The Falcons announced that they have cut linebacker Justin Durant and William Moore. Today is the first day that teams are allowed to release players and the Falcons wasted little time in dropping two of their veterans.
“We want to thank both of these guys for their commitment and work ethic,” head coach Dan Quinn said. “They battled through injuries to give everything they had for their teammates this season and I will always be appreciative of that.”
Durant, 31 in September, inked a three-year deal with a base value of $10.8MM less than one year ago. Durant got big bucks from Atlanta but he did not deliver the kind of production they were hoping for. In 13 games (12 starts), Durant tallied 81 tackles and three pass deflections. Durant has not played a 16 game season since 2013 and he was not able to snap that streak in 2015. Now, he’ll be spending 2016 elsewhere.
Moore, a former Pro Bowler, was a starting safety for Atlanta, racking up 51 tackles and two interceptions in 11 games last season. Unfortunately, injuries held him back and his season formally ended on December 15th when he was placed on IR. In total, Moore spent seven seasons in Atlanta, playing in 76 games with 72 starts and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2012. Moore amassed 481 tackles (319 solo) with 16 interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 38 passes defensed during his time with the Falcons.
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