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Eric Lefeld

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

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/15

September 2nd, 2015 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • The Falcons have made a change on offense, signing offensive lineman Eric Lefeld and waiving wide receiver Bernard Reedy, the team announced today in a press release. Reedy, who joined the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2014, spent last season on the team’s practice squad.
  • After cutting their roster down to 74 players on Tuesday, the Jaguars have filled the lone opening by re-signing tight end Connor Hamlett, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter links). O’Halloran adds that the club also reached an injury settlement with wide receiver Greg Jenkins, so he has been removed from the injured reserve list.
  • The Giants also left an open spot on their 75-man roster following Tuesday’s cuts, and they’re using that spot to re-sign kicker Chris Boswell, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). As Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), Josh Brown has been dealing with a leg injury, so Boswell will handle the job in New York’s final preseason game on Thursday night.
  • The Ravens released linebacker Steven Means (groin) with an injury settlement, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets.

Falcons Trim Roster To 76

August 31st, 2015 at 3:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 3:21pm: In an unusual twist, the Falcons announced today (via Twitter) that Terrell Manning, whose name is listed below as one of the team’s roster casualties, is actually still on the team, since the transaction was never sent into the league office.

The club waived defensive back Jonathon Mincy today, according to a press release, but is still at 76 players since Manning remains on the roster. Presumably, the club will officially cut Manning tomorrow in order to get to a 75-man squad, but we’ll see if the Falcons have a change of heart at all.

SUNDAY, 4:46pm: The Falcons have announced a series of roster moves, trimming their roster to 76 players:

Waived:

  • Boris Anyama, LB
  • Marquez Clark, WR
  • Michael Ford, RB
  • John Harris, WR
  • Warren Herring, DT
  • Derrick Hopkins, NT
  • Matt Huffer, T
  • Michael Lee, CB
  • Eric Lefeld, G
  • Terrell Manning, LB
  • Sam Meredith, DE
  • Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C

Released:

  • Mickey Shuler, TE

Placed on Physically Unable To Perform List:

  • Lamar Holmes, T

Atlanta will still need to move one more player off its roster before Tuesday’s deadline.

Falcons To Sign 19 Undrafted FAs

May 6th, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons announced today in a press release that they’ve agreed to terms with 19 undrafted free agents, the largest UDFA class yet among those that have been officially confirmed.

The full list of the newest additions to the Atlanta roster is below. Players whose signing bonuses have been reported are noted:

  • Derek Akunne, LB, North Texas ($2K bonus, per Vaughn McClure)
  • Chris Brown, DT, Tarleton State
  • Marquez Clark, WR, Central Oklahoma ($3.5K bonus, per McClure)
  • Cody Clay, OL, Azusa Pacific University
  • Terell Floyd, S, Louisville
  • Beau Gardner, TE, Northern Arizona
  • Warren Herring, DT, Wisconsin
  • Mike Lee, CB, Fort Valley State ($1K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
  • Eric Lefeld, T, Cincinnati
  • Derrick Malone, LB, Oregon
  • Joey Mbu, DT, Houston ($5K bonus, per McClure)
  • Jordan Ozerities, CB, Central Florida ($1K bonus, per McClure)
  • Damian Parms, S, Florida Atlantic ($3K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Joshua Stangby, WR, Ottawa University ($1K, per McClure)
  • Robenson Therezie, S, Auburn
  • Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, C, New Mexico State ($3K bonus, per Wilson)
  • Terron Ward, RB, Oregon State
  • Kevin White, CB, Texas Christian
  • Shane Wynn, WR, Indiana ($2K, per McClure)