HEADLINES

Akeem King

Falcons Cut 14 Players

September 1st, 2017 at 3:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons are letting some players walk early as they get ready for the 53-man deadline on Saturday. The team announced the following cuts:

Taylor, a former sixth-round pick, is the son of Fred Taylor, the greatest running back in Jaguars franchise history. The Falcons picked him up in August after he was discarded by the Chiefs.

The Falcons will only carry two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets, so it appears that Matt Simms will follow Torgersen out the door at some point.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/17

March 8th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:

RFAs:

Tendered:

Non-Tendered: 

ERFAs:

Tendered:

Falcons Cut Simms, Two Others

September 3rd, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons waived a number of players yesterday in anticipation of the roster deadline, and they’ve continued to cut players today.

Here’s a running list of the team’s cuts:

The team has also put a pair of players on the injured reserve:

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/6/15

November 6th, 2015 at 5:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL, as teams prepare for Week 9 action….

  • The Falcons have waived cornerback Dezmen Southward, replacing him on their 53-man roster by promoting defensive back Akeem King from their practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). Southward, the 68th overall pick in the 2014 draft, becomes the second third-round pick from last year to be cut by his team this week – along with former Steelers RB/KR Dri Archer – and is now the fourth member of Atlanta’s 2014 draft class no longer with the club.
  • With a few defensive lineman banged up, the Rams have elevated defensive end Matt Longacre from their practice squad to the active roster, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis had an opening on its 53-man roster after moving running back Trey Watts to the reserve/suspended list due to his indefinite suspension.

NFC Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/15

September 7th, 2015 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

While many teams filled up their 10-man practice squads on Sunday, plenty of teams didn’t confirm their moves right away, or kept a few spots open on those units. On top of that, at least one club that signed 10 players to its taxi squad on Sunday has already made several changes, bringing in new players and jettisoning players who didn’t even spend 24 hours on the squad.

We’ll have updates on Monday’s NFC practice squad signings and cuts in this space, with teams listed in alphabetical order. When new moves occur, we’ll bump this post back to the top of the page. Here’s a round-up of today’s moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed (link via Josh Weinfuss):
    • CB Cariel Brooks
    • T Rob Crisp
    • LB Gabe Martin
    • G Antoine McClain
    • WR Jaxon Shipley
    • RB Kerwynn Williams
    • CB Leon McFadden

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed (press release):
    • LB Derek Akunne
    • T Pierce Burton
    • CB Akeem King
    • QB Matt Simms
    • LB Tyler Starr

Chicago Bears

  • Signed (Twitter links):
    • LB Lamin Barrow
    • T Nick Becton
    • DL Brandon Dunn
    • CB Jacoby Glenn
    • WR Jalen Saunders

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed (Twitter link via Todd Archer):
    • OT John Wetzel
    • S Tim Scott
    • LB Dakorey Johnson
  • To be signed:

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed (press release):
    • RB John Crockett
    • CB Robertson Daniel
    • DT Christian Ringo

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed (via Evan Woodbery on Twitter):
    • TE Blake Annen
    • CB Don Jones

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed:

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed (press release):
    • T Edawn Coughman
    • T Terren Jones
    • WR Rannell Hall
    • TE Cameron Brate

Washington:

Falcons Mince Roster Down To 52 Players

September 5th, 2015 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons are among the final teams to unveil their regular-season roster, and they did so by leaving one spot open.

Atlanta’s roster now sits at 52 players, one below the limit of 53, according to AtlantaFalcons.com.

The team parted ways with Antone Smith, who reached an injury settlement with the team. Out since the Falcons’ preseason opener with a hamstring injury, the 29-year-old backup did not suit up for the team again and will now avoid injured reserve due to this settlement.

Also rehabbing from a broken leg sustained last November, Smith signed a one-year, $1.4MM deal in March to stay in Atlanta.

Injury-plagued veteran tight end Tony Moeaki also couldn’t make the roster. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Seahawks before signing on with the Falcons in March. Atlanta will go with Jacob Tamme and Levine Toilolo as its top two tight ends.

The Falcons placed Jon Asamoah, fullback Collin Mooney and cornerback Travis Howard on injured reserve. Asamoah, a high-priced signing in 2014, suffered a hip injury during preseason workouts.

