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The Falcons made a number of roster moves today, signing 3 players to their 53 man roster after moving Lamar Holmes, Joe Hawley, and William Moore to injured reserve. You may be familiar with a couple of the guys, but here's a quick breakdown.
Harland Gunn
Miami product and former member of the Cowboys' and Saints' practice squads. In college, he had 4 different head coaches, which probably didn't help him in the pre-draft process. Still, in his last 2 years at Miami, he didn't give up a single sack or draw any penalties. Damn. Gunn has been with the Falcons since 2012 and played in three games last season (weeks 15, 16, and 17), spending the rest of the year on the practice squad.
He hung around until the end of August and was ultimately cut. The Falcons wasted no time signing him to the practice squad and for what it's worth, he's widely regarded as a prospect, someone with the potential to contribute to the 53 man roster. That's not always the case with practice squad players, and Gunn might've cracked the 53 man roster anyway this season. Injuries just accelerated that process.
If you recall, Gunn turned in a dominating run blocking performance in week 15. In just 19 snaps, he logged a 1.1 rating as a run blocker. That's pretty darn good. And in 93 snaps over those three games, he gave up just 3 quarterback hurries and 1 quarterback hit. For someone who was thrown in at the end of the season and surrounded by a laughable excuse for an offensive line, he held his own.
Sean Baker
Undrafted out of Ball State following the 2012 NFL Draft. Baker spent most of last season on the Falcons' practice squad and is known for his blue-collar approach to the game. You may remember his impressive performance in the Falcons preseason victory against the Dolphins. If he has a strength, it's run defense - so you'd think the Falcons could use him. Unfortunately, he may just lack the elite athleticism that's requisite at this level. I'll be honest, he had a good camp, and he deserves the promotion. If he's forced to play extended minutes, we won't like what happens.
Cameron Bradfield
Undrafted out of Grand Valley State following the 2011 Draft. He logged 811 snaps for the Jaguars last season and he was horrible. There's no sugar coating it. His overall rating was -29.1. He didn't rate negatively in 4 games last season, though he played in all 17. In one of those games, he played 1 snap. In another, he played 3 snaps. Of 76 offensive linemen that played 25 percent of their teams snaps at one of the two tackle spots, he had the fourth-worst overall rating. But heck, Lamar Holmes had the second-worst. So we're improving!
Your thoughts about the new additions to the 53 man roster?