Anthony Sao

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/11/24

Today’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

  • Claimed off waivers (from Lions): LB Steele Chambers
  • Waived: LB Jay Person

Harrison Hand brings 27 games of experience to Atlanta. The former fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Vikings before spending the 2023 campaign in Chicago, where he collected 12 tackles and one forced fumble in four games (one start). Meanwhile, fellow cornerback Craig James has seen time in 23 games since entering the NFL in 2018. After going without a regular-season appearance in 2021 and 2022, James got into a pair of games with the Jets last season.

Falcons Sign 10 UDFAs

After finishing the weekend with one of the more questionable draft approaches, the Falcons have rounded out their rookie class with 10 undrafted free agents. The team announced that they’ve added the following UDFAs:

  • Ryan Coll, OL (Richmond)
  • JaQuae Jackson, WR (Rutgers)
  • John Paddock, QB (Illinois)
  • Nolan Potter, OL (Northern Illinois)
  • Jayden Price, CB (North Dakota State)
  • Anthony Sao, CB (MidAmerica Nazarene)
  • Ryan Sanborn, P (Texas)
  • Austin Stogner, TE (Oklahoma)
  • Trey Vaval, CB (Minnesota State-Mankato)
  • Isaiah Wooden, WR (Southern Utah)

The Falcons added another rookie QB to their roster in Illinois signal caller John Paddock. The prospect got a chance to start during his final season at Ball State before transferring to the Fighting Illini in 2023. At Illinois, Paddock only took over late in the season but still managed to finish the campaign with 1,278 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.

The Falcons weren’t finished adding to their offense, signing three skill players to the roster. It’s actually the tight end, Austin Stogner, who has the most accomplished resume of the group. Stogner collected 84 receptions in a college career that saw him bounce from Oklahoma to South Carolina back to Oklahoma. This included a 2023 campaign where he finished with 17 catches for 196 yards.

The organization may be setting up a punting competition by adding Ryan Sanborn to the depth chart. Sanborn spent four years at Stanford before joining Texas for the 2023 campaign. The Falcons are still rostering last year’s starter, Bradley Pinion.