Those also cut are as follows:

  • LB Derek Akunne
  • OL Pierce Burton
  • CB Akeem King
  • OL Eric Lefeld
  • LB Stansly Maponga
  • NT Joey Mbu
  • WR Carlton Mitchell
  • OL Adam Replogle (waived/injured)
  • RB Jerome Smith
  • TE D.J. Tialavea
  • LB Tyler Starr

Falcons Sign Three Draft Picks

May 10th, 2015 at 8:25am CST by Ben Levine

The Falcons inked second-round pick Jalen Collins to a contract yesterday, and the front office wasn’t finished securing their rookies. According to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com, the team has signed receiver Justin Hardy (round 4), tackle Jake Rodgers (round 7) and cornerback Akeem King (round 7).

The team has now signed five of their seven draft picks, having reportedly come to an agreement with fifth-round defensive tackle Grady Jarrett on Friday. First-round pick Vic Beasley and third-rounder Tevin Coleman remain unsigned.

Draft Notes: Winston, Gurley, Gordon

April 14th, 2015 at 3:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jets, who hold the sixth overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, are in need of a franchise quarterback and have already worked out Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, one of the top two signal callers available. They’d also like to visit with Florida State’s Jameis Winston, who joins Mariota as a likely top five pick, but that meeting may not happen. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Winston was unable to meet with the Jets when they wanted him to and the sides are now having difficulty finding a time.

Here’s the rest of the latest draft news:

  • The Browns, who are in search of a running back, have already visited with Georgia’s Todd Gurley, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan, and will next meet with Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets that Gordon will be in Cleveland for a visit Thursday that could last through Friday. Both Gordon and Gurley are potential first-round picks. The Browns hold the 12th and 19th overall selections.
  • Having worked out Mariota, the Chargers will next head to Los Angeles to do the same with UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
  • The receiver-needy Panthers will meet with Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman tonight and tomorrow, per Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). They’ll also work out USC’s Nelson Agholor, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • The Broncos will visit with Texas A&M offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi next Tuesday, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis believes Ogbuehi could be a second-round target for the Broncos.
  • Mississippi State running back Josh Robinson recently visited with the Colts, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
  • San Jose State’s Akeem King, a former wide receiver who converted to safety, is drawing interest as a cornerback, tweets Matt Barrow of the Sacramento Bee. The Raiders, Falcons, Saints and Seahawks are all eyeing King.
  • The Falcons worked out Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, according to Ross Jones of FoxSports.com (Twitter link).
  • Cincinnati linebacker Jeff Luc will meet with both the Jets and Patriots prior to the draft, tweets Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller.

NFC Links: Gregory, Peterson, Forte

April 13th, 2015 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Randy Gregory will get his fill of airports and meeting rooms leading up until the draft. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter, the pass-rushing prospect will hit a new city every day for visitation purposes with eager teams.

The Nebraska product paid a visit to the Cardinals on Sunday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter, while the Saints will host him later this week (Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo on Twitter).

The Saints may have a shot at landing Gregory at No. 13 overall, but the Cardinals at No. 24 would have to bank on serious character-related doubts stemming from positive marijuana test in February to have a shot at Gregory.

Here are some other visits and newsworthy items as Monday winds down …

  • New Hampshire receiver R.J. Harris, who totaled more than 4,000 receiving yards at the Division I-FCS program, paid a visit to the Packers‘ headquarters on Monday, notes the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Weston Hodkiewicz. Already employing wideout Jeff Janis from Division II Saginaw Valley State, the Packers are continuing to pay attention to small-school prospects. Receiver Ricky Collins (Texas A&M Commerce), defensive end Rodney Gunter (Delaware State) and Texas Southern cornerback Tray Walker join a host of larger-school standouts that have visited the Packers thus far.
  • Coming off a season-ending injury, quarterback Connor Halliday will visit Washington, reports the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter. The Washington State quarterback suffered a broken ankle to end his senior campaign last season.
  • San Jose State receiver Akeem King, who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Spartans’ pro day, will visit the Seahawks and Falcons this week, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
  • While recent reports have viewed the best window at prying Adrian Peterson from the Vikings will open during the draft, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio explains how that might not be the case, considering how the running back’s potential new contract would have to be negotiated in a rapid sequence.
  • Matt Forte did not show up when the Bears opened their offseason training program today, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The longtime Bears starter is entering the last year of his second contract that pays $8.2MM this year, and $100K of that is tied to a workout bonus. Biggs points out that of the four running backs slated to make more than the 29-year-old Forte this year — Peterson, LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray — three of those four received new contracts. Forte, who is training in Florida, attempted to quell concerns on his personal Twitter account about the nature of these early voluntary strength workouts.