallas believes they have “at least six capable edge rushers.” In the offseason, they added Dante Fowler through free agency and drafted Sam Williams out of Ole Miss last month. They’ll find themselves in the pass rushing rotation with the likes of Dorance Armstrong, Tarell Basham, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Chauncey Golston.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a few more rumors from Jeremy Fowler’s article:

  • Atlanta selected Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round, over every quarterback in the Draft, besides Kenny Pickett who was the only passer off the board at that point. Fowler reports that Ridder’s biggest competition for the pick was Liberty’s Malik Willis, but the Falcons felt that Willis lacked the signature moments at Liberty, even though he had incredible talent. Ridder, on the other hand, had a more complete body of work, in their opinion. It didn’t hurt that Ridder reportedly came to interviews with a plan on how to unseat a veteran starting quarterback wherever he landed.
  • Another team that was long rumored to be looking at quarterbacks in the Draft, New Orleans instead drafted wide receiver Chris Olave with their first round pick. According to Fowler, the Saints had no plans to draft a quarterback. They had Olave in their sights and, upon seeing Drake London and Garrett Wilson come off the board at Nos. 8 and 10 overall, they knew they needed to make a move to ensure Olave would be available. New Orleans apparently did an outstanding job of keeping their plans a complete mystery to the rest of the NFL.
  • With Tom Brady coming out of retirement to quarterback the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay has been evaluating their backup quarterback position. According to Greg Auman of The Athletic, Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen doesn’t see Kyle Trask competing with Blaine Gabbert for the backup job. This shouldn’t put Trask’s roster spot in jeopardy, though. Gabbert is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, but the plan for Trask was always for a post-Brady team. Tampa Bay is happy with Trask’s progress so far and will likely keep developing the 24-year-old for the future.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/22

We will keep track of today’s minor moves right here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: QB Felix Harper

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

NFL Workouts: Callaway, Falcons, Buggs

Here’s a look at some of the league’s recent tryout invitations:

  • The Colts will host former Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway at minicamp for a tryout, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The fourth-round pick for Cleveland in 2018 made an impact during his rookie season before running into issues with the league’s substance abuse policies and Cleveland’s team rules. The Browns waived Callaway during his sophomore season. He signed with the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL, but was placed on injured reserve before ever appearing in a game. He’s had short stints since then with the Dolphins and Chiefs and now has an opportunity to stick in Indianapolis.
  • Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported that the Falcons will host a trio of players for tryouts this weekend: former Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison, quarterback Anthony Gordon, and center Evan Boehm. Allison spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, never surpassing 303 receiving yards or two touchdowns in a season. He appeared in three games last year for the Lions. Gordon has spent time rostered in Seattle, Denver, and Kansas City after going undrafted in 2020. After getting drafted in the fourth round of 2016, Boehm has bounced around to eight different NFL squads, appearing in 55 games, starting 21.
  • Former Steelers nose tackle Isaiah Buggs will attend the Vikings minicamp for a tryout, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The sixth-round pick from 2019 spent three seasons in Pittsburgh earning six starts last season before getting waived at the turn of the year. Buggs briefly signed to the Raiders practice squad and will now look for a new home in Minnesota.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/22

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears 

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: CB Abu Daramy-Swaray

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks 

Washington Commanders

Raiders To Trade Bryan Edwards To Falcons

Days after the Raiders signed Keelan Cole, they are moving on from one of their other auxiliary wide receivers. They are trading Bryan Edwards to the Falcons, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets.

The Raiders will add a 2023 fifth-round pick in this deal and send the Falcons a 2023 seventh, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It should not surprise this pick swap-based deal reminds of the kind the Patriots have made frequently in recent years, with the Raiders’ new regime coming over from New England.

Two years remain on Edwards’ rookie contract; this will both give a former Day 2 pick a fresh start but also provide an opportunity to impress for a team with a thinner receiver depth chart. Although the Falcons drafted Drake London eighth overall, they entered Friday light on supporting-casters at the position. Edwards will join the likes of Olamide Zaccheaus, Auden Tate, Damiere Byrd and KhaDarel Hodge. The Falcons now possess a host of big targets for ex-Raider Marcus Mariota, with the 6-foot-3 Edwards joining London (6-4), Tate (6-5) and Kyle Pitts (6-6).

This trade marks another Raiders separation from an early-round 2020 draftee. They have waived first-rounders Henry Ruggs and Damon Arnette and traded third-rounders Lynn Bowden Jr. and Edwards. The South Carolina product battled injuries as a rookie but showed progress last season, hauling in 34 passes for 571 yards and three touchdowns. Las Vegas’ Dave Ziegler– and Josh McDaniels-led regime, however, has since acquired Cole, Demarcus Robinson and Mack Hollins, crowding the depth chart around top targets Davante Adams, Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow.

Atlanta has seen even more changes at the receiver position than Las Vegas, having seen its Julio JonesCalvin RidleyRussell Gage depth chart splinter. Ridley is banned for the year on a gambling suspension, and the Falcons were close to trading the former first-rounder to the Eagles. Gage, who led Falcon wideouts in receiving yardage by a wide margin last season, is now a Buccaneer.

Falcons Sign First-Round WR Drake London

The Falcons first-round pick has officially signed his contract. The team announced that they’ve signed receiver Drake London to his rookie pact. The first four years of London’s contract are fully guaranteed.

London was the first receiver off the board after the Falcons used the No. 8 pick on the USC product. This feat came despite London appearing in only eight games this past season, as a fractured ankle ended his season prematurely. London still put up impressive numbers, reeling in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns. Before he missed any time, he led the NCAA in receiving yards, contested catches (19), and missed tackles (22) and was the highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus.

At the time of his injury, London was widely considered a top wide receiver in college football, and the injury clearly did nothing to impact his draft stock. Fortunately, the wideout didn’t suffer any ligament damage, so his recovery and future outlook are both promising.

The Falcons offense will look a whole lot different next season with Matt Ryan no longer in Atlanta. Veteran Marcus Mariota will replace him under center, and London should instantly be one of his preferred targets, especially with Calvin Ridley suspended. The Falcons used their 2021 first-round pick on tight end Kyle Pitts, and the offensive weapons should highlight Atlanta’s offense for years to come.

The Falcons have now inked half of their draft picks to contracts after signing running back Tyler Allgeier (fifth round), offensive guard Justin Shaffer (sixth round), and tight end John FitzPatrick (sixth round).

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/12/22

Thursday has featured several rookie deals finalized. Here are the mid- and late-round draftees to sign their four-year contracts today:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • WR Montrell Washington (fifth round, Samford)

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • RB Snoop Conner (fifth round, Ole Miss)
  • CB Gregory Junior (sixth round, Ouachita Baptist)
  • CB Montaric Brown (seventh round, Arkansas)

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans